Page 23 of Bond

Meeting Blaze along the path, I checked on Daisy, but she was happy enough, so I left her to her dad and uncles, walking quickly along the shaded veranda towards the hotel.

Noni was where I expected to find her—in her office; she amazed me with the amount of juggling she did.

Knocking on the door, I stuck my head around it, happy to see Julia in there with her.

They both smiled when they saw me, although I could see the surprise on their faces. It was the first time I’d actively searched them out. “Hi, Roch, what do you need?” Noni asks.

“I need your help,” I state baldly, walking in and sitting in the chair across from Noni.

Surprise lit their faces, and they glanced at each other. “Okay,” Noni responds slowly, “what do you need my help with?”

“Umm,” Julia put up a hand as if she were in school, making me bite back a smile, “do you need me to leave?”

Shaking my head, I answer, “No, please stay because this involves all of us. Do you think we should ask Josie to come? I don’t want her to feel left out.”

“I’ll send her a message,” Noni says, picking up her phone and typing into it. We wait a minute until she gets a reply. Noni reads it out loud,“Go ahead without me. You can fill me in later, I’ve got an emergency c-section on a patient.”

“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath, wiping my hands down nervously on my thighs. “So, a couple of things, and none of this reflects on the guys and their ability to keep us all safe. It’s just that over the years, I’ve learned to be prepared.”

Julia moved from her desk to sit in the chair next to me. Patting my hand, she says, “It’s okay, Roch. Tell us what you need.”

“First, I need to do a will so that if anything happens to me and Bond, then Daisy will be okay. I know that Skinny has done some magic with her birth certificate, but I’d also like to ensure guardians for her should anything happen. I haven’t spoken to Bond about any of this because I honestly don’t think he’s thought about it. But take it from someone who knows that the best-laid plans go awry when you least expect it, and I’d like to know that Daisy will be okay. And I doubt very much he’ll be upset with what I want to do.”

Both Noni and Julia nodded that they understood, and as mothers, I figured they would because they’d want the same thing for their children.

Turning towards Julia, I declare, “I’d like to put you and Rogue down as guardians for Daisy should anything happen to me or Bond.”

Surprised delight flowed over Julia’s face at my statement. “Oh wow, of course. We’d be happy to be her guardians. Nothing is going to happen to you, although I totally understand needingto be prepared. We’ve done the same for our children and have Draco and Molly as their guardians. But,” she hesitates, and her eyes slide towards Noni, who didn’t look surprised at all. “Why us and not any of the others?”

“Because even though Noni and Bull would happily step up, they have four young children already, and adding another one didn’t seem fair to any of them.

“All the guys are single, and I wouldn’t put that pressure on any of them, plus what happens if they end up with a right witch and she’s mean to my baby?

“Skinny and Josie, I think, are wanting to start their own family, and I didn’t think it was fair to ask them.

“You and Rogue would love her like she was your own, and Roman and Rosie are older, and watching you with them makes my heart happy. Plus Rogue is already wrapped around her little finger, and you are what I’ve always thought of as a perfect mother. If I had to choose a perfect second set of parents, then it would be you.”

“Oh, Rochelle,” Julia responds, wiping at her eyes, “that’s such a compliment, thank you.”

Smiling at Julia, I looked towards Noni to see if she’s upset, but she’s beaming with happiness. “Perfect choice,” she assures me. “When do you want to do this?”

“As soon as possible,” I inform her.

“Okay, let me contact the lawyer. We may be able to do this online and just have you sign it,” Noni states, picking up the phone again and calling the lawyer.

Julia and I sit quietly, waiting until Noni is finished talking to the lawyer. From what I could gather, we could set it up today, and he would send it over for signing. It should all be doneby the end of the week. I heaved a sigh of relief, and a weight disappeared from my shoulders.

With that taken care of, I ask another question that had been burning at the back of my mind ever since the first Church meeting I attended where I laid everything out for them.

“One more thing: in the last meeting, Bull mentioned that you would be adding a fence so that you could bring in stock for game drives and such. I took Daisy for a walk along the river the other day, and I was wondering if you’d considered fishing safaris and extending the front of the hotel along the riverside. You could put in a boat ramp with an outdoor bar and seating area. There’re no rapids down that end, and you could also do an evening boat cruise for your guests, similar to what they have in Livingstone.”

Noni sits back in her chair as she thinks about it before replying, “Honestly, no, I haven’t thought about it. Mostly because we’ve been so busy getting the hotel and businesses up and running again after they’d been nearly run into the ground. It’s a good idea, but we just don’t have the finances at the moment. We could do it maybe next year or the following, though. You’re right; it would bring in more revenue as we’d be bringing in different clientele.”

“I’ve got the money,” I respond quickly, then let out a whoosh of breath. Not sure why I was so nervous, on the next breath I muttered, frustrated with myself, “I’m not explaining myself very well.”

“Let me start again,” I declare, sitting up straighter. “Noni, I’m not sure how this works, but what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to contribute to the business. If I’m going to be a Crow, then I need to be a Crow, and if there is one thing I know, it’s running a company.

“Here,” leaning over, I pulled a notebook from the bag I’d dumped next to my chair when I’d walked in earlier. Opening it up, I handed it to Noni, “I’ve started rough figures for you, but I think it could work. I have money I’d like to invest in this venture with you.”

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