Wow. Good for her. “Cool. Glad she’s doing well.”
“Anyway, I miss who I was when I was with you. I’m trying to figure out now if that was just because I was in college, or if youbrought out a less serious side of me. I want to find that girl again.” She bit her lip.
“I’m your man.” He leaned in closer. He wanted to cup her face and kiss her, get lost in her and forget why he ever left her. Herbrown eyes drew him in like a magnet. Ever since he left Alma, he had never felt this pull to any woman. And honestly, he rarely worked hard for anything anymore, not in his dating life nor in his work life. Everything was easy. One swipe and a new girl.
But he didn’t want a new girl. He wanted his old one.
What would he do if he got her? Break her heart again probably.
No. He could never destroy her again. Or himself.
She took a step back, and a breeze from the bay accentuated the distance between them.
“No. You aren’t. But I’m glad you came up here.”
She wanted something from him. To feel more alive. To feel freer. Jaime puffed out his chest.
“Well, I’ll extract the fun Alma. But can you do something for me?”
She squinted at him. “And what is that, exactly?”
“Teach me about tequila.”
Her face contorted. “Are you that serious about the tequila line?”
“Kind of. It bothers me that all these non-Mexican celebrities have one. And I know nothing about it. It’s your entire world.” His voice dropped. “I want to discover why you’re so passionate about it. I just want to entertain the possibility of starting a company. It’s research. And in exchange, I’ll work on your socials and help you get attention from that critic. Or other influential critics.”
“What do you mean by that? Just running my accounts oradvertising my bar? And how can you help me get more top industry reviews?”
“Whatever you want regarding socials. As for the critical acclaim, I know a bunch of restaurant and drink critics. And Ramón’sfiancée, Julieta, is an award-winning chef. She also knows many people. You’d like her.”
She glanced up at the sky and her face contorted. She considered his offer. After an uncomfortable pause, she spoke. “Fine. But I want to teach you something else, My Fair Señor.”
He laughed. “Is this some weirdMy Fair Ladyobsession? You used to love that movie. I’ll have you know that I’m a perfect gentleman. I even went to Mr. Benjamin’s Cotillion class in sixth grade. It was a huge thing in La Jolla.”
“No, no, Jaime. You’re perfectly refined. And I did love that movie. But if you are going to represent my brand, you need to learn to speak Spanish, preferably without an accent, for my video ads.”
His Spanish really did suck. Learning to speak it well would give him some legitimacy in the tequila world. And he would love to have her as a teacher. “Okay. I’m game.”
“Seriously? I thought you would put up more of a fight.”
“Nah, I’m open to your proposal. I really want to learn more about tequila and speak Spanish, so I’m down for anything.”
“To be clear—just until you leave, you will help me work on my socials and get critics’ attention, and I will teach you about tequila and how to speak proper Spanish. And at the end of that, we will go our separate ways.”
That song by Journey played in his head. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Let’s shake on it.”
She daintily placed her hand in his. He fought the urge to kiss it, kiss her, and gave her a firm handshake.
“So, when can I see you again?” He wasn’t letting her leave until they locked in their next meeting.
“I work all week, but I’m off on Friday.”
Dammit, Friday. He was doing that charity event with Santi.
And he wouldn’t flake on him, not even for Alma.
