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]

All right. He could up the ante.

He stretched, arms lifting a little. A waiter walked by their table. As if he were commenting on the weather, he spoke in his clear, normal register. "Penis."

The tray in the waiter's hands nearly toppled.

[st_clare]

She stifled the urge to laugh at the clatter of dishes on the tray, watched the waiter fumble around to assure himself that nothing would spill, saw him head back towards the kitchen while throwing a look at their table over his shoulder.

"Penis," she said, her accent crisp as she raised her voice just a bit. The woman at the next table was gawping at them, No, Julianna would never eat here again.

[devin_capshaw]

He watched as the waiter exchanged some words with the hostess. He knew exactly what they looks they were shooting his way meant.

One last hurrah.

"Penis!" Devin said it loud enough for the people across the restaurant to hear. The writer grabbed his jacket as the hostess stalked over to them.

"Yeah, we're out of here," he told Julianna.

[st_clare]

"I'm right behind you."

Julianna dropped some cash on the table to pay for their half-eaten dinners so they wouldn't call the police on them for dining and dashing, snagged her light jacket from the back of her chair. The laughter was still threatening.

"Penis!" she barked as she bypassed the fuming hostess. She was determined not to let Devin have the last word. "Don't come back or I'm calling the cops!" the hostess yelled.

Outside, she shrugged into her jacket before digging her keys out of her pocket. She and the writer were in the parking lot before she said, "If I made you uncomfortable by bringing you here, I apologize. I should have suggested something less formal."

[devin_capshaw]

Devin could not have imagined anything more hilarious than watching a well-bred, British woman in pearls yelling the word 'penis' to a bewildered hostess.

"No, it turned out...not how I expected."

He handed his ticket to the valet, who was eyeing both him and Julianna warily.

"Did you tip?"