Page 204 of Sweet Dominion

Everyone yelled, “Cookout! Cookout!”

I blinked, taken aback.

Yearly?

I shook my head, laughing nervously.

Moni leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “Oh God, what have we done?”

Her expression was half-amused and half-horrified.

Jo—of course—couldn’t let that moment pass. “Not every year! Every season! We could theme it. Winter cookout, spring cookout, Halloween barbecue!”

What the fuck?

Dima winked at her. “I like that! Seasonal cookouts—sounds like a plan to me. Make it happen, Mountain Master. I already have my Halloween costume ready.”

That made me chuckle a little.

I had just been wondering what Michael he would be this year.

Regardless, this cookout/grill off had spiraled into something bigger than I could have ever imagined and honestly, I wasn’teven mad about it. The energy from the crowd, the laughter, the ridiculousness of it all—this felt good.

Really good.

Finally, Dima raised his hand for silence.

The crowd quieted down.

Then, Dima returned his view back to the stage, where Banks and Chef Foo stood side by side. “Okay, folks, it’s time to announce the winner,”

I shifted my gaze to Banks and Chef Foo, watching them closely.

Both men looked like they had downed much more than a couple of beers in celebration—their cheeks were slightly flushed, their eyes wide with a blend of hope and uncertainty.

Chef Foo held his hands behind his back, standing upright, but I could see his fingers twitching with nerves.

Banks was now bouncing on his heels.

Dima glanced at the paper in his hand. “The winner of today’s Grill Off, byunanimousvote. . .”

Oh. Everyone picked the same person. Very interesting.

My heart thudded in my chest and I couldn’t help but laugh internally at how invested I was in this.

“Banks!”

The crowd exploded into cheers and applause.

Jo stood up and clapped. “That’s my cousin!!”

On the stage, Banks threw his arms up in victory and his face lit up with pure joy.

He turned to Chef Foo, who, to his credit, smiled graciously, bowing his head slightly in respect.

Banks grinned and pulled Chef Foo into a hug, and the two of them laughed together.

Clapping, I rose with Jo and the rest of the judges joined me.

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