16
E lion pulled up to the park where he was meeting Olani.
He was fifteen minutes early but wanted to get everything set up.
He’d chosen a more secluded area of the park, and only two other people were around.
One was doing yoga, and the other walked in circles as they spoke on the phone.
He couldn’t be too sure, but from the setup on the table, Elion assumed the other man might have been stood up or was in the process of it happening.
He chose a spot away from the other two. Pulling out two blankets, he placed down the pillows he’d brought with him. He put the picnic basket in the middle and the backpack he had on to the side of the blanket.
He wasn’t waiting long before he saw Olani approaching him. He’d told her what section of the park he’d be in and asked her to call him if she had issues finding him.
“Hello, Sweetheart,” he greeted, wrapping an arm around her waist as he leaned down and kissed her.
When they’d returned from their weekend away, Elion hadn’t scheduled a date for Wednesday as they had been doing.
Since he’d gotten to spend the previous weekend with her, he didn’t want her to feel like he was clinging to her and decided to give her space.
He hadn’t anticipated just how much he’d miss seeing her, even with them speaking on the phone a few times that week.
They pulled apart with a final peck, and she smiled at him. “Hey, yourself.”
Olani slipped her shoes off and stepped onto the blanket.
He followed suit, sitting beside her. Opening the top of the basket, he pulled out everything he’d packed for lunch.
He’d decided on finger foods: sandwiches, cheeses, fruits, and brownies.
He placed the containers between them before pulling out drinks.
As they ate, Elion asked her about the upcoming job fairs she was attending next week at the university and community college.
The Spring semester would officially be over the following Friday, and she’d told him she wanted to get a jump on recruiting for several of the companies she was contracted with.
He knew she’d be able to get some excellent candidates.
Just because you had a degree didn’t always mean that finding a job in your chosen field would come easily.
So, having someone who could help with some of that stress and have options for you was always a plus.
Elion was sure it was one reason Olani’s company seemed to do so well.
From how she spoke about it, he knew that she genuinely enjoyed helping those looking for work find employment.
“How’s the sculpture coming along?” she questioned before popping a grape into her mouth.
“For the most part, I’ve finished it. I have to stain it, and then it’ll be done.”
“Do you normally finish a sculpture that quickly?”
Elion shook his head. “It typically depends on the size and material I’ve chosen for the sculpture. This one is only thirteen inches, and I chose clay for all the pieces in the upcoming exhibit.”
“Do you know how many pieces you plan on having?”
“I wish I did. Usually, when I look at a collection and feel it’s complete, I stop working on it.”
Olani hummed as she took a drink from her water bottle. “This is the fourth piece, right?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her. He hadn’t explicitly told her it was the fourth piece, but it went to show that she didn’t ask him about work because she felt she had to. She was genuinely curious. They’d spoken about four different pieces, and she’d remembered that.
“It is, and I don’t feel like I’m near finished yet.”
Olani held out a strawberry to him, and Elion took a bite. He didn’t miss the way her eyes zeroed in on his lips when he did so. For added measure, he ran his tongue along his lower lip and watched her follow the action. He refrained from smirking at her as she ate the rest of the strawberry.
“Is there a range for the number of pieces you usually have per exhibit?”
“Typically, between seven and eleven, depending on the exhibit size. I’ve had more than that twice, but that’s usually the median.”
She nodded, and they finished their lunch before lying back on the pillows he’d brought. The person doing yoga was packing up to leave, and the other one had left a few minutes after she’d arrived. So, it was just the two of them.
Elion took her hand in his, playing with her fingers as they looked up at the shifting clouds, describing the images they saw within them. This went on for fifteen minutes before he sat up and grabbed the backpack he placed to the side.
“I thought we could fly around the park for a bit after lunch,” he stated. Olani rolled onto her side, propping her face up on her hand, and raised a brow at him. “Well, sort of,” he amended, pulling the drone and controller from the backpack.
She sat up. “We’re going to fly a drone?” she questioned with a smile.
“Yes,” he responded, turning on the drone and controller.
He waited for the Bluetooth to synchronize before placing the drone on the grass beside him.
Elion pulled Olani to sit between his legs and put the controller in her hand.
“This screen will allow you to see where the drone is going. This number over here,” he pointed to the lower left-hand side of the screen.
“Shows you how far away from the controller it is. It has a little over a mile range before it disconnects.”
She nodded, and he placed his hands over hers, guiding her through the controls as the drone lifted from the grass into the air.
O lani was excited as the drone flew. She felt like a kid on Christmas.
It was her first time flying one, but she’d almost bought one for herself last year for her birthday.
However, she’d decided against it at the last minute.
She’d been glad she had after discovering they had to be registered before you could fly them.
She hadn’t known that when she was about to make her impromptu purchase and probably would have flown it immediately.
With her luck, she probably would have gotten fined or something.
“Baby,” she stated, turning her attention to the screen from the drone as it got further away from them.
“Yes, Sweetheart?”
“You registered your drone, right?”
She didn’t want them flying it, and something happened. She’d feel terrible if he got fined or it was confiscated.
“I did.”
Olani nodded before laying her head back on his shoulder.
Her attention was on the view of the drone.
They flew around the area they were seated in before going over the trees to another part of the park.
There were more people there. Kids were running around playing games, families were having picnics, and a few vendors were in attendance.
She glanced down at the corner of the screen to make sure they hadn’t gone too far out.
They looped around, retracing their path before turning and flying over the pond.
She hadn’t realized that while circling the pond, Elion had removed his hands from hers, and she was flying it by herself.
It wasn’t until she was steering it towards the walking trails that she was made aware.
His hands rested on her waist as he caressed it through her shirt.
She flew for several minutes before bringing it back to them, snapping a picture over the pond as she did so.
She asked him to help her land it, and he placed his hands back over hers.
He kissed her neck as the drone hovered in front of them before landing on her lap.
He picked it up and placed it beside them, Olani doing the same with the controller.
“That was fun.”
“I’m glad you liked it. Next time I’ll bring the other one, and we can race,” he responded, wrapping his arms around her.
“You’re on, but don’t be upset when I win,” she teased.
Elion chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”
They sat that way in comfortable silence, listening to the wind dance through the trees for a while.
She felt peaceful, and the last thing she wanted to do was move or leave, but it was already after five, and she had dinner plans with two of her friends and Xola.
They weren’t meeting until eight, but she wanted to take a short nap before then.
She’d woken up to the unpleasant sound of one of her neighbors working on their house earlier than she would have liked.
She rearranged herself, looking up at him. “I have to go.”
Elion dropped a soft kiss onto her lips. “Okay, Sweetheart.”
He released her, and Olani moved from between his legs.
She packed up the containers while he packed the drone and controller away.
After slipping into her shoes, she helped him fold the blankets.
She carried them and the basket while he grabbed the pillows and the backpack, and they headed toward the parking lot.
When they packed everything into the backseat of his car, and he’d opened her door for her, Elion pulled her into his chest, leaning down to capture her lips with his. Olani allowed him to lead her in a slow kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck.
“I’ll call you tonight,” he spoke against her lips.
She gave him one last peck before dropping her arms. She slid behind the wheel, started her car, and backed out of the parking space.
“K yn, you’re laughing, but I’m serious. Everyone I send him, he either says they’re grossly underqualified, which is untrue, or he’s managed to run them off within a couple of weeks,” Olani informed her friend before taking a drink of her wine.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but it sounded like you were whining about it. Like a child that didn’t get her way. He isn’t being derogatory or abusive to the temps you send, is he?” Kynlee questioned, sobering from her laughter.
“No, he isn’t, or if he is, none of the applicants that worked there for any short period have said anything.”
“Maybe he’s just one of those people that is hard to work for,” Sura, another of their friends, threw in.
“He could just be a closeted asshole,” Xola supplied. “It wouldn’t be too hard for him to be one and the temps not expressly know that was what he was doing.”
“Both are possibilities,” Olani agreed. “Which is why I was hoping you’d go in as a temp Kyn and get a feel for what’s going on. That way, I can send him someone that will fit his needs, and if it’s an in-house problem, it gives you the opening for a new client.”
She watched Kynlee sip her wine as she thought about it.
She would have dropped the client any other time, but she didn’t have a reason to because no one could tell her why they’d left after a short time.
Most of them said it just hadn’t worked out.
She’d never been one to drop a client just because, though, she reserved the right to do so.
She also wanted to place someone qualified and deserving of the position because the salary was above average.
“I don’t see why I couldn’t go in and work for a few weeks to see what the problem may be. I have a few seminars scheduled, but I’m free after those.”
Olani smiled at her. “Thank you. This will help me out immensely.”
“What are friends for?” Kynlee questioned. “What company is it?”
“Enumeration One.”
Kynlee shook her head with a smile. “It’s either cocky or confident for them to not only think they’re at the top of whatever list their business is in but to put it pretty much in their name.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Sura added.
“What’s the owner’s name?” Kynlee asked.
“Wolfe. Wolfe Lenkov.”
“Well, we’ll just have to see what Mr. Lenkov’s problem is.”
Olani smiled in thanks at Kynlee, because if anyone could figure it out, she knew it was the other woman. The conversation turned to what Sura had been working on lately while they waited for the main dishes to be served.