A bitter taste filled Jaime’s mouth. He hated to admit defeat. But there was no hope. “I don’t have a choice. I don’t want to stalk her. She made it clear she wants nothing to do with me. I get it. I don’t blame her. I respect her choice.”
“Yeah. You fired your shot, but you didn’t have any chance.Does this mean you’re going to abandon your ideas of tequila domination?”
Jaime turned up his palms. “It was a stupid idea anyway. All because I got mad that some oblivious celebrities wanted to use me to sell their products.”
Santi paused. “I mean, yeah, that was pretty pathetic of them to ask but it’s par for the course with these companies. But starting a tequila line isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard of.” He paused. “You don’t need Alma. You could do it alone. Or we could do it together. I’d love to diversify my portfolio.”
Yeah, Santi was way too much like Ramón. Jaime didn’t understand Santi’s and Ramón’s calm, practical approaches to business decisions. Or Enrique’s spiritual one. To Jaime, it was simple. Did the business interest him enough to capture his attention for a while?
And if he was honest with himself, his interests waned pretty quickly. At least in business. Jaime had always been passionate about soccer. And women.
But his career aspirations had been all over the place. It disgusted him sometimes that he was nothing more than a social media influencer. He didn’t want to be responsible for influencing some young kid to do anything.
He had never meant being an influencer to be his career. He was running the social media accounts for Taco King and once took a shirtless selfie of himself eating at one of the restaurants. That picture blew up online. Brand deals came pouring in, and in all honesty, Jaime couldn’t resist the money. Once his father was forced out of the company, Jaime told Ramón he didn’t want to run the social media full-time and instead Jaime focused on his owncareer. But after a couple of years, the shininess wore off and his work, while lucrative, lost its luster.
When he was a little boy, Jaime wanted to play professionalsoccer. But his father, of course, was completely against that idea. He wanted him to focus on their business and saw his three sons as mere extensions of himself.
So, after he painfully abandoned that dream, Jaime dedicated himself to school. He didn’t want business degrees, like Ramón had, or a degree in agricultural science, like Enrique had. He wanted something more liberating.
He studied communications, and it was a natural gateway into digital marketing. His socials blew up in college, which thrilled his father because he wanted Jaime to use his skills to further the restaurants’ social profiles. And while Jaime enjoyed it at first, it left him feeling empty.
Which was how he felt right now.
But despite searching for a new passion, he just hadn’t found one. So, he spent his days surfing, his nights partying, and occasionally made some posts for some brands. He barely even played soccer anymore.
Maybe he could pick up a game while he was here. He would’ve asked Carlos, but that was clearly a no-go.
“Well, I’d love to go into business with you. But, no offense, this was something I really wanted to do on my own. I never do shit on my own. Without my family’s watchful eyes or control.”
“None taken. I totally understand. But Jaime, you don’t need to just drop your idea because Alma doesn’t want to help you. She never was going to. You don’t need her. I have full confidence that you can do this alone.”
Jaime ran his hands through his hair. “Thanks. It’s nice to hearthat someone believes in me.” Ramón was always praised for his intelligence and business acumen, and Enrique was always valued for his emotional intuitiveness.
But people usually just measured Jaime’s worth by his looks.
He desperately wanted to be more than just the pretty boy.
He wanted to be smart like Ramón and sensitive like Enrique. He wanted to be well-rounded. He wanted to be a good man.
“I mean it, bro. I believe in you. I can help you any way you want, but don’t worry, this will be your own thing. You could go to Mexico and study by yourself. Or you could do a course online. Find another mentor. Trust in yourself. You don’t need her.”
“I’ll cheers to that.” Jaime raised his glass of water, since his dance with that tequila shot was a distant memory.
Though when Jaime drank the water, he couldn’t help but think that Santi was wrong that Jaime could do it on his own.
Maybe Jaime wouldn’t lose interest in tequila—he could see himself forming more of a taste for it every time he drank it.
But about the other thing Santi had said.
That he didn’t need Alma.
Jaime couldn’t help but think he reallydid.
Chapter Six
The morning sunlight seeped into Alma’s bedroom, the rays reflecting off the ocean waves outside her window, but she wasn’t ready to face the day yet, so instead, she snuggled under her fluffy rose-tinted comforter with her fawn-colored pug, Tequila. Her pup’s name always made her chuckle; she had rescued her at a time when she had just become obsessed with the spirit. And oh, what a journey it had been.
But the sad truth was that Alma had just replaced her previous obsession with Jaime with a newfound passion for tequila—the dog and the liquor.
