Page 33 of Winner Takes All

I snort. “I can handle the heat better than you, Victor,” I say with innocence.

“You two entertain us,” Marva says with a laugh. “Cooking is always better when we have fun.” She flips some fish in the sizzling pan.

“We do love fun. I better show Nik how to do this fish right,” Victor says. He expertly filets his fish, seasons it, then drops it into hot oil. He grins as the delicious aroma fills the air, making my stomach growl. It’s amazing how hungry being on the ocean makes a person. You’re mostly sitting there, but it feels like you’ve had a massive workout.

“Please show me, King of the Sea,” I say with a whole lot of sarcasm in my voice, making everyone around us laugh.

We gain a crowd as we good-naturedly compete with one another to make our fish filets the best. Honestly, I’d say we’re equally matched. Cooking over fire is most likely more in Victor’s favor, though, as he’s done it more than I have.

“You two are like fire and oil,” Marva says.

“I agree, and fire and oil make some mighty fine plantains, don’t they?”

“And a great show,” Victor says. He tosses a perfectly golden plantain in the air and catches it with his mouth, earning a round of applause from our audience. I give him an eye roll, but I’m secretly impressed.

We finish preparing the food then gather around tables placed on the beach. We all dig into the crisp and tangy Escovitch fish, fried plantains, salads, fruits, and many more side-dishes. One of my favorite things is the warm and soft bammy, absolutely perfect for soaking up all of the delicious spicy sauce.

Victor is sitting at my side. “This is my favorite moment of the day with the sun sinking while sitting here with incredible people eating a meal we’ve all prepared together.”

“It’s my favorite too. My cooking skills are improving every day we’re here.”

“I agree. I’ll tell you, though, each time you come, you learn a little more. We’re gonna travel all over the world, Nik, and never stop learning.”

My heart thuds with excitement at this. “I won’t say no to that,” I tell him.

“If I’m going to have the best restaurant in town, I need to learn from the best. I told you I want an evolving menu, and that includes cuisine from around the world. It doesn’t hurt that I love coming to these places and learning.”

“It’s been my dream to travel to different places and learn one on one. I want to be the best, so I have to learn from the best.Are you worried that having your restaurant will keep you locked down?”

He thinks about this for a moment, then shakes his head. “Nope. Because I’m going to treat my employees well, train them, and encourage them to think outside the box. They’ll cook as well as I do. It will give me confidence that the restaurant will be in good hands when I’m gone. I don’t want an anchor, I want the restaurant to give me wings.”

“There are times you seem too good to be true, Victor,” I tell him, making him laugh.

“I have many flaws, Nik, but my passion for life isn’t one of them. I also believe in people. The world would be a better place if we all had this attitude.”

“I have to agree with you on this. It’s hard sometimes to stay positive though.”

“I agree with you. When you’ve seen the sort of things I’ve seen in the military, it gets tough. With much evil in the world, it can bog you down. I’ve chosen to focus on the good which is so much better.”

I squeeze his hand, falling more for this man. It’s happening so fast. Sure, we’ve known each other nearly all of our lives, but allowing these feelings to break through is what’s new. It seems so quick. I don’t care anymore, though. There’s nothing I don’t like about him.

The sun sets, and the live band changes up the music, making it livelier. Victor once again pulls me from my seat and straight into his arms. We’ve danced every single day since coming to the Bahamas. I hope we continue when we’re home again.

His face goes serious as he looks at me. “Why have we always fought this?” he asks, his voice low, almost lost beneath the beat of the music.

I gaze into his beautiful eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of his question, the weight of years of holding back. “I don’tknow,” I admit. This is the truth. I’m not sure why I’ve fought so hard to hold back from him when, if I’m being honest, I’ve always had feelings for him.

“We won’t do that ever again,” he says. It’s both a promise and a warning. He’s telling me not to pull from him and run away.

“We won’t,” I agree.

His eyes search mine for a long moment, and everything around us fades until it’s simply him and me beneath the gorgeous night sky. The fighting is over... the real fighting. We’ll always challenge each other, but fighting our feelings is over.

Chapter Seventeen

Victor

The sun just clears the horizon as we drive down a long, windy, bumpy road into a small village tucked away from the main tourist spots. As soon as we enter the area, it feels like we’ve stepped into another world, one where time moves a whole lot slower, the colors are far brighter, and the air is thick with the smell of spices and earth.

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