Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Victor
The clang of pots and pans and the sizzle of vegetables hitting a hot cast-iron pan fills the small kitchen at Robert’s bar, making me grin. This place has certainly seen better days, but it’s comforting in its familiarity, smells, sounds, and regular patrons. It’s also an ideal place for me to work out the kinks in my recipes. Sure, there are plenty of prying eyes, but no one here will pay enough attention to know my secret ingredients, and they’re more than willing to be my taste testers, not holding back their criticism, which only makes me a better cook.
The townspeople in Seaville will weigh heavily in judging all the cooks in the competition. It’s smart to get in their good graces now. I’m simply giving them all a sneak peek at what’s to come in a couple of weeks.
Robert gazes at me through the large window overlooking the bar, his arms crossed, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. He enjoys watching me make masterpieces. Then again, we’ve been friends for a very long time. I can see he’s itching to say something. I wait him out. I know he’ll break first... and he does.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of unusual happenings in this town, but seeing you cooking gourmet food in my dive bar is something else. I always thought you’d be working at your dad’s side with grease-covered hands, not standing at a stove with a spatula.”
I give him a grin. “People change, Robert. Cooking isn’t all that different from fixing cars anyway. Both require precision, patience, following a formula, and most importantly of all, creativity.”
“Don’t forget a hell of a lot of talent,” Robert says with a chuckle. I immediately notice the twinkle in his eyes and know a heck of a lot more is coming.
“You’ve been a bit moody today,” he finally adds.
I don’t show him a reaction. “I’m always happy.”
“Yeah, you’re always wearing a smile, however I think there might be a certain woman in this town driving you a little mad, if the rumor mill’s correct... and it usually is. That might affect your great cooking skills.”
I don’t try to deny it and don’t act like I’m not sure who he’s talking about. I have plans where Nikki’s concerned, and her fighting it is only making me that much more determined.
“She might be on my mind, and she most certainly has me doing a lot of thinking.”
Robert leans back against the bar and reaches over to grab a cherry, popping it into his mouth as several pairs of eyes look our way. There’s nothing they like more than local gossip. No one here needs to watch national news, they simply sit back and watch the locals to get their daily entertainment.
“I always figured you and Nikki would end up together. There’s way too much passion between the two of you to let it slip away.”
“Things have always been going on between us, but we’ve both fought it. Maybe I’m done fighting. I saw enough of that in my time in the military and learned I’d rather make love than war. Besides, the woman drives me crazy... in all of the good ways.”
“So what exactly are your plans?” Robert asks. He’s trying to stir things up, but I’m not giving him that opportunity. I’m admitting what I want. “Are you going to try to beat her? That isn’t exactly the way to win her heart.”
I give him another grin. “She loves a healthy competition,” I tell him. “If I did try to throw the contest she’d be ticked... and she’d know. A lot can be said about Nikki, but she can never be called a fool.”
“What if you stopped playing games altogether and told her how you feel?” he suggests.
I give a shrug. “I’m not sure either of us are capable of that,” I say. “Besides, the game playing is a part of us, and it’s fun. If I bore her, she’ll lose interest. It’s like she’s a big fish on the end of my line... I have to reel when she gets tired and let her run when she’s feisty. In the end I’m gonna net her.”
This makes Robert laugh hard. “You could simply ask her out on a real date.”
“She’d turn me down flat,” I admit.
“Well, you have options. We just have to figure out what they are,” he says.
Before I can say something more, Dale, our local fisherman with a missing finger he keeps in his pocket, sits at the bar and raps, making Robert laugh. Robert moves over to the beer taps, grabs an ice-cold glass, then fills it before handing it over. Once he takes a nice long swallow he looks through the large window at me.
“Something sure smells good. You better be sharing,” he says.
I laugh. “You came in on a good night. The food’s free.”
“I like that.”
“Tips are appreciated,” Robert says, making Dale laugh.
“You know how I feel about tips.”
“That doing your job doesn’t entitle you to a tip,” Robert says.
“Exactly. Tips are supposed to be for exceptional service, but now everyone has their hand out. I don’t get tips for catching the fish you serve, but you grab a glass, fill it with good beer, hand it over, and expect a tip. Boggles my mind. I work far harder.”
Robert laughs at this. “You love fishing, though.”
“And you love beer,” Dale quickly replies, making Robert and me both laugh.
“That’s very true. Okay, instead of a tip, how about a fresh salmon?” Robert suggests.
“I think that can be arranged, and it’s a hell of a lot better than a dollar.”
“I fully agree with you on that,” Robert says.
“If you give me a fresh salmon, I’ll make you some salmon paté, and a filet that will make you weep,” I tell him..
“Now we’re talking. Two salmon for you,” Dale says. His grin widens as mischievousness enters his eyes. “I can’t help but have overheard you and Robert talking about you and our little Nikki.”
“The entire town has overheard us,” I say.
“If you don’t want to be overheard, you’re in the wrong town.”
“That’s very true. There’s something almost comforting in knowing an entire town is rooting for me.”
“Don’t get too big of a head, it might be that the entire town is rooting for Nikki, and you just happen to be the one she wants,” Robert says.
This makes me laugh. “I fully believe everyone is rooting for her,” I tell him. “Nikki’s special.”
“That she is,” Dale says. “It’s awfully fun watching the two of you dance around each other as well.”
“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.”
I go back to the kitchen and finish my newest recipe then make several plates and pass them through the window to feed the hungry crowd. I’m smiling the entire time. Nikki Sands is certainly a challenge, perhaps the biggest of my life. I think I can win. I think we can both win.