Of Love and Corn Dogs (7 page)

Darwin surreptitiously pinched his leg to prove he wasn't dreaming. The pain cleared his head a little. “You're serious?”

“As 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.

“She 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.

“I 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 Jameson's son graduated at the top of his class in high school and would be off to MIT the following year. Her calendar had notes of who to call, who to send cards to, and stuff I don't even understand. I knew her secretary helped keep it all up to date and organized, and I wanted to thank her, but then I realized…I didn't even know the woman's name. Hell, I was shocked when I found out it was a man named Tony, and I'd talked to him several times.

“I called Mila that night and told her how sorry I was. How much of a bastard I'd been, how callous, how she should have better. And it dawned on me. This was what made Mom and Dad so successful. They cared about their employees, and they showed it. I didn't. Martin's wife got a huge bouquet of flowers for her funeral because Mila sent them. Ann Jameson's son got a congratulations card with a five-hundred-dollar gift certificate. If the only reason Tom Kennedy stayed with us was for insurance, then something had to change.
I
had to change. And I promised Mila I would.”

And Kent had. Now that he looked beneath the exterior, Darwin could see the change. His brother wore it well. Where before he'd been driven to prove how great Kent could be, now he cared about his employees. He seemed to be learning how important a good crew was to the success of a company. Without his own people, Darwin never could have made it past the first year. When his parents had died, he couldn't have been more adrift. But his staff knew their jobs, they were patient with him, willing to help him learn every aspect of their responsibilities, so that he knew what they did.

“Mila came home that night, and over the next few months, she and I spent hours together so I could learn who worked for me. Do you know that Robert Carson cried when I wished him a happy birthday? He worked for us for six years. He'd been responsible for eight of the products we had on the market, and I didn't even know the man's name. I invited him to lunch, and we talked about what he'd been working on. His excitement excited
me
.

And Darwin could see it in every gesture Kent made, hear it in each word, and his heart beat a little faster at the changes he witnessed.
This
Kent would have been given Kincade, no doubt. Their parents would have been so damn proud to see how the two of them had grown up.

“I went home that night and kissed my wife like she should always be. I told her that she had to be the most amazing person on the planet to put up with someone who had an ego my size, and that I didn't deserve her at all. And I made an admission that should have landed me in divorce court. I told her that when I married her, it had been solely for her looks. It took me months to realize the brains that she had, too. And that realization had me offering her the COO job. Best decision ever.”

“And what did she say when you told her you'd married her for her looks?”

Kent blushed. “She stroked a finger over my chin, then told me she'd married me for the same reason.”

Darwin broke out with a laugh. “I'm really glad things are going your way. There is one thing that Mila worked out that Mom and Dad never did. Our parents made the employees feel valued, but never really gave them the chance to feel like family. When I started, I wanted to bring them in on more things, let them know their opinions mattered as much as their loyalty. I started holding monthly lunches, where we'd sit and talk. No business, just about how things were going. I think it made a huge difference.”

Kent nodded. “Mila is teaching me about respecting the people who work for us. Turnover has dropped, employee morale is at an all-time high, and they're always exceeding their quotas.” He ducked his head again. “I wish I had learned that years ago. Who knew Mom and Dad were on to something?”

Darwin checked his watch again. He'd been so comfortable talking to Kent he'd completely forgotten that the board of directors for KK Enterprises waited in the hallway. He stood, Kent following suit.

“Your people are outside,” he reminded his brother.

Kent sighed. “Can't we just forget they're there? I'm finally talking to you like I should have years ago. I'm so sorry for all the shit I piled on you. You didn't do anything to earn it at all.”

Darwin's heart swelled. He'd been angry at his brother's animosity, but he missed having Kent in his life. He threw himself at his brother and clung tight to his waist. It wasn't businesslike, but he didn't care. There'd been many times since Dean died that he'd wished he could talk to Kent. He'd even picked up the phone a time or two. He wasn't sure if it had been pride or stupidity that had made him put it back down. Probably both.

“I miss you, Darwin,” Kent whispered, his breath blowing against Darwin's ear.

“Me, too.”

The two men broke the clench and stepped back. Darwin wondered if Kent felt as awkward as Darwin did.

“Before we let them back in and tell them you'll give us a transfusion—and just so we're clear, I won't ask a second time, I promise—tell me something that I've missed because I had to go be stubborn.”

Darwin thought for a moment. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to share his news with anyone other than Henley at the moment. He peered at his brother and saw nothing but honest curiosity. Darwin drew in a deep breath.

“There's this restaurant I used to go to. It's called Asiago—”

“I took Mila there for our anniversary. They've got great seafood.”

“Yeah, it also had a waiter named Roy.”

He waited for his brother's reaction. When he said nothing, Darwin plowed ahead.

“Long story short. I went there each week to look at him. He was sexy, but a bit dry. Then a couple weeks ago, he was gone and I had a new waiter. He made me laugh. He…” Darwin stopped. He wasn't sure how to talk to Kent about this.

“Made you feel something you haven't in a long time?”

Darwin nodded.

Kent gripped Darwin's shoulder. “That's a good thing. I know you miss Dean, but he wouldn't have wanted you to lock yourself away. He would want you to get out and meet someone, and I think you know it.”

Darwin did. He and Dean had talked about it when they'd found out he didn't have much time left. He'd insisted Darwin do his best to find a new love. But Darwin couldn't bring himself to do it. Every look in Roy's direction felt like a dishonor to Dean's memory. But then Ricky appeared and tore through every defense Darwin had built around his heart. He had no idea how. They'd only seen each other two times, but it had been enough that Darwin wanted to know more.

“So about Asiago?” Kent prompted, pulling Darwin from his thoughts.

“I met someone. His name is Ricky,” Darwin said on a sigh.

After he and Kent had let the board members back into the meeting room and told them there would be an infusion of cash, Kent had stayed to catch up a little more. They'd gone to Darwin's office and talked, Kent being every bit the big brother. Darwin wouldn't deny how good their new tentative bond felt.

“It's never easy, is it?” Kent asked, sitting on the plush black couch in the middle of Darwin's office. Darwin cracked a new bottle of Macallan M from the cabinet above the small wooden bar he kept for when clients came to talk business. He poured them each a shot to celebrate the saving of Kent's company, as well as the two of them working to iron out their problems.

“What's that?” Darwin asked.

“This,” he replied, waving his hand around the large office suite. “You come in here every day, work your butt off, and then at night, Henley takes you home so you can start all over again. That can't be what you want out of life, is it?”

Darwin's throat closed up, so he simply shook his head.

“Being alone for so long isn't healthy. I know you've got people around you, but it isn't the same. They're family, and I'm starting to understand that, but do you feel comfortable talking to them about personal matters like this?”

“No,” Darwin whispered, his voice harsh. He placed his rocks glass on the marble side table beside his seat. He glanced over at his brother, expecting to find pity. Instead, he saw understanding.

“I know we're just starting to mend the fences, but if you ever need to talk to someone, you can call me. If you don't want to talk to me, Mila would be more than happy to hear from you.”

His eyes burned, and Darwin knew tears wouldn't be far behind. He hadn't cried for years over Dean's loss, and the memories had faded a bit with time, but now he could picture him, clear as anything. His smile, which always warmed Darwin's heart. His eyes, which twinkled with mischief. And his arms, which had given Darwin comfort, even when they'd known their time together would soon run out.

“I'm afraid,” Darwin admitted.

Kent slid closer to where Darwin sat. He reached out and put a hand atop Darwin's. The warmth chased away the chill that the liquor couldn't touch.

“I get that. It's scary putting yourself out there again. What if he doesn't like you? What if it doesn't work out? But stop asking that. Think about what happens if it does. You've got to take the chance, because if you don't, you're only going to have a life filled with more regrets. And those are a worse hurt than if things go wrong, believe me.”

Darwin straightened in his chair. He stopped thinking about himself for a minute and gazed at his brother. He could see the sadness in his eyes, and Darwin recognized it for what it was. He'd seen that look many times when he'd stared at his own reflection. Kent now lived with the regret of their parents' final years. The attitude he'd developed, which caused a schism to form in the family.

“Mom and Dad loved you, you know.”

Kent gave a half shrug. “I gave them enough reasons not to. In my mind, I had money, I had friends, and we could party from sunup to sundown. But that life got old after a while. The thrills didn't come as easily. People wanted more from me. To buy them things, take them places. Before I realized it, I had lost myself and didn't really care if I came back from it. I disappointed our parents and you. And it seemed easier to just let it go than try to fight to get it back.”

He had never seen Kent in that light. To Darwin, he'd always been a scrapper, fighting for what he believed he'd been due. Saying he'd given up hurt Darwin's heart, because in all honesty, that was what he'd done after Dean died. Maybe he and his brother weren't so dissimilar after all.

“When Mom and Dad told me they were going to make me head of the company, I protested. I told them it should be you, not me. They each gave me a sad smile and told me that you were on a journey right now, and that until you decided it was finished, it might be some time before you came back.”

“They were right. I wouldn't have if I hadn't met Mila. She gave me so much shit when we got together, because she knew I had potential. And even then I misused that.”

“Meh. She got you whipped into shape,” Darwin replied, grinning.

“She did at that. Which brings us back to the subject at hand. You like this guy, right?”

Darwin nodded. Logically, he knew it made no sense, but he truly did like Ricky. He had an air about him that had Darwin aching to know more. The kiss they shared had thrown open doors Darwin thought he'd closed off long ago. Heat surged to Darwin's cheeks as his thoughts took an erotic turn. He glanced at Kent, hoping his embarrassment wasn't obvious. Kent let go of Darwin's hand and stood.