“I think she takes pride in it. When Micah and Izzy were going through a rough patch, she got herself involved there, too. Now the family all laughs about it, but she’s been pretty spot on in the past.”
“Well, I don’t know about us getting married just yet, but I have to say I have enjoyed the time we’ve spent together more than I imagined I would. I’m not usually one for dating, but you’re different, Sofia.”
“Mr. Ashford, are you trying to seduce me?”
“That depends. Is it working?”
Sofia’s heart was racing. She couldn’t tell if he was kidding with her or not, so she erred on the side of safety. “If you had a magic bottle with a genie in it that could strip me out of these clothes, get me showered, and into bed for about 12 hours of sleep, then I’d say yes... yes it is working.”
Ozzie laughed and moved to stand reaching for her, “Come on, you’re right. It’s been a really long day. Let’s get you to bed.”
He held her hand and walked her into the master bedroom. “Sit and relax. I’ll start you a bath and then give you some privacy. I’ll call down to the front desk and have someone come up to pick up your dress so they can press it for Saturday, and I want to put a room service order in for the morning, anyway.”
“But we are supposed to meet everyone at 10:00 to eat.”
“Oh, I can eat twice, but my bigger concern is coffee. I’ll need coffee before I can interact with anyone.”
“Is this something I should have been warned about before inviting you to spend the weekend with me?”
“Probably,” he laughed, “I’ll do my best to be nice to you.”
“Well, aren’t I special?”
“You are very special Sofia, never let anyone tell you differently.”
Ozzie leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning to the bathroom. In all her years of life, no one had ever drawn a bath for her. Not a man, not a parent, no one. So much of her life comprised her taking care of herself, it made her both nervous and excited that he wanted to do these things for her.