Convince Me (Holton Series #1) (11 page)

One Saturday, Steven took her to
meet Tim Moreno and show her the greenhouse where he had gotten the lilies he
had given her.  He told her about calling his sister and planning their
first date.  Anna was shocked and flattered that he had gone to so much
trouble.  They later drove to McKinney, a town not far from Holton. 
McKinney’s downtown area was a square block that contained over a hundred specialty
shops and restaurants.  They spent some time poking into the stores and
antique shops before going to a movie.

Anna was becoming deeper and deeper
involved with Steven.  It would have frightened her if she hadn’t been so
happy.  She started helping Julie and Steven with the plans for his
parents’ anniversary party although she had yet to meet the elder
Carsons.  Steven had invited her to have dinner with him and his parents
but Anna wasn’t quite ready for that and Steven hadn’t pushed the issue.

One evening they were having dinner
with Julie and Nick at Steven’s house when the subject of the party came up in
conversation.  It was now only a few days away and there were still a lot
of things that needed to been done.  Anna volunteered to help with the
shopping but so far no one knew what still needed to be purchased. 
Victoria had not yet sent a list.

“I don’t know if I should purchase
some decoration or not,” Steven was saying.  They were all seated around
Steven’s small dining table.  They had just finished a huge meal of
grilled steaks and baked potatoes.  The men had cooked so Anna and Julie
agreed to clear the table but were still too full to get started.

“Tori didn’t say anything about
decorations.  At least, not to me.  What about you, Julie?”

Julie shook her head.  “I
wouldn’t worry about it, Steve, I’m sure Tori has thought about it.  She
is probably bringing them with her.”

“You’re probably right but maybe
I’ll pick up a few things just in case.”

Julie laughed then rose from the
table and started picking up some plates.  Anna joined her and the men
headed into the living room.  Anna loved Steven’s house.  It was the
perfect size.  Not too big, not too small.  It was an older home and
had gorgeous hardwood floors.  There were three bedrooms at the back of
the house and a huge living room.  Steven told her it had actually been
two rooms at one time – a dining room and a living room.  He had the
wall separating the two rooms torn out making a beautiful open space he now
used for his living room and den.  It was a perfect place to hold a party
for it was big enough to house a large group of people without being too
crowded.

Anna also loved the kitchen. 
One reason Steven had no need for a dining room was that the kitchen was large
enough to hold the dining table.  It stood in a small area that was
probably a breakfast nook at one time.  It now had a large bay window that
looked out over the backyard.  A huge weeping willow framed the window.

The rest of the kitchen was plain
but very practical.  There was a large sink and Steven had recently
purchased a new stove.  The back door let directly out to the yard instead
of the garage, which was to the side of the house.  Anna opened the door
to allow the late evening breeze to flow through the room.

Looking out at the night sky, Anna
took a deep breath.  She could smell the smoke from the fire that Steven
had used to grill the steaks.  Glancing at the barbecue pit, she saw that
the coals were still burning.  A shot of fear raced through her. 
Turning, she walked quickly back to the sink and filled a pitcher with water
before returning outside to douse the flames.

When she returned to the kitchen,
Julie looked at her in surprise.  Knowing she probably overreacted, Anna
smiled at her somewhat embarrassed.  Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “I
thought it would be better to put out the fire.”

Julie nodded in agreement. 
“You’re probably right.  You can’t be too careful.  Especially with
as dry as it has been around here lately.”

Anna agreed.  Ever since her
father had died in the fire, Anna had been very cautious.  Julie didn’t
know this but Anna was glad that she was careful also.

As Anna carried some dishes to the
sink, she noticed that Julie had a grin on her face.  “What’s so funny?”
Anna asked.

“Steven,” Julie said
laughing.  “He will go out and buy decorations for this party that will
never be used.  He can’t seem to understand that Victoria will have every
detail planned out perfectly.”

“So he won’t need the decorations?”

“No, I’m sure he won’t but that’s
Steve.  To him, Tori is still a little kid who is always up to
something.”  Julie paused briefly to rinse a plate.  “Actually, we
all tend to treat her that way.”

Julie sounded a little sad. 
Anna looked at her wondering what was on her mind.  “What do you mean?”

Startled, Julie threw her a
glance.  “Well, Tori is unique.  She is very unconventional and maybe,
just a little crazy, at least to our way of thinking.  We are a pretty
conservative group.  Steven and Andrew can be patronizing.  They
don’t mean to be but Steven pulled Tori out of so many scraps when she was
young that it is hard for him to change.  I just never realized that we
all treated her like that until recently.”

“What made you realize it?”

“Nick,” Julie said with a
laugh.  “He was always defending her.  So quietly that I didn’t
realized it at first.  Then one day he said something and I questioned
him.  He told me we all treated Victoria like she was some mischievous schoolgirl
when in reality she was a very successful businesswoman.  It was quite a
shock to realize he was right.  I felt awful.”

“Julie,” Anna said, “why are you
telling me this?”

Julie stopped washing the dishes
and turned to look at her.  Anna had never seen her so serious. 
“Tori is my best friend.  She is coming home in a few days and I don’t want
anything to hurt her.  I think sometimes Steven’s attitude does. 
Will you talk to him?”

Anna immediately shook her
head.  “No way, Julie.  If there is a problem between Steven and his
sister, I don’t want to be in the middle of it.  Steve loves her a lot.”

“I know,” Julie replied.  “So
do I.  You’re right.  We shouldn’t interfere.  It’s just that
recently I have sensed a restlessness in Tori and I’m not sure she is happy
which feels weird as she is the happiest person I know.  I guess I want to
make everything alright for her.”

“You’re a good friend, Julie, but
they will work it out.  Just wait and see.”

Julie nodded and then asked, “Anna,
do you want to go with me to pick her up at the airport?”

“Me?” Anna squeaked.  She knew
Victoria was flying in on the day of the party.  She didn’t want to come
earlier because she was afraid her parents would find out and it would ruin the
surprise.

“Sure.  We could leave early
and have lunch in Dallas before going to the airport.  That way you
wouldn’t have to drive your car here.  The fewer cars we have to hide that
night, the better.  Of course, you may not want to leave work
early.”  Julie paused a minute while Anna was trying to make sense of the
conversation.  It appeared that Julie thought Anna was going to attend the
Carson’s anniversary party.  Almost half the town had been invited. 
Victoria was planning a family dinner with just the Carsons and Moores and then
later the rest of the guests would arrive.  Anna had not planned on being
one of them.

“I know,” Julie continued, “we can
pick you up from your office on our way back to town.  How does that sound?”

“Julie, I’m not going to the
party.”

Her friend stopped and looked at
her.  “Of course, you are.”

“No, I’m not.  I don’t even
know the Carsons.”

“Oh,” Julie said with a flick of
her hand, “that doesn’t matter.  Believe me, Anna, everyone expects you to
be there.”

“Where?”

Anna turned to see Steven standing
in the doorway.  He had obviously just returned and heard the last of
Julie’s sentence.

“At your parents’ party,” Julie
told him.  She gave the counter one last swipe with the dishrag and walked
over to the door.  “Tell her, Steve.  She thinks she isn’t coming.”

With that statement, Julie left the
room and Anna faced Steven alone.  She wasn’t sure what to say.  She
had never expected to attend the party.  It had never even crossed her
mind but by the look on Steven’s face, it had apparently crossed his. 
Anna put the last of the leftover salad into the refrigerator and turned back
to Steven.

“I don’t know your parents,
Steve.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

He walked slowly into the room and
leaned against the counter.  Steven was dressed casually in blue jeans and
a pullover sweater of a deep blue that enhanced the color of his eyes. 
Those eyes watched her now and Anna began to get a little nervous.  During
the past three weeks, they hadn’t crossed words once.  It appeared that
was about to change.

“You could meet my parents.  I
have tried to introduce you before but you wouldn’t let me.”

“I know,” Anna nodded.  “I
wasn’t ready.”

Steven looked her straight in the
eye and Anna couldn’t look away.  His arms were folded across his chest
and he stood very still.  “When will you be ready, Anna?”

She had known this day would
come.  She just hadn’t expected it to come so soon.  Steven had been
very patient but she knew he wanted their relationship to move forward,
emotionally as well as physically.  They hadn’t slept together yet. 
Anna wasn’t sure what was holding her back but Steven hadn’t pushed. 
Although he had not put it into words, Anna knew he wanted to make their
relationship more open.  She hadn’t been hiding exactly but she had kept
things as quiet as possible.  Tonight was the first time they had even
included Julie and Nick in their plans.

The past was affecting her. 
Listening to the gossip about her parents had slanted her outlook.  The
gossip hadn’t been just about race.  Some of it had been more about social
standing but all of it had been cruel.  In high school, Anna had never
dated any boy who wasn’t black.  Once she went to college and had gotten
away from the small town atmosphere, she had relaxed some but even now she was
still a little leery about openly acknowledging their relationship.  It
wasn’t fair to Steven and Anna knew she had to make a decision.

She walked to the sink and washed
her hands stalling for time.  She was concerned about meeting Steven’s
parents because she was still unsure how they would react to her being African
American.  Deep down, Anna knew she really didn’t need to worry but it was
hard to let go of that fear.  She had to make a choice now.  She
looked at Steven and made the only choice she could.  She couldn’t let him
go just yet.

She gave him a smile and walked
over to him.  She touched him lightly on the arm.  “I’m ready, now.”

His reaction was all she could hope
for.  He gathered her close and kissed the top of her head.  “So
you’ll come to the party?” he asked.

Anna nodded and lifted her head for
his kiss.  She just hoped she made the right decision.

#

“I don’t know, Andrew.  It
seems like we take one step forward and then two steps back.  I just can’t
seem to reach her.”  Steven was sitting on Andrew’s couch in his den
watching a Houston Rockets game.  Actually, Andrew was watching the
game.  Steven was talking about Anna.  It seemed to be all he could
talk about lately.  He looked at his friend, whose eyes were glued to the television
set, and sighed.

When he had accepted Andrew’s
invitation to watch the game, Steven knew what he was getting himself into. 
Andrew was a sports fanatic.  Any type of sport – it didn’t
matter.  It was the one thing he had in common with Victoria.  The
two of them could argue sports trivia and stats for hours.  Victoria
always seemed to root for the team that was playing against the team that
Andrew rooted for.  It made for some interesting conversations.

Andrew, who had spent his first ten
years in Houston, followed the Houston teams religiously.  Steven had
known this game was going to occupy Andrew’s attention.  When he had
accepted the invitation, he had thought it would occupy his attention
also.  However, last night’s conversation with Anna had changed that.

Anna had finally agreed to meet his
parents but she had done so reluctantly.  If he hadn’t forced the issue,
she wouldn’t have even agreed to come to the party.  The problem was
Steven didn’t know why she was so skittish.  He could find no logical
reason for her fears.  Anna got along well with Julie and Nick and she
appeared to like Andrew so why was she so concerned about his parents? 
Steven had been asking himself that question all night and still didn’t have an
answer.

The sudden quiet captured his
attention and he looked up to see that Andrew had turned off the
television.  He looked at his friend who was watching him.  Steven
knew the game wasn’t over.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I can’t concentrate on the game
with you sighing every five minutes,” Andrew said sardonically.  “You
sound like a twelve year old girl.”

Steven laughed and raised his hands
in surrender.  “Okay, Okay, I promise not to sigh anymore.  You can
turn the game back on.”

Andrew tossed the remote onto the
coffee table and then turned back to Steven.  “Steve, I am probably not
the one you should be talking to about women.  Other than Carolyn, I haven’t
had much success understanding them either but I’m willing to listen if you
want to talk.”

Steven had known Andrew since they
were ten years old.  They had gone to school together, to college
together, and then to law school together.  He had been best man at
Andrew’s wedding and Andrew would be best man at his.  There was no one
who knew him better and yet, he wasn’t sure Andrew would understand. 
Carolyn had been totally different from Anna.