Or maybe she just wanted to be naked. Desperately. Being near him was always so intoxicating, like the finest tequila. He was strong, spicy, delectable.
Damn, that man was fine. His strong jawline, his adorable dimples, those lips! And he was wearing a goddamn tuxedo, for Christ’s sake. The black fabric stretched over his broad shoulders, his defined chest puffing out of his vest as if it were made for him.
What was he doing? Trying to kill her?
Alma took a deep breath, trying to be cool. “Wow, Jaime. You clean up nice. I haven’t seen you in a tux since that Young Hispanic Leaders Gala you dragged me to in college.”
He smirked. That sexy stupid smirk she hated and loved at the same time. “I remember that night. Every man had his eyes on you. But you were all mine.”
Werewas the operative word. Were, was—all in the past.
But she no longer wanted to live in the past. She wanted to be present.Be Here Nowlike the guru Ram Dass said. She had clearly grown up in Marin, a former hot tub–hippy enclave in the Bay Area that had esoteric spiritual leaders. Many of her non-Mexican friends in grade school had parents who’d raised them in his commune, which had horrified her Catholic mother.
“They did. But the only one I wanted was you.”Was that too strong? Dial it down woman.
She changed the subject. “How was prom?” She poured a shot of tequila for an anxious patron at the bar and slid it to him.
Jaime whipped out his phone and showed her some pictures of him, Santi, Leti, and her friends. “It was wonderful. Leti is so sweet, and she had such a great time. I’m glad I could take her.”
Leti looked lovely in the pictures. This simple act of kindness Jaime displayed toward Leti made Alma soften toward him. He couldn’t be a complete jerk if he was willing to escort her to prom with no ulterior motive.
“She looks beautiful. That was nice of you to escort her and her date.”
“Honestly, I had fun. It feels good making others happy.”
Nothing he said sounded like a line that he was trying to use to impress her. He seemed, well…genuine. She reminded herself that this wasn’t some guy who was trying to pick her up at the bar. This was Jaime. The only man she had ever loved. She had always thought deep down he was a good guy, just a bit of a mess, but who wasn’t?
He sat down on a stool in front of her.
“Do you want a drink?”
A guy yelled at her. “Hey lady, can I get another shot?”
Alma was reminded that they were not alone. “Coming right up.”
She was still running a bar full of people. And unlike the first night that he had come in, she wasn’t going to bring her personal life into her business life. She winced, remembering how she’d yelled at him in the crowded room, dramatically tossing out his business card. She still hadn’t heard from that critic, but either way, she never knew who was in her bar, and with everyone having cell phones, she was most certainly not going to make another scene.
And she had finally accepted the fact that it wasn’t Jaime’s fault that the critic left. She had screwed herself and might never get that opportunity again. Yes, Jaime had surprised her, but she should’ve been able to control her temper. It wasn’t professional of her. Alma planned to make an appointment with her therapist to deal with her anger.
She served the man a drink, and then turned back to Jaime. “Drink?”
A patron pointed a camera toward her. Maybe the girl was just filming the bar, but maybe she was filming Alma. Her luck, she would go viral on TikTok for drooling over her ex.
She instinctively wiped her mouth just in case she was actually drooling. Her red lipstick stained the cloth. She imagined that red tint marking up Jaime’s shirt, his chest, his abs.
Stop!
Jaime glanced at the back wall behind her, giving an impressed nod. “I’d love one. What do you recommend?”
“Our special is our blackberry margarita.”
“I’ll take that.”
“Coming right up.” She muddled the fresh blackberries, the dark juice tinting the glass. Then she added the rest of theingredients and finished making his drink, placing it in front of him. “Anything else? Are you hungry?”
He bit his lip. “Actually, I see something I’d like to snack on.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What did you have in mind?”
