“Not at all.” Indie shook her head. “You were quiet as a mouse. I just thought I saw a…mosquito or something. I didn’t want you to get stung.”
He gave her a slow smile. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“No problem at all,” she replied then she escaped back to her seat across the aisle, picked up her novel and sought refuge behind it. That was a close one. She’d better watch herself from here on. Few people took kindly to being stared at. She should know. She hated it herself.
Indie kept a low profile until they boarded the plane and even then she tried to keep a safe distance between her and Stone, making sure there was a seat that separated the two of them and reaching for a magazine she could hide behind. But then she remembered the real reason she was there – to attract this man, get him to want her so much that he would ask her to marry him. So far she’d been doing the exact opposite. She definitely had to work on her alluring side.
She dropped the magazine onto the middle seat and looked over to where Stone was peering at the screen of his laptop. She’d pretty much ignored the man since takeoff but now she would repair that. They had almost a day's worth of travel ahead of them so what better time to get to know him? Proximity, Tessa had said. She’d certainly have lots of that, stuck in a plane with Stone for the next several hours.
She cleared her throat and he looked up immediately. “Sorry,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Of course she'd meant to disturb him. She knew that and he knew that but it was the polite thing to say.
“Not at all,” he said and pushed the laptop onto the nearby counter. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit…bored.”
Stone laughed. “What? With all the entertainment on the plane? You’ve got your choice of newspapers, magazines, music, movies and, my favorite, video games.”
“You’ve got video games? Point me to them.” Then she chuckled. “Just kidding. If you don’t mind,” her laughter softened to a smile, “I’d prefer talking to you. I mean, isn’t it weird that I’m working for you now and I don’t know that much about you?”
He shrugged. “Not weird at all. I have lots of employees I’ve never even met. But you’re right. It makes sense for us to get more acquainted. What do you want to know?”
“Well, for one, what made you get involved with an orphanage all the way in South Africa? Are you in some kind of competition with Oprah? She built a school for girls and you decide to take on the boys?"
Stone’s lips twitched with amusement. “Nothing like that. Oprah’s in a class by herself. For me, it all started two years ago when I visited the country to launch Hudson Broadcasting Corporation in Johannesburg. I met a little boy, Moekebi Okechuckwu, a bright and shining star on the South African landscape…” as his voice trailed off his face looked thoughtful, “…and he was dying of AIDS.”
“Oh, no.” A familiar pain gripped Indie’s heart. Since leaving university her whole life had been dedicated to working with children just like Moekebi. And no matter how many little ones you held in your arms while they made their finally journey to the next life, you never got used to it. Each case was a fresh, new heartache. She had a pretty good idea what Stone must be feeling right now.
“But that wasn’t the worst part,” Stone said, his eyes going back to her. “He was leaving behind a little brother who was only six years old and a sister who was only two. At twelve, he’d been both mother and father to these little ones.”
“Their parents?”
“Already dead from the disease.” Stone was silent for a moment then he spoke, and his voice was filled with the determination and hope now reflected on his face. “It seems like a daunting task, taking on the problems of a nation, but then I thought, no matter how small, doing a little is better than doing nothing at all.” He shifted slightly in his seat, turning toward her. “Before he died I promised Moekebi I would take care of his little brother and sister. He died whispering my promise. That means a lot to me.”
“And the children, they're at the orphanage now?”
“No, they live in a home just outside Johannesburg. I hired a home mother to care for them. She provides me with regular updates on their progress. Little Someleve just started kindergarten and Botuli is in the second grade.”
Indie cocked her head to one side. “So how does the orphanage fit into this picture?”
“Here’s the thing. Once I’d decided to help one family I felt I had to do more. Then, as if by some predetermined destiny, one of my South African employees mentioned the orphanage. It had fallen into severe disrepair. The orphans often had nothing to eat."
“But, how is that?” Indie frowned. “What about the social services?”
“This wasn’t a government institution. It had been run by missionaries who, for whatever reason, packed up and returned to their countries. My best guess is that it was due to lack of funding.”
Indie gave him a genuine smile of gratitude. She’d long since given up on any attempt at being flirtatious. In fact, she’d almost forgotten about that part of the plan. Rather than trying to tempt him, her smile meant she was truly interested in his story. “And that was when you stepped in.”
He nodded. “Correct. That gift fell into my lap and I snapped it right up. And never felt better.”
Indie shook her head in admiration. Who would have thought a Canadian billionaire would find so much joy in helping others so far away? “I can see that for you it's more than just giving money to a worthy cause. You’re actually involved in what goes on in those kids' lives, aren’t you?”
“I try to be, as much as I can. That’s why I didn’t mind the excuse to head back to South Africa to get you settled. I’ll introduce you to each one of them. We have sixty boys in the home.”