Of Love and Corn Dogs by Parker Williams Page B

thawed after that, though it had never returned to what they’d had as kids when Kent had accepted with dignity, if not outright acceptance, his younger brother tagging along everywhere. But, at least now they talked on occasion.
    For Kent to stand there today and offer his company to Darwin proved one thing: the man before him was not the same guy who had been so distant for so many years.
    â€œNo, I don’t want to take over your company. It’s your life’s work, and I love seeing you passionate about this, especially the part where you’re going to take care of your people first.”
    Kent ducked his head slightly, then slid into one of the chairs at the meeting table. “I understand now, you know,” he said softly. “For you, it’s always been about the people. For me, it’s been the profit at any cost. Making myself look good, even though others were doing the work. It’s why Mom and Dad left the family business to you, because you shared their vision. I didn’t. I’ve been a real asshole to you, and I hope you’ll be able to forgive me one day.”
    Darwin surreptitiously pinched his leg to prove he wasn’t dreaming. The pain cleared his head a little. “You’re serious?”
    â€œAs a heart attack. Mila took me to task one day after we unveiled some product. I don’t even remember what it was. She told me how ashamed she was when I stood in front of everyone and told them about my new product. She said every word out of my mouth was either my, me, or, at one point, Kent Kincade. There’s nothing quite like talking about yourself in the third person to piss off your wife.” Kent shook his head and chuckled.
    Darwin loved Mila—long dark hair, lashes most women would kill for, and a figure that had many men assuming she was merely a trophy wife. She set them straight with a business acumen that showed people she shouldn’t be underestimated. She’d earned the position of COO.
    â€œShe told me flat out that if I couldn’t see the people who had worked so hard to make the item, the ones who helped to get it ready, or hell, even the janitors who cleaned up after every shift, then she didn’t want to be a part of the company. She walked out of our house that night, angrier than I’d ever seen her. I wasn’t sure if she’d left me, the company, or both.
    â€œI sat there, seeing the constant reminders of her, and realized how lost I would be if I never got her back. Then as I went up to the bedroom, I passed by her office. She had her laptop open, something she never does. My guess is that she’d done it intentionally, but she denies it. Anyway, I went in to look. Did you know she had a file on every employee? Birthdates, spouse names, anniversaries, kid’s names and ages, hobbies. A huge list of facts about everyone who worked for KK Enterprises and their family. If you introduced me to Megan Jones, who’d been with the company for three years, I would have had no clue who the hell she was. Mila did. She made it her business to know. So I sat down at the workstation and started going through what she had.”
    Darwin watched as his brother spoke about the things he’d learned. His expression shifting from discomfort to acceptance of his journey of discovery. This lesson had been sorely needed. He wished that Kent could have learned it from their parents, but the fact that Mila finally got through to him showed him that maybe his brother really had turned his business and his life around. He sure wished it could be so. He had a glimmer of hope that maybe this new Kent could be counted as a brother again, instead of a distant acquaintance.
    Kent began counting off on his fingers, his expression pained. “Tom Kennedy came to work for us because his son had leukemia and he needed good insurance. Martin Torrance lost his wife about a year after he started working for us. Ann