“All right. Well, I appreciate you calling me and letting me know. Best of luck to you.”
“Thanks, Olivia!”
Pulling her phone away from her ear, she stared down at the call log screen. She’d never heard of a sponsor … or rather, patron …? that controlled the publicity of an artist. Even though they were technically in the entertainment world, painters never tended to have managers.
Sure, they had lawyers and other legal teams for copyright issues. But a sponsor/patron that controlled more than just where their money went?
Weird.
“Everything okay, my love?”
She sighed and set her phone on the table.
“Yeah, my guest canceled our episode shoot for tomorrow.”
Her mother frowned. “I’m sorry.” She reached across the table and took Olivia’s hand in her own. “Is there anything I can do?”
Olivia smiled softly and shook her head. “No, I’m all right. Just bummed.”
Her mother squeezed her hand. “Understandable. Say, why don’t I start dinner while you finish these last few pages, hmm? I’ll make that stew you like.”
“Mama, you don’t need to do that. I’ve got dinner.”
Her mother simply laughed and released her hand before standing. “Nonsense. Finish your pages and come join me in the kitchen afterward.”
Olivia sighed slightly but smiled despite herself. Her mother was a tough egg, and no amount of arguing with her was going to make the woman change her mind. Even if Olivia sat her down and taped her to her chair with her own washi tape.
“All right, all right.”
Her mother beamed. “Great!”
Olivia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t mad at Blake, per se. In fact, she was happy he’d found someone willing to pay him to make his art. That was the one thing every artist dreamed of being able to do one day.
But there was a nagging piece of her that made her a little worried for him. She distrusted sponsors that took advantage of their clients. Especially those who were naive to the industry like Blake still was. It wasn’t his fault. He was barely a kid out of college and had no other person to mentor him.
All she really hoped was that this person … sponsor, patron, manager,whatever… wasn’t in it to take advantage of a highly-talented, still freshly green artist.
Sounds from the front of the house caught Olivia’s attention, making her sit up and turn in her chair just in time to hear her sister’s voice ring out.
“Hellooo!”
She blinked. What was Evelyn doing here?
“Mama,” Olivia called, standing up from the table. “Ev’s here!”
“Oh! Tell her I’m making stew.”
She snorted to herself and headed out of the dining area to the front of the house. From down the hall, she could hear her sister’s voice clearly conversing with someone else. It made her raise her brow. Had she brought the kids?
As she rounded the corner, she called out. “Evie?”
“My baby sister!”
A set of arms wrapped around her instantly, pulling her into a tight hug. It made Olivia let out a soft grunt and puff out a breath when she got entangled in her sister’s long auburn hair.
“Hi.”
Evelyn squeezed her. “Hi.”