The Plan (Capitol Love Series Book 1) Page 4

“It’s a bacon, spinach, and gruyere quiche with fresh tomato slices and parmesan cheese crust,” he said. “Take a bite.”

  She did not need to be enticed. She was hungry, and it smelled better than anything she’d ever eaten in her life. At the first mouthful, she closed her eyes and couldn’t suppress a moan.

  “Like that, huh?” Colin asked, his voice a little rough.

  Savannah opened her eyes to look straight into Colin’s electric blue ones. “Mmmm hmm,” she said as she slid another bite into her mouth and again let her eyes close as she savored the experience.

  Colin leaned across the bar and said in a low voice so only she would hear him, “One day, you’re going to make those sounds with me, and it won’t be from food.” And then he disappeared to the back room while Savannah nearly choked on her food.

  Colin asked Diana to cover the bar while he took a break. She gave him a long look before agreeing and then headed over to see if Savannah needed the Heimlich.

  Colin burst through the back door and into the alley. “You’re an idiot! She doesn’t want you,” he said out loud.

  Except he knew that she did—whether she would admit it or not. Chasing a woman wasn’t something Colin had ever done. Sure, occasionally they needed a little romancing, a little wooing, which he was always more than willing to do. But this? A gorgeous woman so determined to ignore an obvious connection and attraction? This was uncharted territory.

  After a few more minutes of pacing, Colin came to a decision. He was going to win Savannah over if it was the last thing he did. The Plan be damned.

  When he went back into the restaurant, he was startled to see a half-eaten quiche but no Savannah. As he stood staring at the empty spot at the bar, Diana came up behind him.

  “So what’s the deal with her?” she asked as she dumped a stack of plates in a bin.

  “What do you mean?” Colin turned away from the empty bar stool and grabbed a rag to help Diana bus the tables.

  “I mean, at first she seemed like one of your groupies, but now you’re her dating consultant. What’s going on?”

  “She’s different. She doesn’t think I’m the right type,” Colin said, making air quotes with his fingers.

  “If being a bar owner and heir to the largest restaurant conglomerate on the East Coast isn’t ‘the right type,’ then I’ve definitely been going about this dating thing all wrong,” Diana said with a laugh.

  “She doesn’t know any of that. She thinks I’m just a bartender.”

  “You mean we’ve found a woman who didn’t immediately fall under your spell? That’s a first, huh?”

  “It’s...something,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “So when are you going to tell her you’re more than a bartender?” Diana asked. “Although the fact that she doesn’t want ‘just’ a bartender is a strike against her in my book.”

  “I know lots of women who only want me for my family’s money or my connections,” he said.

  “Yeah, your looks have absolutely nothing to do with it,” Diana said.

  He frowned at her. “Seriously, D. This one time, I’d like to just be Colin, a guy who’s had to work his ass off for everything he’s got, and not Colin Allison of Allison Inc. She assumes I can’t possibly fit into her life plan, but I’m going to prove her wrong. And I’m going to close this deal on my own.”

  “Oh, this will be fun to watch,” Diana said with a chuckle.

  Chapter 8

  On Monday morning, Savannah was awake at dawn, as excited about her first day of work as a kid on Christmas. While she stood in the kitchen eating a bagel in her PJs so she wouldn’t risk spilling anything on her new suit, she couldn’t stop humming.

  The door to the basement opened, and Carol walked out dressed in running clothes but looking mostly asleep.

  “Good morning!” Savannah said cheerfully. Carol’s only response was an angry glare, so Savannah added, “I’m so impressed by your willpower to get up and go running so early every day! I couldn’t do it.”

  Carol grunted as she put in her ear buds. “Well, we can’t all be blessed with good metabolisms. Some of us have to drag our asses around the city every damn day just so we can have a carb once in a while.” Then she flipped her music on and headed for the front door.

  Savannah glanced down at the bagel in her hand and suddenly felt guilty. She grabbed a banana from the counter on her way out of the kitchen, telling herself it balanced out the carbs.

  At 9 a.m. sharp, dressed in her new black-and-gray pinstripe suit, white silk blouse, and bright red heels, Savannah sat in the human resources office at the Capitol Foundation filling out paperwork and waiting for her employee training to begin. It was supposed to go until 11 and then she would meet with her supervisor, Sarah, who had recruited Savannah after meeting her at a job fair during grad school. Savannah wasn’t sure what else the day would hold, but she couldn’t wait to find out.

  What the day ended up holding was a lot of overwhelming information and a lot of new names and faces she was pretty sure she’d forget by the next day. She got lost three times trying to navigate through the warren of cubicles to the bathroom, and she hadn’t even tried to find the kitchen on her own yet.

  As she flopped down in a seat on the Metro a few minutes past 5, she was exhausted in a way she’d never experienced before, and she kind of loved it. Her excitement had been replaced with a determination to master her new world, and it was invigorating. Her phone beeped, and she pulled it out to see a text message from Rayne.

  Still on to spy on happy hour at Zipped tonight?

  Savannah had forgotten all about that. After her conversation with Colin, she’d spent some time looking up events and activities she could use to find men. Rayne had been a big fan, pointing out that the networking could be good for her career as well as her love life—which had been Savannah’s opening to convince Rayne to do it with her. Rayne’s job in media relations for a conservation group on the Hill could definitely benefit from some networking, and her love life could benefit even more.

  Rayne had reluctantly agreed, but only after making an impassioned speech about how she enjoyed being single and didn’t want finding a boyfriend to be her main focus in life. Her one condition was that they show up and observe the events from a distance first, and then if the men all looked super boring, they could cross that event off the list and not have wasted an evening.

  When Savannah found a Young Professionals Happy Hour for that Monday at Zipped, it seemed like a perfect place to start because they knew they could at least eat well.

  She typed back, Yep. Could use a drink. LONG day!

  A second later, Rayne’s reply popped onto the screen. My treat to celebrate your first day as a grownup!

  Savannah sent back an emoji of a martini glass followed by clapping hands. Then she slid her phone back in her bag and tried to decompress for the last few minutes of her ride home.

  Twenty minutes later, Savannah walked into Zipped looking for Rayne but didn’t see her. She was pulling out her phone when she noticed Colin waving to her from behind the bar. A smile covered her face before she could stop it, and she headed over.

  Colin greeted her with a low whistle. “Lookin’ sharp, Red!”

  Savannah blushed and avoided eye contact as she arranged herself on her stool and took her suit jacket off.

  Colin said, “Are we celebrating your first day, or—” Savannah opened her mouth to answer, but Colin held up a hand to stop her. “Oh, no, wait! Let me guess—the Young Professionals of the Hill happy hour.”

  Savannah smiled. She’d been a little nervous about coming back in after she’d left last time without saying goodbye so she was relieved to see that he was acting normal tonight.

  “Sort of,” she said. “Rayne and I are just going to scope it out, and if it doesn’t look awful, we’ll join in next time.”

  “By awful, I’m guessing you mean filled with guys you wouldn’t want to see naked. Right?”

  At t
he word “naked,” Savannah’s traitor brain immediately imagined Colin naked, which made her face blush bright red and her stomach do all kinds of acrobatics.

  “You are something else, Red,” he said, shaking his head and laughing. Then he set out a cocktail napkin and a wine glass and uncorked a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

  “I didn’t order.”

  “I told you—I know what you need.” Colin paused for a long second before adding, “To drink. But if I’m wrong, I’ll make you whatever you want.”

  White wine was her go-to drink, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right. She sat up straight, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and said, “Since you already poured it, I’ll drink it. It’s fine.”

  Colin laughed again as he recorked the bottle then moved down the bar to take someone else’s order.

  Five minutes later, Rayne plopped down on the stool next to Savannah, which was also the last available seat.

  “Well, this is the place to be apparently,” she said as she hung her bag on one of the hooks under the bar, shrugged out of her blue cardigan, and shoved it into her bag. She was wearing a pale green sundress and flip-flops.

  “I know. I almost got into a fight twice trying to save you a spot.”

  “Good thing you’re bad-ass,” Rayne said as Colin walked up and set a cocktail napkin in front of her.

  “Hiya, Rayne. How about a vodka tonic?”

  “Yes! That’s exactly what I was going to order.”

  “I know,” he said with a wink. “I’m just that good.” He was talking to Rayne but looking at Savannah, who pretended not to notice though she suddenly felt more lightheaded than her few sips of wine warranted.

  “So,” Rayne said glancing around the crowded bar. “Which are the Young Professionals we’re supposed to be checking out?”

  Savannah shrugged. “It seems pretty unorganized. No signs or name tags or anything.”

  Colin set Rayne’s drink down on the bar. “Pretty much everyone here is with your group,” he said. “Or at least everyone under the age of 40 wearing a suit.”

  “That doesn’t seem like a very good system,” Savannah said, wrinkling her nose as she looked around.

  “Instead of name tags, they have buttons. But some people wear them on their belt loops or ties or purses. See those guys?” Colin gestured toward two twenty-something men in suits with loosened ties and government ID badges still around their necks. “See the bright green buttons on their ties?”

  Savannah and Rayne looked where he was pointing and noticed the buttons for the first time. Glancing around the room again, they realized about ninety percent of the people in the bar had those buttons on.

  “At least we have a lot to choose from,” Savannah said.

  “Probably even more than you realize,” Colin said with his eyes on Savannah. When he looked away, he noticed Rayne watching him. Their eyes met, and Rayne raised an eyebrow in a questioning gesture, but Colin shrugged and went back to his work.

  For the next hour, he brought them a series of small servings of appetizers that they didn’t order and refused to acknowledge their protests or assertions that they were going to pay for the food. After the third plate, they stopped arguing and just ate whatever he put down. Savannah nursed her glass of wine for most of that hour, and when she finally took her last sip, Colin was there with the bottle to offer a refill. Savannah put her hand over the glass to stop him.

  “Do you want something else?” he asked.

  “She’s a total lightweight,” Rayne said. “More than one drink and it starts to get ugly.”

  “Hmm, that sounds like a challenge.” Colin recorked the bottle and stashed it under the bar.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Savannah said as she finished off the last of the brie-and-cranberry crostinis.

  “Look at you, hogging the attention of the two prettiest women in the bar. As usual.”

  Savannah and Rayne both turned toward the sound of a masculine voice and saw a man leaning on the bar next to Rayne. Savannah noted a resemblance to Colin, though this guy was slightly older and taller and had a more rugged look to him.

  “Job perk,” Colin said, pushing himself back from the bar and reaching for a glass. “Savannah and Rayne, meet my brother Chase.”

  “Hello, ladies,” Chase said, flashing them a magnetic smile. He had the same arresting blue eyes as Colin, though his hair was lighter and he wore it longer and shaggier compared to Colin’s closely cropped style. “Do you mind if I ask why, out of all the men in this bar, you’re talking to him?” Chase gestured to Colin with his thumb and said “him” like it was something vile.

  “Technically, he’s talking to us. We’re just sitting here,” Rayne said as she reached for her third vodka tonic.

  “Ah yes, he does have a habit of trapping innocent women into spending time with him.”

  “Hey!” Colin cried out in protest. “That was a misunderstanding, and the charges were dropped.”

  Rayne and Savannah laughed.

  “Has he been feeding you food you didn’t order and generously refilling your drinks?” Chase asked.

  “He’s trying to,” Savannah said.

  “Uh huh. Brother, you need to get some new moves!” Chase leaned across the bar to punch Colin in the shoulder.

  “Oh, so then you don’t want this gin and tonic I just made you and I should cancel the order of wings Diana put in as soon as you walked through the door?” Colin said to Chase.

  “Of course not. But that’s called a family perk when—”

  “OK!” Colin said loudly as he thunked Chase’s drink down on the bar to stop him from saying more. “You wanna go find a seat? Somewhere else?”

  Chase gazed at him for a moment then said, “I think I’m fine right here.”

  “Of course you are,” Colin said under his breath as he walked away.

  “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” Savannah whispered to Rayne as she slid down from her chair and made her way across the crowded bar.

  Chase looked at Rayne. “Was it something I said?”

  “Kind of. Those two are completely into each other but won’t admit it—Savannah because she thinks Colin isn’t her type, and Colin...well, I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with him, but he doesn’t seem deterred.”

  Chase laughed. “No, I’m sure he’s not. Colin is everyone’s type, but he does enjoy a challenge—not that he has many when it comes to women.”

  “Well, he’ll get his fill with Savannah.”

  Colin returned a few minutes later with two plates of wings. He set one in front of Chase and one beside Rayne. When she started to protest that they didn’t need two servings, Colin said, “He doesn’t share well, and I guarantee you’ll want some.” Rayne shrugged and reached for a wing.

  “Where’d Miss Savannah get off to?” Colin asked in what he hoped was a casual tone. His brother cocked an eyebrow at him, which he ignored.

  “She went to the ladies’ room, but that was actually a while ago.” Rayne craned her head toward the back of the room until she spotted Savannah. “Oh, there she—”

  She stopped when she realized that Savannah was talking to a guy with a green button pinned to the belt loop of his suit pants. Colin followed Rayne’s gaze.

  “Ah. Looks like she’s finally doing some networking,” Colin said and then got very busy clearing empty plates and glasses from the bar and noisily dumping them into the black bins behind the counter.

  “Good for her,” he said mostly to himself. “I mean, it’s the reason she’s here right?”

  He stopped moving and looked up to see Rayne and Chase observing his private conversation with amused looks. Colin grabbed a full dish bin and headed to the back.

  “Wait—is he jealous?” Chase asked. “So that’s what that looks like. Weird.”

  “Told you he was totally into her.”

  “Oh boy,” Chase shook his head, eyes gleaming. “This should be entertaini
ng.”

  Savannah had been making her way back from the ladies’ room when a young blond man in a gray summer suit and blue tie stepped into her path.

  “Hi, I’m Ryan Cleary,” he said, holding out a hand.

  Caught off guard, Savannah hesitated for a moment before reaching out to shake his hand. “Savannah George,” she said with a smile.

  Still holding her hand, Ryan pulled her a little closer and leaned in to say, “What’s that?”

  Savannah put her mouth close to his ear and repeated her name. Leaning back and letting go of her hand, Ryan smiled at her. “Pleased to meet you, Savannah. Are you here with the Young Professionals group?”

  “No, but seeing you all here, I think I should be.”

  “What kind of work do you do?” Ryan asked, leaning close to Savannah’s ear when he spoke, although she didn’t think it was all that loud in the bar.

  “I’m a program manager for a large foundation,” she said, liking the way it sounded and making a point to slowly tuck her hair behind her ear in a way that she’d read about in a magazine article titled “Subtle Gestures to Lure Men In.”

  “Ah, a do-gooder,” Ryan said with a half-smile. He gave her a quick once-over and said, “Yeah, I could have predicted. You’ll fit right in.”

  His tone sounded a little condescending, but she told herself she was imagining it.

  “I’m a policy analyst at a think tank,” Ryan said and then leaned back, as if expecting Savannah to have a big reaction to this information.

  “That sounds interesting.” In truth, she didn’t know what the job entailed despite the fact that “policy analyst” and “think tank” were both on her list of acceptable career fields for potential boyfriends/husbands.

  “So what would I need to do if I wanted to join this group?” she asked.

  “All you really need is one of these little green buttons.” He pointed to the button on his belt loop. “Unfortunately, the gal who hands them out isn’t here tonight. But if you come next week, I’ll make sure to have one for you.”

  “Oh great! I think I will come,” Savannah said.