“I am, but you look like you could use some sleep.”
“Exhaustion hit me about six hours ago. Now I’m so tired I barely know my name,” Sofia said as she collapsed on the couch.
Dylan walked over and sat beside her. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Don’t you dare say I don’t need to study, because I do,” she said firmly.
“That’s not what I was going to say. Why don’t you sleep now and come into the city early tomorrow? I can run through these lines with you then, and it’ll still be fresh in your mind for the rehearsal.” He was working at Grayson Corp., and could use the distraction then.
“Dylan, I don’t want to disturb you at work.”
“Actually, the only thing I have going on is a meeting with Patty from A Fresh Day. She’s coming to give me all the details regarding their services and financials.”
Sofia’s eyes widened. “You’re going to sponsor them?”
“I’m meeting to gather more information. Sponsorship isn’t something we take lightly.” They were big on giving back, but there were people out there who only helped themselves, and the Lawsons distanced themselves from those so-called charities.
“We can study this tomorrow if you let me sit in on the meeting,” Sofia said.
Dylan cocked a brow, totally puzzled. At no point did she strike him as the office type. “Sofia, the meeting might be long and boring.” Most are. “I’m sure you have much better things to do than sit through it.”
“I’d love to learn more about the agency. Actually, if I had any time to spare, I’d like to go back and volunteer.”
He shook his head. “If you don’t find a way to balance things in your life, you’re going to burn out and possibly make yourself sick. There’ll be time for working with these types of charities, but right now, isn’t it. Not for you, at least.”
“Are you telling me no?” Sofia asked with her arms crossed.
“I wouldn’t dare. I was only advising. Do as you wish, but I learned a few years ago, if you try to take on the world, you spend more time spinning your tires in the sand and don’t get far.”
“You mean with Lawson Steel?” she asked.
“No. I wanted to be bigger, greater, and have my own company. All while working at Lawson Steel and trying to have a very active social life too. What ended up happening was, my father almost fired me, I had a reputation for reckless behavior, and my dream company, well, let’s just say I don’t have it.”
Sofia sat back and said, “That’s what I fear. I’ll go for the gold and end up with nothing.”
“You can go for it, but you need to make a better plan. All this running back and forth to the city is time you could be spending on your dream.”
“Yeah, but it’s too expensive to live in the city, and then I’d be running back to the restaurant. What difference would it make? None,” she said, sounding defeated.
“Unless you take a break from the restaurant for a while.”
She laughed. “And do what? I still need to support myself.”
Sofia was right. And if he offered her a handout, she wouldn’t take it. No different than that five hundred dollars he’d given her when they’d first crossed paths. She needed a job. One in the city.
“What are you good at besides being a waitress?” Dylan asked. He was about to ask if she was good with kids. Maybe Rosslyn could use help with childcare. But once again, this dark-haired beauty blew him away.
“I have my bachelor’s in business management. I guess I could apply at some stores there, to manage them.”
“You’re serious aren’t you?” Dylan asked.
“Why would someone lie about that?” she asked.
Dylan laughed. “If you’d ever worked in human resources, you’d see many do. But this changes everything. Do you think you can get some time off from the restaurant?”
“I’m sure I could…if I had a reason to, that is.”
“Good. Is it too late to call your parents now?”