doing,” he said. “It was only a diner party at Lois Metzinger’s house, I believe.”
Sophie was silent for a moment. “But isn’t Lois a good friend of my father’s?”
“I believe that was the reason I accepted the invitation. She isn’t a good friend of mine. So I didn’t mind not attending. And I didn’t think you would be overly devastated by it either once I remembered the last time we had dinner at her house.”
“What happened?” she asked, not sure which painful dinner event he was referring to. There had been so many, several of which she’d been the butt of some jokes and had wanted to just hide under the table.
“I believe she criticized your dress that night as soon as you walked in,” he said. “Looking back, I guess I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation. It only arrived a day or so ago so it was probably organized when they heard of your return.”
“Oh,” was Sophie’s only reply. She watched as he easily stored her heavy bucket of tools on a shelf.
“How about watching a movie with me before dinner?” he suggested.
“A movie? Just the two of us?”
Jason chuckled. “Yes. Occasionally I like to stay in and just relax. If that’s okay with you. Or we could go out to a restaurant.”
“No!” she said quickly. “A movie sounds lovely,” she enthused, eager to spend the night not surrounded by strangers. She didn’t even care what movie it was just so long as she didn’t have to dress up and face the fact that she was so plain yet again.
“Great,” he smiled. “How about if you go change and meet me downstairs in the screening room in a half hour?”
She looked up at him, confused. “you have a screening room?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Sophie, have you ever taken the time to explore my house? How could you not know that there is a screening room down by the solarium?” But then he chuckled. “I guess I answered my own question. You never got past the solarium, did you?”
She didn’t admit that she’d spent a lot of her alone time in that room, fantasizing about Jason falling in love with her and announcing his intense and never-ending love for her. “I did spend a lot of time in there,” she said, smiling back at him. She didn’t mention what she was doing though.
“I bet you did,” he laughed again and hugged her close. “And the rest of the house never interested you, did it?” he said. “Sophie, you are one of a kind. Most other women would have searched out every inch of the house just to see what rooms are available, then make a list for me on improvements and additions,” he said. “You’d be happy with a tent outside in the backyard, wouldn’t you?”
She laughed with him. “Not a tent but maybe a one room cabin,” she said.
“With lots of windows so you could see your plants, eh?”
“That would be nice,” she agreed.
“Go upstairs and change, then meet me back down here.”
Sophie rushed up the stairs, thrilled that they were going to be spending time together without anyone else around. She hesitated for only a moment when she thought of conversing with him. She didn’t think she could entertain him very well, but then was reassured that the movie would take up most of their time together and she only had to get through dinner. From past experience, she knew that he enjoyed witty dinner companions who had a wealth of knowledge on just about every subject. In the beginning, Sophie had read dozens of magazines and kept up with all the latest books on the best sellers list just so she could be knowledgeable on subjects and entertain him during meals. It was almost a competition at times to keep him more amused than the other women who flocked to him, flirting with him and probably suggesting much more when she wasn’t in hearing distance.
But she didn’t know the current events anymore. In fact, if it didn’t pertain to Jason’s activities
Sophie was silent for a moment. “But isn’t Lois a good friend of my father’s?”
“I believe that was the reason I accepted the invitation. She isn’t a good friend of mine. So I didn’t mind not attending. And I didn’t think you would be overly devastated by it either once I remembered the last time we had dinner at her house.”
“What happened?” she asked, not sure which painful dinner event he was referring to. There had been so many, several of which she’d been the butt of some jokes and had wanted to just hide under the table.
“I believe she criticized your dress that night as soon as you walked in,” he said. “Looking back, I guess I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation. It only arrived a day or so ago so it was probably organized when they heard of your return.”
“Oh,” was Sophie’s only reply. She watched as he easily stored her heavy bucket of tools on a shelf.
“How about watching a movie with me before dinner?” he suggested.
“A movie? Just the two of us?”
Jason chuckled. “Yes. Occasionally I like to stay in and just relax. If that’s okay with you. Or we could go out to a restaurant.”
“No!” she said quickly. “A movie sounds lovely,” she enthused, eager to spend the night not surrounded by strangers. She didn’t even care what movie it was just so long as she didn’t have to dress up and face the fact that she was so plain yet again.
“Great,” he smiled. “How about if you go change and meet me downstairs in the screening room in a half hour?”
She looked up at him, confused. “you have a screening room?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Sophie, have you ever taken the time to explore my house? How could you not know that there is a screening room down by the solarium?” But then he chuckled. “I guess I answered my own question. You never got past the solarium, did you?”
She didn’t admit that she’d spent a lot of her alone time in that room, fantasizing about Jason falling in love with her and announcing his intense and never-ending love for her. “I did spend a lot of time in there,” she said, smiling back at him. She didn’t mention what she was doing though.
“I bet you did,” he laughed again and hugged her close. “And the rest of the house never interested you, did it?” he said. “Sophie, you are one of a kind. Most other women would have searched out every inch of the house just to see what rooms are available, then make a list for me on improvements and additions,” he said. “You’d be happy with a tent outside in the backyard, wouldn’t you?”
She laughed with him. “Not a tent but maybe a one room cabin,” she said.
“With lots of windows so you could see your plants, eh?”
“That would be nice,” she agreed.
“Go upstairs and change, then meet me back down here.”
Sophie rushed up the stairs, thrilled that they were going to be spending time together without anyone else around. She hesitated for only a moment when she thought of conversing with him. She didn’t think she could entertain him very well, but then was reassured that the movie would take up most of their time together and she only had to get through dinner. From past experience, she knew that he enjoyed witty dinner companions who had a wealth of knowledge on just about every subject. In the beginning, Sophie had read dozens of magazines and kept up with all the latest books on the best sellers list just so she could be knowledgeable on subjects and entertain him during meals. It was almost a competition at times to keep him more amused than the other women who flocked to him, flirting with him and probably suggesting much more when she wasn’t in hearing distance.
But she didn’t know the current events anymore. In fact, if it didn’t pertain to Jason’s activities
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