“You’d like to go around the world on a ship?” Sophia asked.
“That was just an example,” Eve said, “but I think it might be fun. Though, to be honest, my mother would be more likely to have it on her list. She likes cruises because she says it’s a great way to visit a lot of different places without having to haul her luggage around. But I know people who’ve had things like climbing mountains or going to Disneyland or swimming with the dolphins on their bucket lists.”
“Sophia is too young to have a bucket list,” Mrs. Hernandez said.
“I don’t think anyone is too young to start thinking about things they’d like to do or places they’d like to see.” Eve looked at the girl. “If you hadoneplace you’d love to visit, where would it be?”
“Scotland,” Sophia said without hesitation. “That’s where Hogwarts is supposed to be.”
Eve bit back a smile, glad she wouldn’t have to research a completely different place.
“I have a confession to make,” she said, conspiratorially. “You know my father is Scottish?”
Sophia didn’t roll her eyes, but she grinned. Since she sometimes helped her mother to clean houses, she’d met Eve’s father.
“Well, my father and my grandfather had a falling out just before my dad immigrated to the United States. Because of that we’ve never visited Scotland. I’d love to see some of the country where my father was born. But I’m also a Potterhead too. As you know, there are tons of places in Edinburgh that we could visit.”
Sophia’s breath caught, as though she understood for the first time what Eve was suggesting.
“Yes,” Eve said. “That’s what I’m proposing. You and your mother and your father, if he can make it too, would have an all-expenses-paid trip to Edinburgh.”
“That’s where JK Rowling finished writing the last book,” Sophia said, her voice breathy with excitement.
“I know. At the Barliamo Hotel. That’s where we’d stay.” Eve kept the details to herself until it was confirmed that Darius’s staff could reserve Jo’s room. “And my friend is rich. He owns his own jet. Well, his business does. But anyway, we’ll all fly on it.”
“Oh, mama, please tell me we can do this.” Sophia had turned to her mother and was clutching her arm. “I want to go.Pleasetell me I can go.”
Mrs. Hernandez had developed a crease between her brows.
“Remember,” Eve said, trying to head off any objections, “this would be a test case for my friend. He can’t set up expectations by opening it up to the public when he doesn’t know how he wants the program to run. Yes, Sophia would have a wonderful vacation, but you’d be helping him figure things out.”
“Who is your friend?” Mrs. Hernandez asked.
“His name is Darius Dimitriou.” Eve wasn’t sure Sophia’s mother had ever heard of REKD Gaming. “His father is Damon. You might have heard of him.”
“Damon Dimitriou. Is he connected to Dimitriou Investments?”
“He owns it.”
“Mama,pleasesay yes. Don’t you want to come with your girl on her dream vacation?”
Mrs. Hernandez gave her a flat look, but then her expression softened. The mother reached up and stroked her daughter’s cheek.
“I know you can’t miss too much work,” Eve said. “The trip would last five days, two of which would be travel days. What’s nice is that Darius’s plane has a bedroom where you and Sophia will sleep in an actual bed.”
“Where wouldyousleep?” Mrs. Hernandez asked.
“They have bunks there for the crew. I’ve flown on it before. It’s really quite nice and much better than taking a commercial flight.”
“You will vouch for this man?”
The way Sophia sat with her hands clutched to her chest, her eyes raised to heaven, and mouthingpleasepleasepleasealmost made Eve burst out laughing. She had to take a deep breath before meeting Mrs. Hernandez’s gaze.
“Darius was my best friend in high school, and I believe he’s as fine a man as I’ve ever met. I put him on the same caliber as my father.” She knew the woman thought highly of Eve’s dad, so the statement would carry a lot of weight with her.
Mrs. Hernandez looked at her daughter. “When would we go?”
Sophia threw her arms around her mother’s neck.
