Sofia’s heart was a pile of mush. “You never said you saw all that.”
“You never asked,” he said, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“Oh, my god! You two are so damn cute. Am I getting a new Zio? or should I call you Uncle? I guess you’re not Italian, huh?”
Sofia laughed, “Slow down there, little matchmaker. Ozzie and I just started dating.”
“And no, I’m not Italian. However it is one of my absolute favorite countries to visit.”
“I didn’t know you’ve been.”
“I meant to tell you when you said you went to college there. I spent very little time in Rome, instead I spent most of my trips there at the beaches. However, there is this old fishing village called Levanto. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life came from that town. I’ll have to take you there someday.”
“I went to college in Rome and didn’t venture out much. In fact, I know very little about the country outside of the province.”
“How cool would it be if you got married in Italy? It’s so beautiful there. My Dad hasn’t taken me in years and now him and Bella are going to our family home there for their honeymoon. I think it’s totally unfair that I don’t get to go.”
“Do you really want to go on your parents’ honeymoon with them?”
“No, not really. They are already gross enough at home. But I want to go back to Italy. It’s been too long.”
“Maybe you can convince them to take you when they get back, and if not, I’m sure you can get your Zio Micah to take you. You have that man wrapped around your pinky.”
“Dad says I’m lucky. Zio Micah took one look at me as a baby and he proclaimed he’d be my protector forever... he also can’t say no to me, so there’s that.”
Jenny and Sofia spent the rest of their time together catching up and indulging in all the food she had ordered and the wine Ozzie got for them from the bar. When the appetizers were clear, the waitress came up and stopped just short of the table. A look of shock crossed her face when she saw Ozzie, but he ignored it and then ordered a slice of every dessert on the menu. She scurried off, and Sofia didn’t give it another thought.
“I’m not going to fit into my dress if we keep up all this eating,” Sofia said, leaning back in her chair and placing a hand on her stomach.
“I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about at all. It is getting late though. Are you tired? We’ve had a long day.”
“I’m good. I don’t want to leave Jenny.”
“It’s okay Zia, I need to head up anyway. Dad texted me a while ago, wondering where I was.”
They all stood and exchanged hugs. “Don’t forget breakfast is at 10:00. I think Zio Micah and Izzy get in early enough that they will be there, but you simply can’t leave me alone all weekend with the lovebirds.”
“Alright little matchmaker, you can spend the weekend hanging out with us. No worries there.”
They all walked from the restaurant together.
“Good night Mr. Ashford,” the host standing out front said as they walked past.
“Do you know him?”
“Who, the host? I’m sure he greets all the guests on their way in and out.”
“But he knew your name.”
“In a place like this, they get paid to know everyone’s name,” he said, pulling her into his side as they walked Jenny to the elevator. Since they were all on the top floor, they walked Jenny to her room and made sure she got in okay before turning for their room.
“That was nice, wasn’t it?” Sofia said as she sat on the couch and slipped her shoes off her feet.
Ozzie sat and pulled her legs into his lap, massaging the arches of her feet. “You’re right, she’s pretty awesome. Why do you keep calling her matchmaker, though?”
“It’s because she is one. She met Bella first and then Luca tried to hire her as a nanny. It was all kinds of crazy because Jenny wasn’t young enough to need a nanny, but she was going through a really bad time. Anyway, she and Bella became friends first. After a while, Jenny said she could tell they liked each other, and she just told them one day that they should date. The rest is history.”
“I guess she is a little matchmaker.”