Page 56 of Wild King
A big smile spreads across her face. “I could talk about him all day. What do you need to know?”
“Anything you can tell me might spark some idea I can use when I’m trying to persuade my contacts to give him a chance to show the real him.”
She thinks for a few moments and then sighs. “I’m guessing you don’t know this, but Kellen is very much like his father. I’m not sure Mr. King even knew it, but that boy idolized him from the moment he knew what his father did for a living. His mother saw it in him and always encouraged that talent like she did with all her sons. Mr. King may not have seen it, but she did.”
I listen intently, happy to hear all this positivity from her. “So he wanted to be a businessman even as a little boy?”
“I think so. Elizabeth King had a way of seeing the true talents her boys had. She knew Kellen wanted to be like his father when he grew up, so she encouraged that. She always wanted him to know she believed in him, even though she knew the odds that he would get to one day run the company were slim.”
Eleanor’s tone turns sad as she says that, so I quickly ask, “Why? He was a standout in college and when he went for his MBA. Why wouldn’t he be able to run King Industries?”
Frowning, she takes a second or two to collect her thoughts. “Please understand I’m not saying anything against Mr. King. He was a wonderful man who loved all his sons. I mean that sincerely. Maximilian King loved being a father and having five incredible boys. He just came from a family that always believed the oldest son was the one to carry on the family business. So even though his wife tried hard to change his mind about that, when he died, Matthias was made the head of the company, not Kellen. I sometimes wonder if Elizabeth had lived if that wouldn’t have happened, though. She knew Matthias didn’t care about business. He loves his art. She used to tell me he had an artist’s heart. But Kellen has a heart for business, and she knew it. She tried to make her husband see that too, but when she died so young, that idea just faded away.”
The way Eleanor talks about that lost chance for Kellen to be the person he always dreamed of being makes me sad. I can onlyimagine what it must feel like to want something and never have the opportunity to have it merely because of when I was born.
“I think he’d do great running the company,” I say. “I mean, this current issue isn’t great, but Kellen seems like a natural leader.”
“Oh, he definitely is. That’s why his mother knew he’d be perfect to head the company. Not that Matthias can’t do it. He’s as bright as Kellen, but his passion isn’t in running King Industries. He never wanted that. Sometimes Ava has to practically pry him from his art studio they made in the carriage house when it’s time to go into the office. No, Kellen is the one King son who wanted more than anything to work at King Industries, but he wasn’t the firstborn.”
Listening to her talk about this modern day version of primogeniture Kellen’s father believed in makes me wish his mother had been successful in convincing her husband to look at his younger son to take over the reins of the company when it was time. It seems both Kellen and Matthias would have been happier.
As I think about that, Eleanor says, “You know, I believe he was happy he would just be working at King Industries, but then Theo died. That changed everything.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, although I have a sneaking suspicion what she’s talking about.
Sadness fills her eyes as she answers, “Everyone loved Theo. He was the life of the party wherever he went. None of the boys were as free spirited as him. His mother always told me he was going to set the world on fire. She was right. Theo burned too brightly for this world, and he left us far too soon. I think out of all his brothers, Kellen felt the loss the most.”
“They sound like they were polar opposites.”
With a big smile, she nods her head. “Oh, they were, but Kellen always idolized that brother. He wanted to be like hisfather, but part of him admired how wild Theo was. He truly was an untamed soul. That’s what his mother used to call it. He had an untamed soul that was always looking for something to thrill him. I think Kellen wanted to be like that too.”
“Do you think that’s why he seems to have changed from the person I’ve read about who excelled in school and everyone believed was a huge asset to the company when he started?”
Eleanor sighs as I ask my question. “Yeah, I think so. Each of the boys has dealt with the loss of Theo differently. Matthias has his art and Ava to help him handle it. Ronan has his baseball. Marius, well, he keeps so much to himself that I’m not sure what he does to deal with losing Theo. But Kellen seems to have dealt with the loss by trying to become his brother. The problem is the fit is all wrong. His nature is to be a leader, but Theo wasn’t that. He never wanted to lead anything. He just wanted to have fun. That was his only goal in life. So now someone who’s a natural leader is acting like someone who doesn’t care about anything. It’s not who he is, but I feel like it’s the person he wants to be to keep Theo alive in more than just his memories.”
I don’t say it to her, but I can’t help but wonder if some therapy might be helpful for Kellen. Losing someone you idolize is a traumatic experience. Maybe if he talked to someone it could help him.
She looks out the kitchen window and turns around wearing a huge grin. “I’m so happy to see Ronan here visiting Kellen. They’ve always been so close, but I was worried that night at the house might mean they wouldn’t reconcile for a long time.”
“Ronan came over to tell him about his minor league tryout next week. Kellen seemed thrilled to hear the news.”
“Oh, I do hope it works out for him. Ronan has loved that sport since Matthias and Theo taught him how to play. If Theo could see him now.”
I hear her sniffle when she turns to look at the two of them outside on the patio again, so I say, “What position does he play? I forgot to ask when he was telling me about the tryout.”
Thankfully, that takes her attention away from what was making her sad, and she turns around to face me with an expression like she has to think about my question. “You know, I’m not sure. Shortstop, maybe? I know he’s not a pitcher. That I do know. He told me once why, but I swear it’s escaped me now.”
My guess is he’s not built to be a pitcher. Ronan is tall and muscular, but he doesn’t have the lower body of a pitcher. I remember my brother always saying they had to have big hips. Childbearing hips, he used to joke. I’ve only seen Ronan King a couple times, but he definitely isn’t built like that.
I start to ask her more about Kellen’s childhood, but the man himself interrupts us. “My two favorite ladies in one room? How did I get so lucky?”
Eleanor beams a smile as I watch him walk over and wrap his arms around her. “He’s such a sweet talker, this one. I brought your favorite cookies.”
Kellen looks around for them and smiles when he finally locates them on the island. “Great! I’ll be gorging all afternoon.”
“You smell like alcohol. Why do you smell like that in the middle of the day?” Eleanor asks pointedly.
For the first time since I met him down at that resort, he gets a sheepish look about him that almost looks like he’s embarrassed. “I don’t have much to do other than drink and live vicariously through others. Did you hear about Ronan trying out for the Nationals’ minor league team?”