The Plan (Capitol Love Series Book 1) Read online

  They reached the patio at Sweet Happens, and Colin noticed his brother had stopped walking. “You coming in?” he asked.

  “Yeah, it’s probably not a great idea. Right?”

  Colin looked through the window and saw Crystal bustling around inside. “Yeah. Probably not. It’s pretty busy. I’ll tell her you said thanks for the pastry yesterday.”

  “Cool. I’ll catch you later, bro.” Chase punched Colin on the shoulder and broke into a jog to cross the street before the light changed.

  Shaking his head at his brother, Colin pushed open the door and hoped that Crystal hadn’t seen Chase and that if she had, she wouldn’t ask why he hadn’t come in.

  Chapter 6

  For the next few days, Savannah kept herself busy settling into her room and the house and getting ready to start her new job the following week. She had unpacked and arranged all her stuff, gone shopping for the final pieces of her new professional wardrobe, and just finished testing her route and commuting time. And most important, she hadn’t had any more run-ins with Colin.

  She was in the process of congratulating herself on how little thought she’d given to him over the past few days—which is to say not exactly 24/7—when her cell phone rang. Smiling at the sight of Rayne’s name on her screen, she answered with a cheerful “Hey!”

  “Hey yourself, stranger! Is it weird that we sleep like 20 feet from each other and yet haven’t crossed paths in almost three days?”

  “I’ve been busy getting settled,” Savannah protested. “I don’t want anything to distract me from work when I start on Monday.”

  “You’re such a nerd.”

  “True. But I’ve also been sitting at home the last two nights while you’ve been off doing whatever...or whoever?” Rayne hadn’t dated in over a year—not since that mess with a colleague—and Savannah was hoping to hear that things had finally changed.

  “Working. Only working. Climate change isn’t going to stop itself, you know. But I don’t have to work tonight, so let’s hang out.”

  “Done. Where are you? I’m starving. We need to eat.”

  “I discovered this little diner you’re going to love. Meet me at Independence and 6th in ten?”

  “Done!”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were sliding into a red pleather booth in a diner that looked like it had been transplanted from the fifties, complete with a fully decked-out soda fountain at the long counter that ran down the middle.

  “I’m in love with this place,” Savannah declared as she picked up a plastic laminated menu.

  “The best part is that they locally source their food and are all about a small footprint and organic food,” Rayne said. “It’s the charm of the fifties without the environmental destruction.”

  “Love. It.”

  After ordering grilled cheese sandwiches, fries, and malteds, Rayne said, “So anything left on your itemized and color-coded to-do list that I can help with?”

  “Well, since you asked,” Savannah said, taking a deep breath. “Tonight’s agenda is to get started meeting boys. Or I guess I should say men.”

  “Haven’t you already started that with Mr. Sexy Bartender?”

  “No! I need to start meeting men based on my checklist. I know I’m not going to find him right away, so I need to start looking now. It could seriously take years.”

  The waiter arrived with their food. Savannah took a bite of the gooey sandwich and thought she’d found heaven.

  “I still don’t see why you can’t have a little fun before starting that particular part of The Plan,” Rayne said between bites.

  “Nothing says these appropriate men won’t also be fun.”

  “I’m pretty sure everything says that.”

  Savannah pointed a french fry at her. “Do you want to hear my plan or not?”

  “Definitely,” Rayne said, taking a long sip of her malted. “I can’t wait to hear The Plan to find the man for The Plan.”

  “I’m ignoring your mocking. Tonight I’m setting up online dating profiles and looking for some meet-ups for single young professionals.” Savannah paused to shove several fries into her mouth then said, “I was hoping you could help me with my profile.”

  Rayne reached for her phone. “I think we should take your profile picture right now, with half-chewed fries falling out of your mouth and a spot of ketchup on your cheek.”

  “Nooo!” Savannah cried, and a mangled piece of french fry fell onto her plate, prompting her and Rayne to burst into a fit of laughter.

  Gasping for breath, Savannah reached for her water glass, still giggling, and felt a prickly sensation along her spine. She looked up, and her heart jumped when she saw Colin leaning against the soda counter chatting with the manager. He was once again in well-worn jeans that sat low on his hips and were held in place with a thick black belt. His usual T-shirt had been replaced with an off-white henley in acknowledgment of the unseasonably chilly May evening.

  He obviously hadn’t seen her, so Savannah watched as he crossed his black-booted ankles in a relaxed pose, although she could see the muscles in his legs and back flexing as he shifted his weight. She suddenly found herself wondering what it would feel like to grip his muscular rear and couldn’t stop cataloging the details of his body.

  He chatted for a few more minutes then straightened and headed for Savannah’s table as if that had been his plan all along.

  The moment Colin had walked through the door of the diner, his senses had tingled in a way that he didn’t understand until he saw Savannah. He had positioned himself so he could watch her in the mirror behind the soda counter while he talked. He hadn’t planned to stop there. He was just walking by and decided to check in with the manager about some business they had together. He saw Savannah notice him about a minute after he got to the counter and had been watching her watch him and clearly enjoying what she saw.

  Colin was glad for the confirmation that despite the cold shoulder a few days ago, she was at least a little attracted to him.

  When he turned and caught her looking, he didn’t even try to hide his smile, especially as he watched that familiar blush creep up her cheeks. Damn, she was cute when she blushed.

  “Hey, Red. Hello, Rayne. How are you ladies doing this evening?”

  Savannah suddenly didn’t know where to look or how to use her tongue, so after an awkward second, Rayne said, “Hi, Colin! Do you want to join us?” and smiled innocently at Savannah’s panicked face.

  Colin shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your girl’s night.”

  He leaned a hip against the edge of the booth next to Savannah, and when she inhaled, she could smell him—a mixture of soap and something earthy mixed with a distinctly masculine scent that reminded her of being on top of him in her front yard. She wanted to lean in and breathe him in, but she stayed where she was and refused to even look up at him.

  “Any fun plans for the rest of the evening?” Colin asked as he shifted position and brushed his thigh against Savannah’s shoulder in a move she suspected was purposeful.

  Remembering what she and Rayne had just been talking about, Savannah suddenly found her voice and nearly shouted, “NO! I mean, um, nope. Nothing special. Probably just head home and see what’s on Netflix.”

  “Oh, because I could have sworn I overheard some reference to setting up a dating profile. But that wasn’t you two, huh?” Colin asked.

  Savannah stared at Rayne, telepathically pleading with her to take the hit on this. To which Rayne telepathically responded, Not a chance.

  Savannah squared her shoulders and sat up straight in the booth. “Fine. It was me. But so what? Everyone is doing online dating. Especially in this city, where there’s no romance, just...interactions.”

  “Is that a fact?” Colin glanced at Rayne because Savannah still refused to look at him. “Good to know.” He stepped away from their table. “Well, I’ll let you ladies finish your dinner. Good luck with your project tonight, and you know, if you need
a guy’s point of view on your profile, I’d be happy to take a look at it.”

  That earned Colin his first eye contact with Savannah since coming to the table.

  “Really?” she said, ignoring the tiny stab of disappointment that poked her in the gut.

  “Sure. Happy to help,” he said with a smile. “You girls have a great night.”

  “Bye, Colin!” Rayne called after him as he moved toward the door, but Savannah was silent.

  Rayne stared at her until she finally said “What?!” in exasperation.

  “You know exactly what!” Rayne said, shaking a french fry at her.

  “No, I don’t.” Savannah reached for her sandwich and immediately dropped it back on the plate.

  “You’re an insane person. Certifiable.” Savannah opened her mouth to reply, but Rayne stopped her. “If you say anything involving the phrase ‘The Plan,’ I swear to god I will choke you to death with these french fries.”

  Savannah flopped back in her seat.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she said. “He’s obviously not into me.”

  “If you say so.” Rayne took a last noisy slurp of her malted. “Let’s get the check and head home. We’ve got some online profiles to write!”

  “Yay! It’ll be fun!” Savannah said, even though she suddenly had much less enthusiasm for it than she had just half an hour earlier.

  Rayne waved their waiter over and asked for the check.

  “Actually, you guys are all set,” he said. “Colin took care of it for you.”

  “What?” Savannah and Rayne said at the same time.

  “Yup. And…” He turned to look over his shoulder as another waiter came over carrying two clear plastic containers with what looked like slices of chocolate cake in them. “He also wanted you to have this dessert to go. He said you were going to need it, whatever that means.”

  “Who is this guy?” Savannah asked after the waiter had walked away.

  Rayne dropped some bills on the table for the tip. “Clearly not someone who is interested in you.”

  Savannah glared at her and slid out of the booth.

  Chapter 7

  Two days had passed since the night at the diner, and Savannah couldn’t stop thinking about Colin. She finally told herself that it was because she didn’t like being in his debt, so on Friday afternoon, when she happened to be walking past Zipped, she decided to go in and see if he was there so she could pay him back.

  The restaurant’s windows let in a surprising amount of sunlight. The glowing, welcoming interior reminded her of the pub she used to eat at every day when she spent a semester studying in England. During the day, the pub was bright and cheerful and the perfect place for a restorative lunch. In the evening, it transformed into a cozy and lively social hub, dark enough to let your inhibitions down but not so dark that you couldn’t see who you were talking to.

  She glanced around the room, which was only about half-full of customers, but didn’t see Colin. She was about to leave when she heard “Hey there, Red” from just to her left. Turning, she found herself inches from Colin, who was holding an empty plate in one hand and a white rag in the other.

  “Here for lunch?” he asked as he moved behind the bar to dump the dish in a black bin.

  “No. Actually I came to see you.” Savannah followed him to the bar and was rewarded with a wide smile that made his eyes sparkle.

  “You know, I had a feeling today was going to be special. Need some help with those dating profiles?” He winked at her as he moved with practiced efficiency behind the bar, clearing plates and refilling drinks for the handful of people eating at the bar.

  “Uh...no…” Savannah stuttered.

  “Don’t tell me you’re an afternoon drinker?” he said.

  “A what? Oh, no, no.” God Savannah, act like you’ve been in public before! she scolded herself. Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eye. “I wanted to say thank you for buying us dinner the other night.”

  Colin waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “The manager owed me. No biggie.”

  “No, it was really nice of you and really unnecessary...and...uh…” Suddenly Savannah found herself reluctant to undo his gesture by trying to paying him back.

  “So you’ve already had lunch?” Colin asked.

  “Well, no, but that’s not why—”

  “Grab a stool, Red. Take a load off. I’ll be right back.”

  Before Savannah could say anything, he was gone. Just disappearing on him would be rude, and frankly she didn’t have anything else to do with her afternoon, so she settled herself on a stool. Colin returned a few minutes later, and Savannah could have sworn she saw a look of relief flash in his eyes.

  “How about some iced tea?” he asked as he came up even with her.

  “Oh, sure. Thanks.” Savannah hadn’t planned on ordering anything, but it occurred to her he might get in trouble with his boss if she took up a seat at the bar without eating or drinking anything.

  He set the drink down in front of her. “So you were telling me about how it was going with the online dating,” he said.

  “I definitely wasn’t.”

  “You were definitely just about to start,” he said with a wink that made Savannah’s stomach do a flip.

  There didn’t seem to be any way out of this conversation so she said, “There isn’t really much to tell. It’s only been two days.”

  “Not going well, huh?” he said with a pitying look.

  “Shut up,” she snapped, only partly in jest.

  The truth was, she had been underwhelmed by the responses she’d gotten so far, and maybe a guy’s perspective could help. And since she wasn’t interested in dating Colin, she shouldn’t have any issue with talking to him about it, right?

  “Come on, let’s hear it,” he said. “I bet I can help.”

  She sighed, and then she told Colin about the disappointing responses she’d gotten, which ranged from over-muscled/over-testosteroned posturing to illiterate and disturbingly graphic sexual propositions.

  When she’d finished, Colin said, “Sounds pretty typical from what I understand. Hey, D!” He called to the waitress with the pink hair that Savannah had seen the last time she was in, and the woman joined them at the bar.

  “Diana, Savannah. Savannah, Diana.” The women nodded and smiled at each other. “Diana here is something of an online dating veteran,” Colin said, and Diana rolled her eyes.

  “Sad but true. I’ve been doing it since before it was trendy. I think I’ve seen it all,” she said with a laugh. “But you aren’t doing it, are you?”

  “I just started.”

  “NO! You’re young and cute! You do not need to be slogging through all the DNA dysfunctions that live online. I bet you can’t throw a stick without hitting a guy who’d want to take you out.”

  “Hardly!” Savannah said with an awkward laugh.

  “Come on, D, you’ve had some good experiences, too, right?” Colin said.

  “Some, but they were hard fought. Seriously, sweetie, don’t resign yourself to the virtual world before you’re sure it’s all that’s left.” Diana patted Savannah’s arm before moving away.

  “Why are you so quick to give up on real life, Red?”

  She paused. “You’re going to think I’m crazy. Even Rayne thinks I’m crazy.”

  Colin leaned in, crossing his arms on the edge of the bar and pinning her down with his magnetic blue eyes. “Try me.”

  She couldn’t resist the kind, attentive look on his face, and next thing she knew, she was telling him all about The Plan, including the type of guy it required.

  “Huh,” was Colin’s only response when she finished.

  “Yeah.” Normally talking about The Plan made Savannah feel energized and in control. But somehow telling Colin about it made her feel sad.

  “How long have you had this plan?” he asked.

  She looked down at her lap and twisted a napkin around in her hands. She had no intention of t
elling Colin about the origins of The Plan.

  “Since I was nineteen,” she said.

  “So it’s been a while.”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, OK then.” He busied himself behind the bar and then seemed to come to a decision. “So here’s the problem I see.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re not going to find that kind of guy online. At least not yet. Guys your age aren’t online.”

  “Guys my age?” Savannah said with air quotes. “How much younger than you do you think I am?”

  “Five years,” Colin said immediately. “But those are a critical five years in a guy’s development.”

  “You’re twenty-nine?” Savannah asked. Colin nodded. She had started to hope that he was in his thirties, which would be another reason to not consider dating him. But five years wasn’t that big a spread.

  “So then where are they—the kind of men I want to meet?” she asked.

  “You have to get out and go places. We have a trivia night here on Thursdays. It’s pretty popular with dudes whose jobs require suits and IDs on lanyards. There’s similar stuff all over the city. Try some of those before retreating into the online world.”

  “I was planning on finding some meet-ups and joining some young professional groups, too,” Savannah said, starting to feel unaccountably irritated by his enthusiasm.

  She was pulled out of her thoughts when Diana arrived with a plate of food.

  “I didn’t order,” Savannah objected as Colin set it down in front of her.

  “You said you hadn’t eaten, right?” He set out a napkin and silverware for her and pulled condiments from farther down the bar.

  “Yeah, but—” Savannah didn’t want to admit that until she got her first paycheck, which wouldn’t be for at least another two weeks, she was on a tight budget. As in “dollar menus” not whatever this amazing-smelling dish was.