Page 52 of Becoming His Muse
Elion rubbed lotion into his arms. “I sketched them out. How was your meeting?”
“It went well. They want to sign a contract tomorrow, and they’ll need fifteen roles filled.”
“Congrats, baby. I told you that you had it in the bag.”
“Yes, you did,” Olani responded. “Speaking of tomorrow. My mom called. She’s coming to visit tomorrow for the weekend. Are you okay with pushing our date from Saturday to Sunday?”
“We can do whatever you need us to, Sweetheart.”
“There you go, spoiling me again,” she stated with a laugh.
Elion chuckled. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”
“Far from it.”
He returned the lotion to where he got it and grabbed a pair of boxers—removing the towel around his waist and slipping them on.
“I finished planning our trip today,” he told her, taking the phone off speaker and settling against his headboard.
“I can’t wait. Where are we going again?”
Elion smirked. “Nice try, gorgeous.”
“Fine, but I need my passport, correct?”
“Yes, you do.”
When he began planning the trip, he first asked her if she had a passport; that way, he’d know his options. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her when she informed him she did. He’d only been once himself and only stayed for a few days. Doing research more than enjoying the sites and what they offered. He’d get to take it in with her this time, so it would feel like the first time for him.
They spoke on the phone for an hour until she yawned, and Elion told her to get some sleep. They hung up, and he got up to turn out his overhead light before sliding into bed. He now had the next two days free. He would work on one of his sculptures before giving Olani his full attention on Sunday.
Olani walked through her front door, and the delicious aroma of spices greeted her. Her mother’s car was in the driveway, so she knew she was there and shouldn’t havebeen surprised that she was cooking. Her mother always made it a point to do so when she visited.
The initial visit was moved back because of their concert and then again because her aunt had gotten sick. Her mother stayed with her sister, and Xola had gone to ensure her mother was okay. That was the weekend before Olani had gotten sick herself.
She walked into her kitchen, and her mother looked up from the vegetables she was cutting.
“Hey, Mama,” she greeted, kissing her cheek.
“Hey, sweet girl. How was work?”
She set her satchel on the floor at the end of the bar. “It was good. I got a new client today. We signed the contract.”
“That’s wonderful. Your father was upset he couldn’t visit. He’s working on a project, and the deadline is approaching.”
“It’s fine. I’m going to drive down in a few weeks. I’ll get to see him then. I thought we could go to the farmer’s market in the morning and get some fruits and vegetables while you were here. Maybe make some jams and preserves.”
“That sounds like fun. We haven’t done that in a while.”
Olani reached over and picked up one of the carrot slices, popping it into her mouth. She received a side-eye from her mom, but she said nothing.
“Go get changed. When you return, I have some…coffee to spill to you?”
She laughed. “Tea, Mama. You have tea to spill.”
She went into her bedroom, removing the business suit she’d worn to work and slipping into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. She pinned her thick hair before padding back down the hall to the kitchen. Olani grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator before leaning against the end of the bar.
“Okay. So, what’s this tea?”
