Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure by Larry Forkner (summer books .TXT) 📗

Sean knew they would leave him something, maybe even a small share of their fortune. He had no idea how much they were worth, and he really didn’t care. Money could never replace what he’d lost.

The petite, older lawyer seemed to be a kind and compassionate woman. She proved that to be true when she said, “I know nothing could ever replace Bill and Eva in your life, Sean. They were very special people. To tell you the truth, I’m still wondering how I’ll get along without them in my life. We’ve been friends since Eva and I attended law school together.”

Sean looked up in surprise when Beverly began to tear up and had to stop and compose herself. He hadn’t realized she was such a close friend to Bill and Eva.

“I’m sorry,” Sean said. “I didn’t realize you were that close to them. They truly were the finest people I ever knew.”

After the attorney composed herself, she sniffled and said, “Yes, it’s a rare privilege to meet people you can treasure as great friends.”

“I wish I’d had more time with them,” Sean said sadly.

The kind-hearted attorney sighed heavily and said, “Indeed so. I can tell you that your wish would be the same as theirs. They often told me that you had become the son they’d never been able to have. It’s difficult to express how much love and joy you brought into their lives.”

“It’s impossible to explain how much I’d come to love and appreciate them,” Sean said, as tears tracked down his cheeks.

After a few moments, while Sean composed himself, Beverly sighed and said, “It’s time to get on with the business at hand.”

Sean steeled his emotions, preparing to hear that he was out of a job now that someone else would own the company he loved. All he could do was nod at the attorney.

“They have divided up much of their assets amongst their family and loved ones,” she said, back to using her professional attorney voice. “The house is going to be sold and the proceeds will be given to Eva’s younger sister, who’s having health issues of her own right now.”

Sean listened as the attorney continued to explain much more than she probably needed to. It was almost like she was treating him as a member of the family. But Sean knew that no matter how much they’d meant to each other; he was never truly part of their family.

“Of course they left the real estate business to you, Sean.”

He was thinking about his time with Bill and Eva and wasn’t sure he heard her correctly. “What was that last thing you said?” he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled kindly. “I said that they left the real estate business to you, Sean.”

It couldn’t be true. He had to be dreaming. “They left it to me?” he asked incredulously.

“Who else would they leave it to? You’ve practically been running it by yourself the past year or so. You love the business as much as they did. You’re the natural choice, Sean.”

“But there’s still so much I have to learn,” he stammered, still in shock.

“Then you’ll learn it as the new owner of the Oregon Development Corporation,” She said, her smile widening. “I’ll stay on as legal counsel, and Tera will still handle the taxes quarterly and at year end. The rest is up to you.”

Since the day he’d inherited the business, Sean had worked very hard to justify Bill and Eva’s faith in him. He’d put his heart and soul into his work and built the company larger every year. Now, at twenty-four, Sean was one of the most successful business men on the west coast.

While Sean was careful to stay on the right side of legal boundaries in business, he was known as a hard negotiator and a great salesman. Some who had dealt with him felt like he’d made promises during negotiation that weren’t completely fulfilled in the final product.

Being a great salesman was something that came naturally to him and Bill had helped him refine it into an art form. Eva had always encouraged Bill to not stray across ethical boundaries, but occasionally he came close to crossing that line. Some people felt Sean had crossed that line more than once.

Jennie was aware of Sean’s gift for charming potential clients and occasionally making a deal sound too good to be true. Not too surprisingly, he was particularly adept at charming female clients.

While she knew that Sean had the final say, Jennie had accepted the role of helping Sean not push too hard to make a deal happen or make promises he couldn’t keep. On occasion, she felt like he went too far in charming and complementing women. It came so naturally to him that he didn’t seem to notice when it got a little out of control. Jennie and Sean didn’t realize it, but all of that was about to change dramatically.

Chapter Six

May those who love us, love us.

And for those who don’t love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if He cannot turn their hearts

May He turn their ankles,

So we may know them by their limping.

~ Old Irish Saying ~

When Sean arrived at work on a bright and sunny Friday morning, he was feeling better than he had for weeks. It had been three months since he’d left Rundimahair, and he still had no real recollection of what occurred there.

The only strange lingering trouble was a series of odd dreams, which seemed to repeat every few nights. He could only occasionally remember a few small details of the dreams the next morning. Mostly it was a jumble of confusing images, which made little or no sense.

There were two images, which were most clear and consistent. The first was of him driving his SUV into a deep, rocky ravine during a terrible storm. The second image was much more pleasant. At the end of each dream, Sean always saw