The Plan (Capitol Love Series Book 1) Read online

  At 6:45 on the dot, Savannah walked into the bar. She’d gone with a more casual look than her previous date and was wearing dark-wash jeans, high-heeled sandals, and a flowy short-sleeved pink blouse over a white lacy tank top. Her brown hair was loose around her shoulders, and she’d put on minimal make-up.

  When Colin saw her, he let out an appreciative whistle, and Savannah rolled her eyes even as she blushed.

  He came out from behind the bar and said, “So I was thinking you should sit in the window seat.” He placed his hand lightly on the small of her back and guided her toward the bay window. She was suddenly caught up in his touch and his smell—that delicious combination of soap and masculinity with a hit of something sweet. “This way, you can sit across from him, and you can look out the window if he’s boring but also have a sight line to me in case you need anything. OK?”

  It took Savannah a second to realize that Colin was waiting for a response. “Yes! Yeah. Sounds good.”

  Colin studied her for a minute before saying, “Sure you’re up for this?”

  “Yes! Just normal first-date jitters,” Savannah said with a laugh as she quickly sat down in the chair he had indicated to put some space between them.

  “Let’s have a signal in case you need an exit strategy,” he said.

  “What if I give you a hand signal and you call my phone with an emergency?”

  “Ugh. That’s so cliché. How about, you place an order for catfish nuggets, and then the server will let me know, and I’ll rescue you?” Colin had come up with the idea earlier but was hoping it sounded spontaneous.

  “What will you do?”

  “I don’t know,” Colin said with a smile. “We’ll see what the moment calls for.”

  “This sounds complicated.”

  “It’ll be fun. The key to dating a lot is to make it fun. Otherwise, your soul will get crushed after the third bad date.”

  “What if the date is good?” Savannah asked playfully. “What if this is The One?”

  “Odds are definitely against you, Red,” Colin said with a wink, hoping like hell that he was right.

  Safely back behind the bar, Colin took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. When she’d come in wearing jeans that looked custom cut for her curves and her hair all soft around her face, he’d had a primal urge to grab her and lay the kind of kiss on her that would have marked her as his for everyone to see. While he was showing her to her table, he’d been so distracted by the fruity scent surrounding her that if she hadn’t sat down when she did he would have nuzzled his nose against her neck.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her sitting at the table, nervously running her hands through her hair and fidgeting with her phone, and he knew that if this plan was going to work, he couldn’t sit here and watch her on these dates.

  He saw Diana going into the kitchen and followed her. He had explained his plan to her earlier, and she had expressed disapproval. Now he told her about the catfish nuggets code, and her role in it didn’t help.

  “Why can’t you just get a normal girlfriend?” she asked.

  “It’s a solid plan.”

  “Just keep telling yourself that.”

  Colin was starting to have second thoughts, but he wasn’t going to admit it or change his strategy. “Are you gonna help or not, D?”

  With a sigh, she said, “Of course I am. You sign the paychecks.”

  “That’s my girl,” Colin said with a laugh. “I’ve got some work to do in my office, so if she needs me, just come get me.”

  “Hiding, huh?” Diana said as she headed back out into the restaurant. “Yeah, you’ve clearly got this under control.”

  Twenty-five minutes after Peter sat down across from Savannah, she was ready to order catfish nuggets.

  “Do you mind if we get something to eat?” she asked when Peter stopped talking long enough to take a breath. Who knew someone could have that much to say about life insurance?

  “Oh, boy, ordering food,” he said. “That means this is going well, right?”

  Savannah smiled noncommittally. Glancing up, she caught Diana’s eye, who nodded but took her time making her way to the table.

  “Another glass of wine?” she asked, and Savannah wondered if she knew the code.

  “Definitely, but also, um, are you still serving catfish nuggets?” Savannah asked, looking Diana in the eye.

  Without any reaction, Diana said, “We sure are. I’ll get those right out to you.”

  Savannah worried briefly that she was going to have to actually eat catfish nuggets. Whatever those were.

  Two minutes later, Colin came out from the back and walked toward their table. “Savannah! I didn’t know you were coming in today, sweetheart! What a nice surprise.” As he reached the table, he turned as if just noticing Peter. “Who’s this, honey? Someone from work?”

  Savannah was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say, eventually stuttering out, “Um, he’s, uh, my…”

  Colin turned to Peter and held out his hand. “You must be Jason. Pleased to meet you!”

  Peter’s face paled, and he said, “Um, no. I’m Peter.” He glanced from Colin to Savannah with a question on his face.

  “He’s...Colin...I mean, I, uh...” Savannah continued stuttering.

  “Am I seeing this right? Did you bring another man into my restaurant just to rub my nose in it? I agreed to try this open relationship thing your hippie friends were raving about, but this is too much.” Colin made a good show of looking angry, but Savannah could see the humor in his eyes.

  “I, uh… thought you were off tonight. Honey.” Savannah was slowly starting to get on script.

  “I’ll just bet you did.” Colin crossed his arms and turned to face Peter. “And now you’ve gone and dragged this nice man into our drama.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or maybe you’re into this open relationship thing, too? Huh?”

  Then Colin’s expression softened. He looked Peter up and down and said, “Hmmmm. I might be able to get on board with that.”

  “No! No. No,” Peter said, jumping up and knocking his chair back. “I’m not...that’s not...I’ve got to go.” He fumbled in his pocket and threw some crumpled bills on the table before carefully sliding past Colin.

  As the door swung shut, Colin dropped into the seat Peter had vacated and looked at Savannah for a split second before they both burst out laughing.

  “What the hell was that?!” Savannah asked as she wiped tears from her eyes.

  “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “You’re insane. Poor Peter.”

  “Eh,” Colin waved his hand dismissively. “Come on over to the bar and tell me what was so bad about Peter, and I’ll get you some actual food.”

  After she had settled herself at the bar, Savannah asked, “Why are you so focused on feeding me?”

  “Well, it works with stray cats.” He set a glass of white wine on the bar in front of her.

  “Huh?”

  “To keep them coming back.” Colin winked at her as he moved down the bar to put in her food order and then immediately went to bus a few tables so Savannah couldn’t respond. Which was fine because she had no idea how to respond.

  Over the next two weeks, Savannah had five more dates at Zipped, and they all ended with her ordering catfish nuggets and some variation on the same scene with Colin, but with Savannah getting better at playing her role. After the third date, Rayne started coming to the restaurant to watch the scene play out—and to try to run into Chase. But he had apparently left town on a photo assignment shortly after trivia night.

  Now as Savannah assumed her spot at the table in the window for her sixth blind date, Rayne settled herself at the bar. Colin set a gin and tonic in front of her, and she said, “So what’s it going to be tonight? The open-relationship routine—or maybe the long-lost lovers?”

  “How do you know we’ll need a routine tonight?” Colin said. “This could be the one that sticks.”

  Rayne shot him a
look that he refused to acknowledge. “The odds favor dinner theater as the likely outcome,” she said.

  “I guess we’ll see.” Colin smiled and quickly moved down the bar to check on some other customers.

  By the time he made it back to Rayne’s end of the bar, Savannah’s date had arrived and they seemed to be having a good conversation.

  “So how’s all this been for you?” Rayne asked, gesturing with her head toward Savannah’s table.

  “It’s been a lot of fun,” Colin said with a smile, though he wouldn’t meet her eye. “I took this improv class a couple years ago, so it’s been fun to finally put it to use. Plus, I think it’s helping Savannah keep her spirits up with all these bad dates.”

  Colin knew he was rambling and forced himself to stop talking. The truth was that it had been way more of an emotional roller coaster than he’d been prepared for. He started each date with the usual excitement about seeing Savannah, then resisted the urge to touch her, then waited anxiously hoping she ordered catfish nuggets while also hoping she didn’t because playing these scenarios with her—reading each other so easily, laughing and dishing about the guy’s flaws afterward—was torture. A sweet, delicious torture that Colin both loved and hated.

  He had originally seen this as a way to keep her safe while giving him time to show her how these other guys couldn’t measure up to him. But now he was starting to worry that he’d miscalculated and that each order of catfish nuggets just pushed him deeper into the friend zone. But as much as he hated watching her with these other guys, what he hated even more was the idea that eventually she wouldn’t order the nuggets, and he’d have to watch her walk out with another guy.

  Suddenly he became aware of Rayne staring at him and realized he’d gotten lost in his thoughts, but he couldn’t remember what he’d been saying.

  With a soft laugh, Rayne said, “So this is all no big deal for you then?”

  Colin laughed, too, and said, “Yeah, piece of cake,” before heading back to hide in his office.

  Diana intercepted him before he reached the door. “You’re on,” she said with the disapproving tone she used anytime Savannah was involved.

  “That was fast.” Colin looked toward the window and saw Savannah gripping her wine glass with a fake smile on her lips. He headed for the table, deciding to go with the long-lost lover routine.

  As her date slid out the door, Rayne slid into the chair across from Savannah and shot a pointed look at Colin, making him head for the bar without a word.

  “What are the chances,” Rayne asked gently, “that you’re purposely picking the wrong guys just to be able to play this game with Colin?”

  “Zero,” Savannah said, but she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The guys were good on paper—that wasn’t the issue. But what might be the issue was that she wasn’t giving them half a chance because as soon as she saw Colin, her focus was destroyed. But she wasn’t going to admit that to Rayne.

  “This one lasted almost an hour,” Savannah said by way of defending herself.

  “So what happened to suddenly bring on the catfish nuggets?”

  “He told me he lived with his mom.”

  “Well, it is expensive to live—”

  “By choice. He said she’s his best friend and that it felt weird to be out doing something social without her.”

  “OK, that was a legit catfish date.”

  “Thank you. Now let’s go see what Colin feeds us tonight,” she said as she got up from the table.

  “Wait.” Rayne reached out and grabbed Savannah’s wrist, and Savannah slowly sank back into her chair.

  “I’m serious,” Rayne said. “I want you to consider throwing The Plan out the window or at least putting it on hold for a few years.”

  “No! I’m not doing that.”

  “I know. And that’s why I’m staging this intervention. If you’re sure you want to stick to The Plan and just be friends with Colin, then having your dates here isn’t going to work.”

  Savannah opened her mouth to protest and was surprised at how upset she got at the idea of this ending.

  “Unless!” Rayne said before Savannah could gather words. “Unless you agree to seriously give these dates a chance. And that means no more catfish nuggets. The whole point of having the dates here was so that you’d be safe from aggressive assholes, right?”

  Savannah nodded.

  “So you don’t need an entire improv scene every time a guy is boring or a mama’s boy. You have to start enduring these dates and getting out of them on your own, just like every other woman in this city.”

  Savannah still felt a little panicked at the idea of ending catfish nuggets, but it was better than not coming into Zipped at all.

  After staring out the window for a few minutes, she said, “There was this one guy, a few nights ago. Steve. He wasn’t bad. I actually didn’t even have to catfish nuggets him because he got a call about work and had to go. I assumed he was ditching me, but he’s been emailing me to set up a second date.”

  “That’s great! A second date! You should totally do that. But maybe not here?”

  Savannah sighed. “He emailed me yesterday to ask if I wanted to go to this lecture at the National Geographic museum tomorrow night. It sounded kind of interesting.”

  “Perfect! Why don’t you email him back right now and say you’ll go?” Rayne pushed Savannah’s phone toward her.

  Picking it up, Savannah shot Rayne a look. “I thought you didn’t support The Plan. Why are doing this?”

  “Because, sweetie, I support you. And this is what you want, so I’m going to help you get it. That’s all.”

  With a smile, Savannah brought up her email on her phone, accepted Steve’s invitation, and gave him her cell number.

  “Good girl!” Rayne said. “Now we can eat.”

  As they dug into bowls of ratatouille and chunks of crusty brown bread smeared with butter, Colin said, “So what’s the date schedule for next week, Red? I’m thinking of changing up the routine a bit. I think the regulars are starting to get a little bored.” He winked at Rayne, who shook her head, not wanting to encourage this game.

  “Um, I’m actually going on a second date tomorrow,” Savannah said, surprised at how hard it was to say.

  Surprise flashed briefly on Colin’s face. “How do you do a second date after catfish nuggets? You been having first dates behind my back, Red?” he said, trying to sound playful.

  “No. Remember that one date last week who ditched me? Well, he emailed the next day and confirmed it really was a work emergency and we’ve been emailing a bit, and so we’re, um, going to a lecture at a museum tomorrow night.”

  “A lecture at a museum, huh? Sounds thrilling.” Colin hated how bitter he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. “Well, just so you know, catfish nuggets aren’t available for delivery.” He turned and stalked back to the kitchen.

  “That went well, I think,” Rayne said.

  Ten minutes later, Diana came over and asked if they needed anything else. When they said no, Diana said, “OK, then you have a good evening,” as she dropped a check on the counter.

  Savannah picked it up, and her heart sank when she saw that for the first time ever, it was for the full amount of their bill.

  “Do you think he’s mad at me?” she whispered.

  “He’s just mad at losing his performance slot,” Rayne said. “Or maybe his boss finally got after him about giving away all these free meals.”

  She took the slip from Savannah and pulled some money from her wallet, which she left on the counter with the bill.

  “Come on, babe,” she said, sliding her arm through Savannah’s. “Let’s go find something for you to wear on your museum date tomorrow.”

  Chapter 15

  The next night, when Savannah got out of the Uber she’d taken home from her date, she found Rayne and Carol sitting on the porch, a bottle of wine between them.

  “Wow, Mom and Dad, you didn’t need to wait up,” Sav
annah said as she climbed the steps to the porch.

  “I wasn’t waiting for anything,” Carol said. “I was just stopping this one from drinking alone.”

  “I, on the other hand,” Rayne said, gesturing with her wine glass, “was definitely waiting up. How’d it go?”

  Savannah leaned against the railing and said, “It was fine. It was nice.”

  Rayne raised an eyebrow, and Carol made a “harrumph” noise.

  “No, seriously. Steve is a good guy. He’s smart and courteous and interested in my work, and he’s funny. In his own way. But he definitely has a sense of humor. He’s definitely checking all of the boxes.”

  “What about chemistry?” Rayne asked.

  “Yeah, chemistry! From what I remember that’s kind of important!” Carol chimed in, and Savannah wondered if she might be a little drunk.

  “There’s chemistry. He kissed me tonight. It was actually pretty romantic. We got coffee after the lecture and then we came out onto the street and he insisted on getting me an Uber instead of a cab, and then as it pulled up, he kind of grabbed me and kissed me.” Savannah smiled as she recalled the scene.

  “Did you kiss him back?” Carol asked.

  Blushing, Savannah said, “I did. And we’re going out again later this week.”

  She had honestly enjoyed the kiss and was looking forward to seeing Steve again, but that also made her feel a little guilty, like she was cheating on Colin. Which was ridiculous. She noticed Rayne watching her and wondered if she could read her mind.

  “Well, good,” Rayne said after a minute. “It sounds like it’s going great.”

  “Yep. Well, I’m pretty tired. I’m going to head to bed. You kids stay out of trouble,” she said as she pulled open the door.

  “I don’t even know what trouble looks like!” Carol called after her.

  Yup. Definitely drunk.

  It had been more than a week since Savannah had seen Colin, although he’d “liked” a couple of her posts on Facebook and started following her on Instagram so she guessed he didn’t completely hate her. She’d gone on her third date with Steve, which had also been nice, and he had kissed her a little longer at the end of the night, and that had been nice, too.