Julieta crossed her arms. “And what is that?”
“Promise me you will keep an open mind.”
Open mind, closed legs. Got it. But wouldn’t it be nice if it could be the other way around? “Go ahead.”
“Well, you are right—we plan to put a Taco King in here.”
Julieta’s last glimmer of hope faded as quickly as it had arrived. It was all over—this man was a snake. He had his mind made up about what he would do with this place from the second he purchased the block—nothing she could do would stop him. Not even an amazing-tasting meal could appeal to his soul. Hell, he didn’t have a soul.
Nada.
It was hopeless.
An icy coolness spread through her body. She closed her eyes andimagined the restaurant that she had slaved over for years ruined. Taco King? They might as well be called Tacky King!
Visions filled her head of her hand-embroidered Otomi chairs replaced by gaudy orange plastic ones. Instead of her delicacies being served on ceramic dishes that were made in Mexico, the crap they called food would be thrown on flimsy paper plates picked up at Walmart. The fish in the tacos would be farm-raised tilapia instead of sustainable, wild-caught cod. Their bland salsa was made with canned tomatoes, which often weren’t even ripe. And there were no jalapeños in the restaurant! Ever. What was sadder than Mexican food with no heat? How about gummy store-bought tortillas? She shuddered in horror. It was almost too much for Julieta to bear.
Rage boiled inside her. Julieta couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as Ramón. “Then we are done here. I have nothing left to say to you. Not tonight—not ever. If you would please leave, I’d like to serve my customers before you poison them with your food, if you can call it that.”
Julieta stood, clenching her fists. She would not fight with this guy, no matter what. Pride was all she had left.
Ramón got up from his seat. “Julieta, no, wait.” He reached out to her and grabbed her wrist. She quickly pulled it back, but the electricity of his touch pulsed through her.
Ugh, why did he have to be so hot? And why couldn’t she stop thinking about their kiss? The way she came alive against his mouth, the way his hard body reacted when she pressed against his chest, that way her soul sang when he played the guitar.
But that had been fake. It had been a moment. A simple flirtation and nothing more.
“No, Ramón, don’t. There is nothing left to say. Please. Just leave. I don’t want to ever see you again.” In real life, that was. The memory of his kiss could linger in her dreams.
“Well, I do.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Just hear me out.”
Julieta gave Ramón the evil eye. She didn’t trust this devilishly handsome rogue who clearly was only out for his own interests.
“Fine. Talk. I’ll give you two minutes.” She started the timer on her phone and tossed it on the table.
Ramón smirked when he glanced at the seconds ticking down. “Julieta, I want you to be the chef at the restaurant.”
She straight-up laughed at him. “At Taco King? You must be high, Ramón. Do I look like a short-order cook to you?”
“No, of course not. This will be our flagship restaurant. We are going to reinvent the menu. All fresh ingredients. You will have a five-star staff and sous-chefs. Whatever you want. Unlimited budget.”
Unlimited budget?
Julieta’s interest piqued, but she was disgusted at herself for even listening to his degrading proposal.
“The answer is no, Ramón. That will never happen.”
“Listen, Julieta. You are the best chef in Barrio Logan, and probably one of the top ones in San Diego. But the restaurant business is hard. You need funds and investors to succeed. Remember what happened during the pandemic?”
How could Julieta forget. Julieta had scraped by with help from the community, but all the mandatory shutdowns had almost ruined them. But that was the point—the people of Barrio Logan rallied behind them. She couldn’t betray them now or ever.
“Of course I do, Ramón. But I’m not a sellout.”
“I never said you were. You are the heart of this community. I know that. I’m not stupid. We need you. I need you.”
