Convince Me (Holton Series #1) (12 page)

Steven rose from the couch and
walked over to the window that overlooked the backyard.  Andrew’s house
was beautiful.  It was a huge colonial with four bedrooms as well as a
formal living room and den.  Steven knew the house had been purchased with
Andrew’s political career in mind.  It had been built the year Andrew had
first started his push for a public office.  Carolyn’s death had put those
plans on hold.

The house was impressive but the
backyard looked like any other backyard where children lived.  February
had brought another cold spell to Texas but no rain.  The trees were bare
and the grass was brown but the sun was shining and Andrew’s children were
making the most of the sunshine.  Melissa and Mark were carrying boards
and large branches from one end of the yard to the other.  Why, Steven did
not know and really wasn’t sure he wanted to but their apparent enjoyment was
fun to watch.

“I really don’t know if I need to
talk or not,” Steven said still watching the children.  This is what he
wanted.  Lazy Sunday afternoons, with children playing in the yard and
friends gathered in his home.  He wanted it with Anna but how could he
explain that to Andrew or to Anna?  “The biggest problem is I can’t seem
to get a handle on Anna.  One minute everything seems fine and the next,
well, who knows?”

“Steve, Anna is a lovely woman but
you have only known her a few weeks.  Don’t you thing you could be rushing
things?”

“Maybe,” Steven agreed.  He
turned back to his friend.  Andrew had Julie’s coloring.  He had dark
hair and piercing green eyes.  Those eyes were trained on Steven
now.  “But you know how I am.  I know she is the one. “

He paused for a moment.  “She
has agreed to come to the party.  I guess that is a step in the right
direction.”

“You might want to try to see
things from her point of view.  We have known each other most of our lives
and sometimes we don’t stop to think that something that seems so right to us
isn’t always acceptable to others.  You and I know Anna would be more than
welcome at the party but she probably feel that way.  She hasn’t even met
Dan and Patricia.”

Steven knew Andrew was right but he
didn’t know how to explain it.  He needed Anna to be a part of his
life.  She was still hiding in some ways.  She had stopped avoiding
him but she always wanted to do things outside of Holton.  It appeared to
Steven that Anna was ashamed of their relationship.  This did not sit well
with him.

“Carolyn used to say that the
Carsons and Moores were so close they didn’t have room for anyone else,” Andrew
continued.  “I think sometimes she felt left out.  We have such a
long history together.”

Steven had never thought about it
that way.  He felt a little guilty.  He hadn’t disliked
Carolyn.  She had been a very nice woman.  She had been friendly and kind
and a good mother to Melissa and Mark.  He had just never felt close to
her.  He was sorry to hear that she realized that she was a little out of
place in their group.  He hoped Anna didn’t feel that way.

“Do you think Anna could feel like
that?  Like she really doesn’t belong?” he asked.

Andrew shrugged.  “I suppose
it is possible but I don’t know what else you could do about it.  Julie
really likes Anna and so do I.  We have made her as welcome as we know
how.  I think the only thing you can do now, Steve, is let Anna do what
she needs to do.  Give her time to get used to us.  We can be a
little overwhelming.”

Steven laughed.  “That’s
true.  Just wait until she meets Victoria.”

Andrew laughed also.  “If she
can survive Victoria, you know she can survive anything.”

“Let’s watch the game,” Steven said
taking his seat.  He felt much better.  Andrew was right.  There
wasn’t much else he could do for Anna.  She had to make her own way. 
He would just try to be there to guide her along.

After the game, Steven stopped by
Anna’s on the way home.  She was pleased to see him although she scolded
him for not giving her any warning of his arrival.  It was obvious that
she had been cleaning.  Her hair was pulled back and her cheeks
flushed.  She was dressed in a loose fitting, oversized t-shirt and
sweatpants.  Steven thought she looked adorable and told her so.  She
laughed lightly and invited him in.

“I thought you were watching the
Rockets’ game with Andrew,” she said as they sat on the couch.

“The game is over.”

“Oh?  Did the Rockets win?”

“Yes,” Steven replied with a
grin.  He knew she wasn’t really interested in the game but was politely
showing her interest.

Anna saw his grin and hit him
lightly on the arm.  “Okay, so I don’t even know what game the Rockets
play but at least I remembered their name.”

Steven threw back his head and
laughed.  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.  Anna
responded immediately.  Steven had no questions about Anna’s physical
response to him.  It was her emotional comment that worried him.

He slowly and reluctantly ended the
kiss.  Steven hadn’t pushed a physical relationship.  He didn’t want
to scare her.  They talked quietly for a few minutes before Steven asked
her to have dinner with him at The King’s Court.  So far, Anna had avoided
eating anywhere in town and Steven hoped that her decision to come to the party
was a sign she was willing to be more open about their relationship.

“No, Steve, I don’t think so,” Anna
said and Steven had to suppress his impatience.  However, that feeling
soon faded as she continued.  “I don’t have the energy to dress for the
Court.  Why don’t we go to Tabby’s?”

The all night diner was not the
most romantic place in the world but the food was good and it was convenient
and simple.  Steven was pleased that Anna was willing to eat there for it
was a popular spot and they were bound to be seen.

The meal was pleasant.  Anna
remained relaxed and comfortable in his company.  After they ate, they
returned to her apartment for desert.  Anna had purchased a cherry pie
from the local bakery and Steven reheated it in the oven.

They talked about their week for a
little while but when he retuned to her kitchen for the pie, the oven had not
heated it.

“Anna is there something wrong with
your oven?” he asked.

Anna followed him into the
room.  “Oh, that.  Sometimes it will not turn on.  Here, just
turn the knob this way.”  She fiddled with the controls. 

“You should get that checked.”

“I will,” she replied absently.

“Maybe I can fix it, Anna. 
Here, let me try.”

“No, Steve,” Anna said
firmly.  “I’ll take care of it.  I can do it myself.”

“Okay,” Steve replied.  He did
want to crowd her.  Anna was very independent.  She had taken a major
step in their relationship tonight.  That was enough for now.

Although Holton would never be a
major city, it was located on a state highway that headed directly toward the
prosperous area directly north of Dallas.  Because of this, Holton was
able to support four gas stations, a restaurant, and three fast food chains
along the highway but downtown the only place to eat was the local bakery.

Owned by one of the oldest families
in town, Mabel’s main business was the fresh pastries and pies baked
daily.  Named after the first Mrs. Dorman, Mabel’s was now run by the
latest Dorman husband and wife team.  A few years back they had started
serving lunch during the week.  The choice of delicious fresh sandwiches
and hot soup made it a popular site.

Anna ate at the bakery once or
twice a week.  Often she would take her order back to the privacy of her
office but today she and Rachel Lewis were seated at one of the small tables
facing Main Street.

Over the past few weeks, Anna and
Rachel had become friends.  At first, it was simply because they were both
friends with Julie but gradually they got to know each other and developed a
solid relationship on their own.  Anna liked Rachel.  She was a quiet
woman, not shy like Anna but she simply had little to say unless you asked her
a specific question.  When you did, she would answer with a candid honesty
that was not always diplomatic but was very sincere.  You always knew
where you stood with Rachel and Anna admired that characteristic.  She
also had a wicked sense of humor under her quiet exterior and Anna thought she
was very funny.

As Julie went home most days to
have lunch with her children, Anna and Rachel had started having lunch on a
fairly regular basis.  Rachel worked odd hours at the library so she
wasn’t always free but the two of them got together when they could arrange it.

“I understand you are now deeply
involved with the Carsons’ party,” Rachel said in her raspy, deep voice. 
They had just placed their orders and were waiting for them to be filled.

Anna grimaced.  “It’s
amazing.  I haven’t even met the Carsons yet.  Today, I got a text
from Victoria asking if I could come early to help with the decorations.”

Rachel laughed.  “I’m sure it
was worded in such a way that you found it hard to say no.”

“You’re right,” Anna said with a
smile.  “I’m just not sure what to do.  I don’t know Victoria
either.”

“Don’t worry about Tori.  You
will like her.  Everyone does.  Tori is hard to resist. 
Actually all the Carsons are hard to resist.”

Anna had to agree with that
statement.  She knew of one Carson in particular that was very hard to
resist.  She glanced at Rachel.  “I’m a little nervous.  You
know Mr. and Mrs. Carson, don’t you?”

Rachel nodded.  “Yes.  I
have known them all my life.  Why?”

“What are they like?”

There was a pause in the
conversation as their food order was called.  Anna went to pick it up at
the counter.  Rachel did not say anything until they were both settled and
had eaten a little.  “Dan and Patricia are great.  You won’t have any
problems with them, Anna.”

Anna blushed at the obvious meaning
behind Rachel’s words.  That had not been what she meant but she was
pleased to know that Rachel believed that the Carsons would like her.

“What I meant was what are they
like as people?  Are they friendly, quiet, what?”  Anna was still
very curious about Steven’s family and a little anxious.

“Well,” Rachel said slowly thinking
about her answer.  “They are both very nice.  Patricia is friendly
and very open.  She is not as extroverted as Victoria but they are a lot
alike and she is very smart.”

Patricia was a professor at a local
college.  Steven said she had been offered jobs at several more
prestigious universities but she liked the one on one atmosphere she had at a
small college.

“Now, Dan,” Rachel continued, “he
is a little harder to understand.  He is quiet, hardworking, nice, but
there is a depth to him that most people don’t see.”

“What do you mean?”  Anna had
been told by several people that Steven was a great deal like his father.

Rachel finished her soup and leaned
back in her chair.  “I remember once when I was a child I decided to sell
lemonade.  There were several other children on the block and they had all
gotten together to do the same.  I guess even then I was a little out of
place.  The other kids had huge, bright colored signs and they rode their
bikes up and down the street stopping people and selling their product. 
I, on the other hand, had one carefully written sign and sat behind my table the
whole day reading a book.  As you know, I am not very outgoing. 
Needless to say, I didn’t sell much lemonade.  Actually, I didn’t sell
anything that day.”

Anna laughed as Rachel leaned
forward placing her arms on the table.  There was a faraway look in her
eyes.  “At the end of the day the other kids rode by and teased me until I
burst into tears.  I went home and my mother offered to buy me a new sign
and to help me but I refused.  I was determined that my way of doing
things was the right way and I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me differently.”

“How old were you?”

“Oh, six, maybe seven. 
Anyway, the next day I set things up the same way.  The other kids did too
and taunted me in the process but I didn’t back down.  Well, Dan was
working on a house nearby and he must have noticed the situation because about
an hour later he and his entire crew came to my stand and bought every drop of
lemonade I had.  Dan paid for it all.  I had sold all my lemonade by
ten o’clock and the other kids were still there after lunch.  Every day
for the entire week, Dan and his crew would walk down the street and buy all my
lemonade.  I’ll never forget that.”

“He sounds really nice,” Anna said.

“He never said a word to me about
it but I know he remembers.  That is they type of man Dan Carson is. 
Steve is a lot like him.”

Sighing, Anna started to reply but
was interrupted by a bright voice calling Rachel’s name.  She turned to
see a woman walking toward them.  Anna knew she was about to meet one of
the elder Carsons.  The woman who greeted Rachel had to be Steven’s
mother.  She had Steven’s blond hair, sky blue eyes, and fair
complexion.  Her face was very feminine and her nose turned up slightly at
the end.  She was lovely and Anna could see where Steven got his good
looks.

“Rachel,” Patricia was saying, “I
just wanted to tell you that I spoke with Phyllis and we would both be happy to
help with the story hour at the library.”

“That’s great.”

Anna heard the excitement in
Rachel’s voice.  Rachel was trying to start a new program at the library
for the children.  A weekly story hour was fairly common at many libraries
but Holton had never had such a program.  Rachel wanted to see if one
would work in her hometown.  The problem was the library had few funds and
Rachel had to rely on volunteers.  She was also very picky about who she
would allow near the children so that narrowed the field even more. 
Rachel had told Anna she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to recruit enough
people to make the program work.