Free Convince Me (Holton Series #1) by B. L. Blair Page B

her
race.
    Her biggest worry though was the
discovery that she was in love with him.  Once she was alone, Anna had
tried to analyze her feelings.  She still found it hard to believe. 
She barely knew the man and had spent most of her life avoiding love.  She
still wasn’t sure how it happened.
    Rising from the bed, Anna walked to
the bathroom to wash her face.  She looked in the mirror and saw a
stranger looking back at her.  Who was this woman with those sad, confused
eyes?  She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them she saw her
mother looking back at her.
    “No!” Anna said sharply.  “I
won’t allow that to happen.  I won’t fall into the same trap.”
    She quickly washed her face and
brushed her teeth before heading into the kitchen.  After feeding Sophie,
she made some coffee and sat at the table thinking about Steven.
    Could she really be in love with
the man after just a handful of meetings?  Anna recalled her mother
telling her about the first time she met Anna’s father.
    “I knew in an instant,” her mother
had said.  “I knew that he was the only man for me.”
    “How can you say that, Mama?” Anna
had demanded.  “After the way he treated you?”
    Her mother had looked at her with
sad, gentle eyes.  “Love can’t be explained and doesn’t change just
because it is not returned.  Some day you will understand.”
    Well, she understood now but she
also knew that she wouldn’t allow the same ending to happen to her.  She
knew Steven wasn’t her father.  It was wrong to paint him with the same
brush so she would go slowly.  She would try to get to know him better and
maybe they could build a relationship she could handle.
    The phone rang, shattering her
thoughts.  Anna rose from the table to answer it and a smile lit her face
when she heard Steven’s voice.  A feeling of warmth and pleasure invaded her
and for the first time in months Anna felt truly happy.
    “I wanted to call and let you know
where we would be eating tonight.  I made reservations at the restaurant
in Reunion Tower.  Only we will need to leave a little earlier.  Can
you be ready at five-thirty?”
    Anna leaned against
the wall.  Reunion Tower was one of the most
recognizable landmarks in Dallas.  The restaurant in the sphere had been
opened by celebrity chef and the building itself was one of the tallest in
Dallas.
    “Reunion Tower? 
That place is pretty expensive, isn’t Steve?”
    There was a pause at
the other end of the line.  Anna wondered what he was thinking and waited
somewhat impatiently for his answer.
    “Does it matter?” he
asked.
    Anna wasn’t sure how
to respond to that.  Did it matter?  She wasn’t sure. 
    “Anna?” Steven
prompted.  “Look, tonight is on me.  Don’t worry about the cost.”
    The anger came so quickly, Anna had
to clamp her mouth shut.  She had spent most of her adult life trying to
achieve financial independence.  She wasn’t about to let any man take that
away from her.  Her father had used money as a tool to keep her mother in
line and Anna wasn’t ever going to be in that situation.
    “I can pay my own way, Steven,” she
said in a controlled voice barely hiding her anger.  “Don’t ever think
otherwise.”
    The pause was longer this
time.  Anna took a deep breath and unclenched her fist.  Just a few
minutes before, she had decided not to compare Steven to her father but she did
it again just now.  She opened her mouth to apologize but he answered
first.
    “Okay, I won’t.  If you don’t
want to eat at Reunion Tower, just say so.”
    “No, that’s fine,” Anna said
sharply.
    “Fine,” Steven retorted.  “Is
five-thirty alright?”
    “Yes.”
    “Fine,” he said again before
abruptly ending the call.
    Anna rested her head against the
wall and sighed.  She had blown that one.  Now, Steven was angry and
Anna couldn’t really blame him.  She had been acting childish but he
reminded her so much of her father.  Her father