Page 38 of One Pucking Destiny

FIFTEEN

BASH

Cade calls out to the group. “Okay, if you’re entering the baking competition, you need to say so now.”

Iris nudges my side. “You’re so going down this year, Bash.”

Cade’s wife still can’t get over the fact that she lost the cookie competition in Barbados to me. I’ll never forget the utter look of shock on her face when the votes were tallied.

“You talked a lot of game last year, too, Iris… and I’m sorry. What place did you come in?” I tease her.

She shoots me a playful glare. “It was rigged.”

Ari steps between us, and my body stiffens. I’ve beentrying to play it cool today since she so adamantly shut me down last night, but I can’t say I don’t have a bruised ego. More than that, I have a battered heart. I was so sure that a fun day together, some playful banter, stolen touches, a tad of alcohol, and some lust-laden words would get her to give in. Hell, I was turning myself on. Her, though—not so much. Her resolve remained solid as a rock.

I’m confused as to where I should go from here. But truthfully, I’m sick of thinking about it. I’ve spent literal months obsessing over this woman. Now, she’s here, a room away… and she doesn’t want me. At some point, I need to throw in the towel. While I’m not ready to give up completely, I need a respite from the constant torture of not being with Ari.

Today, I’ve opted to just go with the flow. Be myself. Treat her the way I treat everyone else.

I remember our mom telling Hattie and me a story once about how we can’t change others, only ourselves. Our aunt, our mother’s sister, was going through a bitter divorce, one that was a long time coming from what I’m told. Apparently, my ex-uncle had some substance abuse issues that caused massive problems in the marriage. The troubles existed well before my aunt was married, but she thought she could change him. Moral of the story—she couldn’t. My mother wanted to make sure we knew that trying tochange another adult would only end in unhappiness. People can only change themselves.

I’m not sure that message entirely applies to this situation as there is nothing about Ari I want to change. She’s perfect. I solely want to change her mind. But I suppose only she can do that, too.

So today… I am being myself, and Ari can take me or leave me. At least, at this very moment, I’m holding strong to this newfound resolve. Who knows where I’ll stand in an hour or two? Convictions of the heart are unreliable at best.

“What happened? This sounds juicy,” Ari asks.

Iris opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “Nothing was rigged. Iris here is just a sore loser.”

Iris rolls her eyes. “You joining the competition, Ari?”

“I don’t know. I’m not much of a baker. There’s really only one cookie I know how to make,” Ari states.

“It’s probably for the best. I have it in the bag. You’re looking at the second annual cookie-baking champion.” I look around at the guys. “You hear that, guys? You’re all going down.”

“You’re quite cocky.” Ari frowns with a scrunch of her nose.

“It’s not being cocky when it’s the truth. I’m just that good.”

Ari taps her finger against her lips. “Hmm… maybe I will compete.”

Beckett pumps his fist. “Yes, that’s my girl.”

Elena looks at him with so much love. It’d be a touching moment if Ari hadn’t just thrown down a challenge.

I shrug. “Suit yourself. I don’t care who I beat.”

“Oooh, Ari… are you going to take that disrespect?” Jaden teases.

“Sounds like we need to raise the stakes,” Max joins in.

The group starts giving their input, and everyone’s talking at once. I eye Ari and smirk, letting her know she has no idea what she just got herself into. The Cranes are competitive as hell. We’ll take just about anything and turn it into a fight for bragging rights.

Indecision flares in Ari’s stare. She eyes me, her brows furrowed in thought. I can see when the clarity hits her. She’s not backing down from a challenge, least of all to me. Propping her hands on her hips, she speaks up, silencing the group. “I’m in.”

There’s a boisterous round of hoots and hollers. Ari holds up her hands to silence them. “But I’m in agreement with Max. We definitely need to raise the stakes becauseCookiehere is a little too cocky for his own good.”

More cheers.

---