Read Online Of Love and Corn Dogs by Parker Williams - Free Book Online

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.
    â€œI 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.
    â€œMila 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.
    â€œI 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.”
    â€œAnd 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