Help with a girl at work

Yeah, I need a little bit of help. I work at a retail store as a part time supervisor, and there is this girl there I really like. I've been talking to her since June, and recently, she started giving me big hugs whenever she saw me. She invited me to a couple of social events (one which she had to back out of, and one that hasn't happened yet), and I got her phone number. We only talked on the phone a few times, and we have sent each other a few text messages. Conversations weren't anything really serious, but she did tell me that because of her new schedule (she would be taking night classes) we wouldn't see each other at work. She wasn't happy about that.

Anyway, before we started talking, someone told me that she liked me. Because I had no idea why she would, and because I never really talked to her before, I decided against asking her out at the beginning, and decided to just talk to her to see if she really does like me. From what I can tell, she might, but she is also a couple of years older than me (and the last girl I liked who was older told me she only liked guys older than her).

So, here is my question: Do I just tell her how I feel about her, ask her out, and hope for the best? Or do I play it safe, go to some social events with her and some people from work, wait a while, and see where it goes from there?

Jam it back in, in the dark.