“Well, Dom, what do you think?” Guillermo asked as he leaned against the bar with a smirk on his face. “You’ve got this contest in the bag now, eh?”

Dominic looked over at his boss and forced a grin. “Of course it wasn't going to be much of a contest anyway,” he laughed. “I doubt Miguel had much to bring to the table after the way he lost this year.”

“Three time champ like him? He definitely would've given you a run for your money this year.” Peter Blaine, editor of the local newspaper, said as he looked down at his beer. “Looks like you won't have to worry about that this time.” He glanced up at Dominic with a questioning look in his eyes.

An uneasy feeling tickled Dominic's spine as he set aside the cloth he'd been using to wipe down the bar. “Why don't you say exactly what you mean, Peter?”

“I just think it's a little convenient, don't you? Your long time rival, who's been trimming trees since he was a kid, just happens to fall out of a tree only a few months before the contest that promises to be the rematch of the decade.” Peter shrugged his shoulders. “As far as I can tell, no Ramírez has ever fallen out of a tree before. They're blaming faulty equipment, but that seems like a bit of a stretch. Don't you think?”

“Hey now, Peter, that's enough,” said Guillermo. “If you start accusing my staff of things like that, I'm going to have to kick you out of my bar, and I really don't want to do that.”

“I'm not accusing anyone of anything,” said Peter, holding up his hands innocently. “I'm just suggesting that it all feels a bit odd. I'm curious to know what Dominic here really thinks about this situation.”

Dominic turned away and pretended to be straightening up the bottles on the shelf behind the bar. In all honesty, his feelings about Miguel's accident were still unclear. The two of them had been butting heads since they were barely old enough to walk. They competed in everything, but the barbecue contest was by far the biggest source of rivalry for them.

Without Miguel there, there was no doubt Dominic would win. No one else on the island even came close to their abilities. Sure, there were contestants that sometimes visited from the other islands, but generally speaking their contributions were sub-par. No, without Miguel it wouldn't be a contest at all. Was that a good thing?

“I don't care either way,” said Dominic when he finally turned back towards the bar. “I was going to win this year either way. Having Miguel out of the running just saves the judges time, that's all.” He knew it was a callous response, but judging by Guillermo's laugh and Peter's nod, it was the response they were expecting.

“There's my boy!” a shout came from the front door as Frederico Pérez entered the barroom. He sauntered up to the bar with a big grin on his face. “Why don't you pour your old man a drink and we'll celebrate?”

It had only been a few hours since Miguel and his family had returned to the island, but the news of his injury had already spread. When you lived on an island with a population as small as theirs, it wasn't easy to keep something like that a secret. Especially not when most of the island was aware of Miguel and Dominic's barbecue rivalry.

None of them knew how deep their hatred of each other truly went though. None of them, not even their fathers, fully grasped the breadth of their relationship. It was more than just barbecue and playground squabbles that fueled the enmity between them. Those secrets, however, were ones that both Miguel and Dominic had never spoken to another soul about.

“What are you having, Dad?” asked Dominic as his father climbed eagerly onto a bar stool beside Peter.

“Surprise me!” said Frederico with a laugh. “Look, even the old wet blanket himself came out of his cave to celebrate with us.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder.

“I hardly think it's appropriate to celebrate someone else's injury.” Peter frowned at Frederico's intrusion into his personal space.

“See? He can make anything sound awful. That's why no one reads that newspaper of his.” Frederico was positively giddy as he leaned over the bar and grabbed a freshly cut lime from the counter.

“The newspaper has plenty of active subscriptions,” retorted Peter. “We've got far more customers than you do. How is the boat tour business by the way?” A rare smirk crossed Peter's lips as he glanced sidelong at Frederico.

“Not good, my friend,” sighed Frederico, clearly missing the jab at his business. “It's difficult these days. I can't even begin to compete with the Aguados. Their tour business is a double threat. Boat and bus tours of the entire island and snorkeling out on the reef. Plus they're all digital too with a fancy website. I don't even own a computer. How am I supposed to compete with that?”

Dominic shook his head slowly as he poured his father a draft of beer from the tap. “Dad, I told you I've got a friend that could set up a website for you if you wanted.”

“Yeah, but then I'd have to pay him.” Frederico eagerly seized his beer and took a big swig before continuing. “How do I even do that if I can barely pay myself?”

“I dislike pointing this out,” began Peter in a tone that suggested he actually took pleasure in what he was about to say. “Morgan's tour business is thriving, and he doesn't have a website.”

“Well, good for him,” said Frederico. He wiped his mouth his the back of his hand. “He's got connections at the port though. They hand out his fliers for him when people arrive in town.”

“He prints those fliers and hands them out himself. I know because he pays to use my copy machine,” said Peter. “The only difference between you and Morgan is that he goes out to find more customers, and you just sit on your boat and hope they manage to find you.”

“You may be right,” said Frederico, staring into the bottom of his glass. “You may be right, my friend.”

Dominic sighed as he began putting away clean glasses beneath the counter. His father was laid back to a fault really. Nothing got under his skin or bothered him. He didn't get angry, didn't have any enemies, and didn't go out of his way to push his opinion on anyone. On the other hand, he didn't work very hard and didn't really try to accomplish anything either.

Dominic's mother, Julia, worked for a boutique on Main Street that sold custom jewelry made out of seashells and driftwood. Her income was what had supported them throughout Dominic's childhood. His father's income, whenever he had any, was always treated as a “bonus.”

Despite the somewhat uneven workload, his parents had always seemed happy. Dominic himself had inherited his mother's work ethic. He'd been able to get a job and move out of his parents house as soon as he graduated high school.

As he’d gotten older, he’d found himself questioning his parents’ relationship more and more. He couldn’t quite understand why his mother put up with his father’s antics. When he’d asked her about it, she’d just stated that she loved him and that was all that mattered. In some ways that only made Dominic resent his father’s behavior even more.

Despite all of that, though, Frederico had never been anything but supportive of his son. He’d encouraged him to follow his passions and hadn’t even batted an eye when Dominic had come out to him as gay. This left Dominic with a complex range of emotions in regard to his freeloading father.

“So, when are you going to start testing new recipes?” asked Frederico after several long moments had passed. “Your mother said to tell you that you're welcome to use the kitchen whenever you need.”

“I've got a few things in the works. I don't think I'll be ready to test a full batch for a couple more weeks though,” admitted Dominic. “Don't worry,” he said in response to a worried look from his father. “I've got plenty of time before the contest. It's no trouble.”

“Speaking of, could you have George whip up a batch of hot wings?” Frederico asked, looking over at Guillermo with a smile. “I'm absolutely starving.”

“Can't,” said Guillermo with a sigh. “George's home with the flu right now. Picked up a bug from some tourist girl he went on a date with.”

“Then who's in the kitchen right now?”

“No one. I don't have the first clue how to work that thing back there, and Dominic's pretty face is what keeps bringing people back, so I need him out here.” Guillermo poured himself a glass of rum from a small bottle he kept for himself near the cash register. “I'm going to have to find a replacement soon or we're in trouble.”

“I really had my heart set on hot wings,” said Frederico with a sigh.

“I'm sure you'll live,” Peter said before finishing off his beer. “Thanks for the drink, Guillermo. I'll see you tomorrow.” He set some cash on the bar and made his way towards the front door.

“Hold up there, Peter!” Frederico called after him. “Why don't we go to Julio's and see if there's any hot wings there instead.” He hopped down off the bar stool and followed after Peter.

“I don't need hot wings,” insisted Peter.

“Nonsense, everyone loves hot wings. Come on.” Frederico reached the front door ahead of Peter and lead the way out into the early twilight of the island.

“That mooch you call a father didn't even pay for his drink,” muttered Guillermo as he picked up the cash that Peter left behind.

“Sorry about that,” said Dominic, reaching into his pocket and digging out his wallet. This wasn’t the first time his father had done something like this and it wouldn’t be the last. He’d long ago resigned himself to that reality. The least he could do was try to not let it affect people he considered friends. “Let me cover him.”

“Put your money away.” Guillermo rang up Peter's tab and tucked the money into the till of the register. “I'll settle up with your dad later on. You shouldn't have to pay his debts for him. He's been doing this since before you were born.”

“I wish you'd just let me take over in the kitchen,” said Dominic, changing the subject. His gaze drifted out over the barroom. Several groups of young women dotted the room. Their giggles rose over the din of conversation, and Dominic could feel their eyes watching him.

“Never,” said Guillermo as another group of young women entered the bar. Their eyes immediately drifted to Dominic.

“See, I told you,” one of them told the rest of her group. “Didn't I tell you?”

“You're right, he's gorgeous.”

“Don't be so loud, he's looking right at us.”

“Let him look, maybe he'll take one of us home tonight.”

“Dream on, sweetheart.”

Giggling and teasing one another, they located an empty table near the middle of the room. The boldest member of their group came up to order their drinks and stared at Dominic hungrily as he put together their order.

Their stares made him uncomfortable, and he could feel his face and ears beginning to flush as he worked.

“You're absolutely adorable,” said the girl leaning against the counter waiting for the drink tray. “I know you probably get this all the time, but my friends and I think you're pretty hot. We were wondering if you'd like to come party with us after your shift is over.”

“I-I'm here till closing,” said Dominic as he finished off the last of the drinks and gratefully set it on the tray. “Sorry.”

“That's no problem,” the girl insisted. “We can wait.”

His go-to defense didn't seem to be working on her. Either she wasn't taking the hint or she was intentionally ignoring it.

“I don't think I'm going to be able to join you tonight. I've got other plans.” Dominic forced a pleasant smile.

“Well, we're here all week. When's your day off?”

Dominic took a deep breath before looking her directly in the eye. He gave her a chance to back down, but she still wasn't listening. It was time to pull out the final weapon in his arsenal.

“Look, miss, I appreciate the offer. I'm beyond flattered to know that you and your friends find me attractive. Unfortunately, while you're all pretty, none of you fit the bill of what I'm looking for in a date.” Dominic looked at her pointedly. She stared back with a blank expression on her face. “I'm gay.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Dammit!” she exclaimed before looking back at the table where her friends were waiting in anticipation. “Looks like I owe you twenty bucks, Rachel.” The girl looked back at Dominic and winked as she picked up the tray. “If you change your mind, we'll be waiting.”

With another wink and a smile she walked back to the table.

“See?” said Guillermo, approaching Dominic with a chuckle. “Even when you turn them down you still win. You're the best money maker I've got.”

“Then can I at least get a raise?”