Convince Me (Holton Series #1) (6 page)

When the fire had started, she and
her parents had rushed from the house.  He father had shouted at her
asking her over and over if she had left the candles burning in the living
room.  Anna had not been able to remember and her father had blamed
her.  He had been drunk and was totally out of control.  It was the
one time he had hit her.  He had won a great deal of money at a poker game
earlier in the evening and the money was still in the house.  Unable to
believe that he would come to any harm, he had returned to the house to
retrieve the money.  Anna had tried to stop him but he had pushed her
away.  He never made it out. 

The nightmare was a sign that
Steven was affecting her.  His anger had frightened her briefly and Anna
believed that it had caused the dream.  She just hoped that it wasn’t
going to be an ongoing problem.

#

The room was comfortable and cozy
but Steven’s thoughts were far away.  Sitting in his parents’ living room,
he was still thinking about what Anna had said.

He had completely over-reacted this
morning.  His anger had been inappropriate.  Steven knew he felt
territorial around Anna but that he had no real claim to her.  He had
forgotten that Anna didn’t feel the same way he did.  She didn’t have his
knack for making snap decisions.  To Anna, their mutual attraction was
simply that – a mutual attraction.  She hadn’t yet realized that
they belonged together.

Anna made her decisions slowly and
after careful consideration.  She liked being in control and if she felt
even a fraction of what Steven did, then control was in short supply right
now.  It was probably driving her crazy.  Steven knew he had been
rushing her, which was why he had backed off when she had asked.  Then he
made the mistake of pushing her once again.

The problem was no matter what Anna
felt that didn’t change Steven’s feelings for her and when he had heard about
her date, he had been jealous, unbelievably and unreasonably jealous.  He
hadn’t realized what an ugly emotion jealousy could be until his anger had
carried him into Anna’s office.

It was the fear in Anna’s eyes that
had stopped him from venting that anger.  He had wanted to confront her,
wanted to demand an explanation but for the first time in his life someone had
been afraid of him.  It worried Steven.  No one had ever been afraid
of him before and that fear had cooled his anger quicker than anything she
could have said or done.  He still wasn’t sure why she had been
afraid.  He hadn’t threatened her, hadn’t even spoken to her when he first
saw the fear on her face but it had been there.  It was that fear that
occupied his thoughts now.  He didn’t know what to do about it.

“Steve.”  His mother’s voice
broke into his thoughts and he looked up to see her watching him. 
Apparently she had been speaking for some time but he had not heard a word she
said.

Every Monday night, Steven had
dinner with his parents.  He wasn’t really sure when the ritual had first
begun but it had started soon after he had returned from law school.  When
he and Andrew first set up their practice, they both purchased houses in their
old neighborhood.  Some people had thought it was strange that they both
wanted to live so close to their parents but both men genuinely liked their
families and the location was ideal.  It was only a mile from their
office.

Andrew had moved to a newer part of
town soon after Carolyn had died.  The house had been built specifically
for his family and the move had been good for the children.  They had
needed the change after the loss of their mother.  Steven, on the other
hand, still lived just down the block from his parents and Phyllis Moore, who
lived next door.

The Monday night ritual had begun
because of a natural desire to spend time with people he loved and continued
simply because they all enjoyed it.  Andrew and Carolyn had joined them at
first, as did Andrew’s parents, Jack and Phyllis Moore.  After Andrew’s
children were born, they had stopped coming but often, as was the case tonight,
Phyllis still joined them.  Now a widow, Phyllis enjoyed the company of
her friends.

Steven looked around the
room.  It was comfortable and warm, a safe place.  The chair he was
sitting in was one of his favorites.  It was large and comfortable and
faced the rest of the room.  Patricia and Phyllis sat on the couch across
from him and his father was seated in another chair nearby.  Steven had
spent many hours in this room learning about life and love.  He glanced at
his mother and shrugged apologetically.  “Sorry, Mom.  I didn’t hear
a word you said.”

“I was asking about the case
against Cofax Chemicals,” Patricia said, “but I’d rather know what put that
tremendous frown on your face.”

Steven laughed softly.  He
looked first at his mother and then at Phyllis.  Both of them were waiting
expectantly.  Steven knew he could say he didn’t want to talk about it and
they would respect his privacy.  They seldom pried into his life but
Steven thought their opinion might be helpful.

Then he glanced at his father who
sat silent in his chair observing them but not saying a word.  A carpenter
by trade, Dan spent hours in the sun and it showed on his rugged face.  He
was a large, quiet man.  He had brown hair, hazel eyes and a rather plain
face.  He was kind and generous but had little formal education. 
Steven had always found it interesting that his mother, who had a doctorate in
education and his father, who had not finished high school until a few years
ago, had such a strong marriage.

Steven had always valued their
advice so he thoughtfully explained the situation.  He told them all about
his feeling for Anna and what he thought about her feelings for him.  He
explained about her date and his reaction to it.  He didn’t mention the
fear he had seen in Anna’s eyes.  Somehow that seemed too private to
share.

When he finished, no one spoke for
several minutes.  Then Phyllis said, “She’s running scared, Steve. 
In spite of the way you feel, Anna barely knows you.  She is new to
town.  She is setting up a business and you come crashing into her
life.  That is a lot of change.  It’s bound to be a little
unsettling.”

“You can be rather intimidating,
Steven,” his mother added.  “We know you so of course we don’t see it that
way but for someone who just met you, things are a little different.”

“Gee, thanks Mom,” Steven said
sarcastically.  He had never known that he could be intimidating. 
Actually, he had never really thought about it at all.  His mother made
him sound rather alarming.  Maybe Anna’s fear wasn’t so unusual after all.

Both women laughed at his
expression before Patricia continued, “Don’t worry, Steve, it’s not that bad
but I can understand Anna’s viewpoint.  When I first met your father, I
was somewhat intimidated.  Here was this large, very determined man who
seemed to want to take over my entire life.  It was a little scary. 
And, you, Steven, are a lot like him.”

Steven exchanged grins with his
father.  They both knew that where Patricia or his children were
concerned, Dan was a marshmallow.  He would do anything she asked. 
Patricia intercepted their grins.

“Of course, I know better now but
at the time, I was confused.  Love is like that, you know.”

“Just be patient, son,” his father
said softly.  Steven met Dan’s eyes and saw the reassurance there. 
He took his father’s advice to heart.  He would be patient.  Anna was
worth the wait.

It turned out to be easier than he
had thought.  Early the next morning, he received some information on
Cofax Chemicals that would affect their case against the company.  Cofax
had several plants around the country but their main office was in
Seattle.  The president of the company was claiming that the main office
did not sanction the chemicals that had been mixed in Holton.  He invited
Steven to Seattle to discuss the company’s practices and the current situation.

He arranged for a late afternoon
flight and then went home to pack before returning to the office.  As he
was going to be out of town, Steven thought this would give Anna some breathing
room.  It would also be easier for him if he didn’t see her every
day.  He wanted to call her but he knew he had no reason.  It was
possible that Anna was still angry.  Steven knew his little macho act had
not gained him any points with her.  He just hoped it had not ruined
things beyond repair.

Just before leaving for the
airport, Julie cornered him.  “I just wanted to tell you to be back by
Saturday,” she said in an excited voice.

“Why?” Steven asked with a
laugh.  Julie’s delight was enjoyable to see.

“Because Mom has volunteered to
take the children for the whole day and …” she paused dramatically, “…for the whole
night.  She, Dan, and Patricia are taking them and Mark and Melissa to the
Fort Worth Stock Show and then they are spending the night in the city.”

“Okay, I understand your
excitement,” he said slowly, “but what has that to do with me and Saturday
night?”

“Well, since I’m free, I’ve decided
to have a dinner party and you are invited.”

He gave her a quick hug and a
grin.  “Okay, Julie, I’ll try to make it back in time.”

Steven started for the door but
Julie’s voice stopped him.  “You do that, Steve.  By the way, Anna
will be there.”

On that parting note, Julie picked
up some folders from her desk and headed into Andrew’s office without looking
back.  Steven watched her go with an admiring smile.  She knew
exactly what to say to ensure his cooperation. He would definitely be back by
Saturday.

The phone rang breaking the silence
of the apartment and starling Anna out of her half dream state.  She was
exhausted and didn’t welcome the interruption.  She gave the offending
instrument an ugly look.  She gently pushed Sophie off her lap and then
rose from the chair to answer it. The cat protested and walked away in a snit.

“Hello?” Anna said after picking up
the phone.

“You haven’t forgotten about
tonight, have you?”  It was Julie’s happy voice on the line.  Anna
felt some of her tiredness melt away and she smiled at the excitement she heard
in her friend’s question.

“No, of course, I haven’t
forgotten,” Anna replied quickly.  She hadn’t forgotten.  She just
hadn’t realized it was so late.  One glance at the clock told her she had
less than an hour to get ready.  Good thing Julie had agreed to call her
with directions to her house or Anna would still be half-asleep in the chair.

“Good.  I was just calling to
tell you that you don’t have to worry about directions.  Steve said he
would pick you up and you can ride with him.”

“Steven?” Anna said sharply. 
When she had accepted Julie’s invitation to dinner she had not expected Steven
to be there.  She had managed to avoid him all week but it appeared her
luck was about to change.

“Yes, Steve,” Julie replied.

“Oh, Julie, there is no need for
him to pick me up.  I will drive myself.”  Anna tried to keep the
desperation out of her voice.  She wouldn’t know how to explain it to
Julie.

“Nonsense.  It’s right on his
way.  His house is just around the block from your apartment.  He’ll
be there a little before six.  See you soon.”

“Julie,” Anna called but it was too
late.  She had already hung up.

Now what?  Anna thought to
herself.  She could not very well call Julie back and demand to drive
herself.  It would be petty and childish.  Besides, how could she
explain to her new friend that she didn’t want to be alone with Steven? 
Julie adored Steven.  She considered him a second brother.

Although they were two separate
families, the Carsons and the Moores acted as one.  If Julie or Andrew
needed someone to look after their children and Phyllis Moore wasn’t available,
they called Dan and Patricia.  When Andrew had needed help building a
storage room behind his house, Dan and Steven had pitched into help.  Anna
knew that both Andrew and Julie were as involved with planning the Carsons
anniversary party as Steven and Victoria.  They were a close-knit group
and Anna should have realized any dinner party Julie gave would include
Steven.  She just hadn’t been thinking very clearly lately.

It had been a busy week.  She
had finally gotten her office all organized but then most of her customers had
stopped by during the week to meet her.  Anna knew most of them were
simply being friendly but she also realized they wanted to check her out.  She
was new to town and a stranger who was handling their money.  She could
understand their curiosity and their fears.  She tried her best to
reassure them but it had made for a nerve-racking week.  She knew she
would probably lose a few.  Some people would think she was too
young.  Others might hold the color of her skin against her and still
others might just not like her personally.  It was all just part of doing
business.

To add to her troubles, Anna had
been also trying to settle into her apartment.  The last of her things had
finally arrived from Mayville earlier in the week and she had spent every night
unpacking and putting everything away.  She had unloaded the last box the
night before and had spent today hanging her pictures.  As it was Saturday,
she also had to do her laundry and shopping.  She had just finished
unloading her groceries and was taking a well-deserved break when Julie called.

Now she had to face Steven. 
Although, she had seen Julie every day, Anna had not seen or heard from Steven
since his sudden and rather abrupt departure from her office.  She knew he
had been upset when he left her on Monday but she had expected to hear from him
again.  Even though he had been angry, Anna had not believed that it would
be the end of their relationship.  Steven wasn’t the type of man to give
up so easily.  It wasn’t until Julie mentioned that he was out of town for
most of the week that Anna realized she had been waiting for him.  The
thought so angered her that she had immediately tried to put all thoughts of
him from her mind.  She had only partially succeeded.