Read Monahan 02 Artificial Intentions for Free Online

me. I thought of how I felt about Jay. Jay could cause a spark.
    So Tommy and I split amicably, and remained steadfast friends. Occasional dinners and frequent phone conversations. I never had an inkling that he had cared so much about me that he felt the need to name me as his beneficiary. And leave me in such a fucking mess .
    I swung the chair back around and quickly slit open the envelope. It was dated two days after my brush with death a few months back, and was written in Tommy’s handwriting.
    Dearest Kate , it read. Dearest? He had never referred to me as dearest. It continued: What I saw on television the other night made my heart stop. But just for a second because I saw you were walking into the ambulance and you were obviously all right. I’m not sure how I would deal with the news if someone came to tell me you were dead. But that’s what you’ve just heard about me, and for that, I’m sorry. That last sentence was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write.
    My eyes filled up with tears and the rest of the letter became a blur. You son-of-a-bitch, I thought. Why are you dumping this on me? I wiped my eyes angrily and continued reading.
    If you’re reading this letter, I’m dead. There. I said it. I’ve missed you all the years we’ve been apart but I understand why you decided our marriage couldn’t work. I am truly grateful that we’ve remained friends. You have my utmost respect for the person you are.
    Enough of the mushy stuff , he wrote. Thank God. This letter is by way of explanation of what you will learn of the contents of my last will and testament.
    I have left to you the sum of my worldly goods. Sounds quite Victorian, doesn’t it? My worldly goods include my golf clubs, my aquarium with the exotic fish (just fucking lovely, I thought, more fish to kill off) , my collection of Beatles albums, and the rest of my possessions. Including my majority ownership of Phoenix Technologies, Inc.
    Why? Because there is no one else I trust to continue the company. And yes, Kate, I’ve stipulated that you are to become the Chairman (or Chairperson) of the Board, immediately. Being the good little legal beagle that you are, you know that the shareholders appoint the directors and the directors appoint the officers. Being the rightful owner now of the shares, you can appoint yourself a director. And rest assured that the remaining directors will immediately approve your appointment as Chair.
    You have the brains, the guts and the willpower to do this. You’ve just never been given the chance.
    Trust Cleveland Johnston to give you the counsel you deserve. My kindest regards, with much love and affection. Tommy.
    I immediately lit a cigarette just to show him I didn’t have the willpower.
    chapter six
    “Carrie?” I called her name quietly through the door I had opened a crack. She quickly turned around in her steno chair.
    “Yes?”
    I beckoned at her with my index finger and motioned for her to come in. Being the efficient secretary, she quickly picked up her steno pad and two sharpened pencils. I asked her to sit in one of the chairs in front of Tommy’s desk. I took the chair beside her.
    “I need to go to my hotel,” I told her.
    She made a note on her steno pad.
    “Right away, Ms. Monahan. I’ll have Mr. Connaught’s driver out front immediately.” She rose from her chair to leave and I put my hand on her forearm.
    “Please. Carrie. Sit down.”
    She reclaimed her seat and poised her pencil over the pad to take more instructions. I reached over and took the pencil and steno pad out of her hands and placed them on the desk in front of us. That made her finally look me in the eye.
    “This situation is very hard for everyone,” I started. “And I imagine, especially hard for you. I know Tommy, uhm, Mr. Connaught, was a very good man and I’m sure he treated you well.”
    “Yes. Yes he did.” Her eyes were filled with water again. This time her face did not remain composed and she