“Jaime is an Instagram influencer. He’s cool, but he’s a partier.”
She laughed. “Really? He takes pictures for social media?”
“Yeah, he’s great at it. He could do some innovative things for the Barrio location.”
Julieta cringed hearing Ramón call her Las Pescas “the Barrio location.” But she had to accept reality. That was what it was.
Just another Taco King.
Chapter Nineteen
Ramón placed his hand on Julieta’s thigh as he drove through downtown Coronado. Normally, if he wanted to impress a girl, he would take her to the finest restaurant in town, but that strategy wouldn’t work with Julieta. First, he had already dined on the most delicious food in San Diego—hers. And Julieta didn’t seem to care about his wealth; if anything, it was quite the opposite. Sure, she seemed to like his car and his house, but she had been most enamored with him when he sang to her.
“I love it here. Where are we going?” she said as they cruised along Orange Avenue.
“To the Del for drinks and appetizers on the beach.”
Ramón chose the Hotel del Coronado, a historic beachfront resort. Many presidents had stayed there, and it was the filming location of Marilyn Monroe’sSome Like It Hot. L. Frank Baum even based the Emerald City of Oz on it. It was perfect for a romantic date with the woman he wanted to woo.
“That sounds great.”
He pulled up to the driveway at the hotel. Luckily for him, the valets kept the most expensive sports cars up front, so he didn’t have to worry about his McLaren being dinged or scratched in the nearby lot.
He opened Julieta’s car door, put his arm around her, and led her to the beach. Miles of sparkly, golden sand in a city that was warm even in November was one of the many reasons Coronado was always voted one of the best beaches in the world.
“Wow. It’s gorgeous here. I live just across the bridge but don’t ever go to the beach.”
Ramón went to the beach every chance he got. “Why is that?”
She shrugged. “I work all the time. If I’m off, I usually just hang out with my family.”
“You mean your mom?”
“I mean my cousins, aunts, and uncles. We are all super close.”
“That’s cool. I always wanted to spend more time with my aunt and uncle and cousins. You know, they live in Barrio Logan.”
Julieta placed her hand over her mouth. “Really? Who? I know everyone there.”
“Miguel and Rita Montez. They have four kids, Benicio, Adella, Elena, and Jose.”
“I know Benicio! Tiburón is friends with him. How did I not know he was an actual Montez?”
Ramón shook his head. “Because he wants nothing to do with us. Neither does my uncle.” Though they’d been close when he was younger, they had definitely grown apart. He’d been reminded of that when he had his run-in with Benicio on the Day of the Dead. It still bothered him—they were family. Benicio should have his back no matter what.
Though, now, Ramón was starting to understand Benicio’s point.
Julieta gulped and then put a comforting hand on Ramón’sshoulder. “I’m sorry, Ramón. That sucks. Maybe he will come around when he sees what you do with Barrio Logan.”
Ramón cleared his throat. He couldn’t tell if Julieta was being passive-aggressive or sincere. Was that a dig, or did she truly believe that Ramón was capable of changing Barrio Logan for the better? Was he?
The hostess seated Ramón and Julieta at a small table facing the ocean and handed them a drink menu. A few minutes later, the cocktail waitress came to take their order.
“I’ll have a dirty martini, and the lady will have a paloma.”
Julieta beamed. “You remembered.”
“Of course I did. I remember everything about that night. How you looked, how you smelled.” His voice lowered. “How you tasted.”
