Yes, score. “Where are we going?”
She pressed her lips against his cheek. “I’ll let you know. But it will be dog friendly. Tequila comes with me.”
“Sounds like a date.”
“It’s most certainly not a date. It’s a business meeting. I’m glad you’re back, Jaime. I missed you.”
It was so simple, so easy to be around her.
Alma stood up and left the backyard.
Carlos stole Alma’s chair. “You two seem cozy.”
“Yeah. We’re having brunch next Sunday.”
“Impressive. So, I was thinking, I know you’re staying with Santi, and who can beat Bolinas? But you could spend some time in the Canal.”
“Sure. When?”
“We can hang out here, and I can show you the neighborhood. I think you could make a real difference, and I know I only have you for a limited time, so I’m going to milk it for all I can get. I want to take you around so you can meet people.”
No. Jaime’s initial thought was a hard no. He had planned to spend this break learning about tequila and hanging with Santi on the beach.
But he couldn’t turn his back on the Canal. Not now.
He could go to the schools. Talk about Taco King and social media. Help Carlos coach soccer. Raise money.
And it wasn’t just for Alma. It was for Carlos. It was for the boys like Victor, the little kid he’d played soccer with earlier that day.
“I’d love to.”
“Cool. One more thing. Do you want to come over tomorrow night for Sunday family dinner?”
Jaime exhaled. He didn’t even want to ask if Alma was coming. Carlos said family dinner, so the assumption was there.
He wanted to say no, give Alma some space.
But at the same time, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and their planned brunch was a week away.
“Absolutely. But this time, please, at least tellAlma.”
Chapter Twelve
Alma paced around her parents’ house and looked out the window at the gorgeous landscape that her father had cultivated with love. The roses bloomed in pale shades of pastels, a lime tree was ripe with luscious fruit, butterflies flitted on the milkweed, and a hummingbird and a sparrow waded in the brightly colored Talavera birdbath he had purchased and installed for Mamá. A perfectly glorious spring day.
It could’ve been just a lovely family dinner at home, but tonight would be awkward at best and disastrous at worst. Well, maybe not. At least this time Carlos had told her that he had invited Jaime to dinner. Carlos explained that he wasn’t trying to set them up, just that he was trying to show Jaime around the Canal so he would hopefully become a long-term donor to the community. Alma understood his rationale and accepted it. But that didn’t make this entire scenario any less strange.
And unfortunately for Alma, there was no chance that Jaimewould flake. He honored his commitments, and she had alwaysknown him to be a man of his word. As heart-wrenching as it was, she almost understood why he had dumped her many moons ago. They had been committed to each other when they were mere teens, and he wasn’t ready to settle down. He could’ve strung her along long-distance for a while to keep her on call and cheat like some other men would do. But Jaime would never cheat on her after what he had gone through with his parents.
Alma couldn’t believe that he had agreed to come to her parents’ house not once but twice, nor could she believe they had asked him to come. He’d never even wanted to spend the night at her parents’ house when they were actually dating—not that she could blame him. But his reasons back then were because he felt uncomfortable staying in their home knowing he was sleeping with their daughter.
Alma was grateful for how wonderful and progressive her parents were, despite their traditional backgrounds. Though they were immigrants who were both born and raised in Mexico, they weren’t particularly old-fashioned like many of their friends were. They had no problem with her dating and had never made her feel any shame for spending the night with Jaime. In fact, she had been quite open and honest with her mother about her entire relationship with him. It helped that her parents had a loving and equal relationship. Both of them worked outside the home and they shared the domestic chores around the house, which Alma thought was pretty evolved, considering how they both had grown up.
She was blessed to have such a warm, close family, including her overprotective brother, Carlos, though she still couldn’t figure out why he was acting so chummy with Jaime. It could just be because he wanted help with his festival, but Carlos was a mystery. He was fiercely private about everything in his life.
Alma extracted herself from the living room because having Jaime catch her staring out the window and waiting for his arrival would definitely not be cute.
She walked into the kitchen. The scent of cumin wafted through the air, mixing with the sweet citrus that Mamá had plucked from the backyard trees. Mamá’s apron was decorated with splashes of salsa, and Papá diced onions on the chopping board. When he finished, he washed his hands and then patted Mamá’s bottom. Mamá tapped him with her wooden spoon. Alma’s eyes teared up, and it wasn’t from the onions. How had she and Carlos been so lucky to be raised in a household full of love and equality? And as much as she had refused to let herself think about dating since she had been so focused on her business, she had to admit that she wanted what her parents had.
