Best Laid Plans

[st_clare]

Julianna decided on seafood instead of steak when she and Devin finally got to arrange their dinner plans, and she'd dressed casually because she didn't want the writer jumping to conclusions about this evening. Yes, she found him attractive, and she'd like to get to know him better, but the 'maybe' column wasn't a terrible place to occupy.

The hostess had already seated her, and she sipped at the beverage she'd taken the liberty of ordering while she waited. She'd slept alone after the event at the Skylark because she'd sent Nathan home after a fairly intense make-out session on her couch. He'd grumbled, but he'd left accordingly.

The Watcher picked up the spoon where it rested to the right of her place setting, examined it critically. One could never tell whether or not the flatware would be completely clean. She had a very slight knot of tension in her stomach, one she had yet to really acknowledge.

Bugger that. This was just dinner, testing the waters. She could live with the results either way.

Comments

[devin_capshaw]

"Well, that's admirable. My fitness regimen consists mostly of running to the gas station for a burrito." Devin smiled and tapped his finger against the menu.

"Yeah, that's cool. I'm leaning toward the fish and chips. You eat that in Britain, right?"

For some reason, he enjoyed feigning ignorance. He had actually visited Britain on a trek across Europe. The dish was his best bet, he knew that from experience.

[st_clare]

"We do. English food is a bit soggy, but we like it."

When the server went away again, Julianna took a sip of her water and asked, "How's the writing coming along? I understand the second attempt at writing a novel can be more difficult than the first, if only because of the expectations you place on yourself. I hope your creative muse is being cooperative."

[devin_capshaw]

He drank his wine, nodding. Vague classical-style music filled the dining room; he couldn't identify any composition he knew. "Um, it's going good. I rented a trailer, got tired of motel living. The quiet helps me concentrate."

Devin leaned back in his chair, taking in his surroundings. It was the type of place his parents would go on their anniversary.

"Plus, I heard there was a dead body found at the Kay. I stayed at the El Rey, but still. I'm not taking any chances."

[st_clare]

"Yes, it made the newspaper," the Watcher said. She'd read the brief article with consternation, noting that exsanguination had been listed as the cause of death, with unusual marks found on the neck of the victim. Not that vampire attacks were unheard of in secluded locations, but it was troublesome knowledge.

"It's why I was glad to get out of that hotel. Not because of anything unpleasant, but because it's nice to have my own space again. It helps me think when I'm trying to work."

The wine was an interesting combination of tangy and sweet, and Julianna watched it swirl around in her glass as she examined the dark liquid under the lights. "Where did you live before Nevada? The tourist traffic in this city means that they don't seem to have many permanent residents. Where did you call home before you put down stakes in Searchlight?"

[devin_capshaw]

"Yeah," he said, suppressing a shudder, "I wouldn't really call it putting down stakes. It's a six month lease."

Devin caught his reflection in his spoon, and made an attempt to smooth down his hair. "I'm from Indiana, but I've bounced around a lot. New York for a few months, um, California. Venice Beach was awesome. Shady, sometimes, but awesome."

He grabbed a roll from the basket.

[st_clare]

Commitment issues. She recognized the sudden twitchiness. The way he patted at his hair was adorable.

"I've seen a bit of America, but never this far out west. I bought a coffee table book of photographs of the desert. They look lonely and beautiful."

The mushrooms arrived, and Julianna waited for Devin to take one first. "Did you come from a military family? Is that why you moved around so much? Or was it a case of wanderlust as you got older?"

[devin_capshaw]

He kind of felt like he was being interviewed, but he didn't say so. He put one of the mushrooms on his appetizer plate.

"When I was published, I had the excuse I needed to break away, so I did. I like to travel. The idea of waking up in the same place every single day, doing the same job, it's not really for me."

Devin spread butter over his bread. "What about you? Did you come here with family, or...?"

[st_clare]

"No, actually. My parents traveled extensively in Europe and the Far East, but the closest they got to America was a brief stopover in New York back in the nineteen fifties. I'm afraid they were a bit provincial in their thinking, didn't care for the States."

Julianna let the silence hang between them while she buttered a piece of bread and took a bite of it. The sound of her own voice wasn't so important to her that she had to prattle at him every second. She didn't want to be reduced to saying whatever inane thing that popped into her head.

"Sounds as if you came from a close family," she said once she felt a decent length of time had passed. "I was born last, the youngest of four, so I understand that feeling of wanting to break free."

[devin_capshaw]

Devin laughed, sampling the stuffed mushroom. "No, I mean, with husband, children, et cetera?"

He raised his eyebrows, washing the appetizer down with some more wine. "Too close, sometimes. But you know how it goes." He shrugged out of his jacket.

"Do you ever slum it?"

[st_clare]

"Ah, right. No, I never married." She showed him her left hand, the lack of a wedding ring. It was the only time she'd ever gone against Mother's wishes, a symbolic rebellion. "I was an intellectual in a time that profoundly did not favor women, and I didn't see the need for a husband. I can never decide if that makes me cold or not."

Julianna ate more bread, picked up a mushroom. "And I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'slum it'," she said in a more neutral voice. It sounded faintly provocative, and she wanted to keep her mind out of the gutter tonight.

"I like to relax as much as the next person, the stereotype of the fuddy-duddy professor aside. You might have to be more specific about what you mean."

[devin_capshaw]

"I mean, do you ever eat in a restaurant that doesn't have a tablecloth? Have you ever been camping? Gotten your hands dirty?"

Devin switched from wine to water. "Don't see how that makes you cold. I'm definitely not the marrying type, either." He had one serious relationship, once, that was seemingly headed in that direction, and he completely flaked, and invented imaginary conflicts to justify ending it.