Page 9 of Winner Takes All

“Maybe we need to stop dancing around each other and start doing a tango together,” I say.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Robert says.

“I agree with that,” Dale chimes in.

“You could invite her over and cook for her. A woman likes to be wined and dined,” Robert says.

“She’s a phenomenal cook so I don’t think that’ll impress her,” I tell them.

“They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Dale says.

“And other body parts,” Robert adds with a wink.

“Food and sex are the essentials of life,” I agree.

“You could collaborate with her and cook together,” Robert suggests.

“This contest is about one winner,” I tell them.

“It doesn’t have to be. I’m sure there’s nothing in the rules about a team,” Dale says.

“Even if there were, Sia’s mom, Carol, is the one in charge, and I’m sure she’d make an exception,” Robert says.

The thought of teaming up with Nikki doesn’t seem unappealing. In fact, I quite like it. I’m not sure she’d feel the same. I love her competitive spirit though. In fact, it might be one of the things I love the most. I don’t want to change who she is.

Chief Mitchel from our fire department joins our little group, sitting next to Dale. Robert serves him while I wait to hear what he has to say about the situation.

“You could do some volunteer work with the station and rescue her,” he says.

Dale bursts out in laughter. “We can put her up in a tree and then you can come in and save her.”

“I think she’d kill you all before you were able to get her into the tree. She’s a fighter,” I tell them.

“We did manage to get Callan and Sasha locked in the gym and took our time rescuing them. That went well for both of them,” the chief says with a laugh.

“I heard about that. This town sure gets away with some shenanigans.”

“It’s all in good fun,” Dale says. “What else is there to do?”

“In all seriousness, you have to take some risks in life to get big rewards,” Robert adds.

The more ideas flow, the more they sound reasonable. I’ve either had one too many beers or the idea of working with Nikki seems a lot more appealing than fighting her. We don’t have to lose our competitiveness, we just have to find other ways of going about it.

“I do want to go out with her. I’m not hiding that, but the woman’s stubborn. She’s fighting herself as much as me,” I admit, coming out to the counter as my food finishes simmering. I refill my beer, then lean back.

“You’re a Marine, Victor. You can handle some stubbornness. Don’t let that woman push you away,” Dale says.

“I agree with the old man,” Chief Mitchel says. “It’s worth the effort to find a good woman.”

Robert nods in agreement. “We’ll help however we can. We think the two of you are perfect together.”

I look at these men who have known me since I was born, the ones who have seen me take every significant step in my life. They aren’t meddlers, they’re good people with real advice. I’d be a fool to ignore them as they genuinely want me happy.

“I’ll try it,” I say, my grin spreading. “But if I get shot down I’m blaming all of you.”

Dale raises his beer in a toast. “To Victor, the man with a plan who’s going to win the heart of the girl and share a victory in the cooking competition.”

Robert laughs as he claps me on the shoulder. “I like it. Here. Here.”

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