Of Love and Corn Dogs by Parker Williams Page A

then he stepped back, his excitement plain to see. “You don’t know what this means. We can make this work. I know we can. I have an incredible team behind me, and they all say the same thing: Gen-tech has a great product, but they mothballed it and never looked beyond their own ideas for it. Our plans are to take it in a different direction. Make it something viable and, hopefully, moneymaking.”
    His brother’s expression told Darwin he had another idea for the disposal beyond what his plans called for. He had a moment of panic as he thought about how Kent might have played him, but he didn’t think so. He had never seen Kent this excited about a project. In fact, this Kent seemed…different. More sure of himself, but still more comfortable in his skin than Darwin remembered. Maybe he would be throwing good money after bad, but he wanted to trust Kent.
    â€œI’ll get Heather to have legal draw up the contracts,” Darwin said, the words heavy from his mouth. “Remember, this is a one-time investment. I don’t know how you’re going to pull off this miracle, but I hope to hell it works out for you.”
    â€œIt will,” Kent promised. “When we announce it to the press, I want you there with me. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you isn’t strong enough to show our appreciation.” Then he paused, dropped his head, and placed his hands on the conference table. Darwin took a seat next to him and watched as Kent slid his fingers across the polished surface. “Dee, do you want to take over the company? I know I said you could, and if you want it, then it’s yours.”
    His brother used to call him Dee when they were kids, but he hadn’t done it in years. Kent continued to surprise him. Before Kent had started KK Enterprises, the two of them had fallen out over their parents naming Darwin successor of the company, and other than giving him what amounted to a severance package, they’d basically left Kent out in the cold. Darwin had tried to talk to him on numerous occasions, to explain he’d known nothing about their plan and would be glad to name them co-owners, but his brother’s stubborn attitude had made conversation impossible.
    Then came the day Kent had announced he’d started a new company. Darwin’s pride had been overshadowed by the fact Kent had showed up at his door looking for skilled personnel. He’d demanded Darwin allow him to speak to the employees, so they could decide which Kincade they wanted to work for. Kent had argued he should be allowed the opportunity since their parents had forced him to start over on his own.
    Darwin had fumed at the outrageous request. He’d told Kent in no uncertain terms that he didn’t have a legal leg to stand on, and that he would not allow him to speak with the employees. Kent’s anger had been a sight to behold. Before Darwin could call security to have him removed, Kent had stormed off, vowing to never speak to Darwin again. The thought he’d lost his brother caused Darwin’s heart to ache, but he knew he’d done nothing to warrant Kent’s anger.
    Six months later, Kent had been arrested for drunk driving, and he’d called Darwin to bail him out. He’d talked about the situation with Dean, who’d told him that he should see the call as Kent’s olive branch, an opportunity to start mending their fences. Grudgingly, Darwin had gone.
    That had started the new phase of their relationship. Kent had told him he no longer wanted to be a part of Kincade International. He’d insisted he understood why their parents had named Darwin as their successor instead of him, and that he wanted to become his own man, free of the shadow of their shared name. While Darwin had wanted to protest that Kent’s name had opened the door for him to start his own company, he’d bit his tongue and stayed silent.
    Their relationship had