“You’re welcome to crash at my place, anytime.”
“I’d love to.” And what a place it was. Northern California beach towns were in a class by themselves. A totally different vibe. The water was icy as fuck, and you had to watch out for great whites. But in a town like Bolinas—you could almost pretend the world didn’t exist. The residents were so protective of their privacy that they would rip down all the road signs leading to the town so it could remain hidden. Too bad TikTokers consistently revealed the location. Even so, you could literally walk on the beach there and see nothing but sand for miles. The town even sequestered itself during COVID and didn’t let any visitors into its bubble.
“But somehow, I think you’d rather be in Tiburon. With a certain ex of yours.”
Jaime shook his head. “Nope. That’s a negative. I’m not going up there for her. Well, not like that at least.”
Santi sighed. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not interested in her romantically. I’m too young to settle down, and I could never have a casual relationship with her. But maybe we could be friends. And she could teach me about tequila.”
“You’re serious, bro? You want to come up to Tiburon and use Alma to teach you about tequila? Are you high?”
“No, I’m not. When you put it like that, it sounds bad. But I wouldn’t really be using her. I’d pay her for her time.”
“If she has time for you at all.” Santi paused. “When you broke up with her, she was crushed.”
“I know.” Jaime’s throat scratched. Their ending had been brutal on her, and he knew it. After telling her it was over, he’d literally vanished from her life.
“It wasn’t cool, man. It was so sudden.”
“It was. I loved her. She knows that. But we were too young. We have so much history together. Maybe we can reconnect. And I want to learn about tequila from the best. If she owns a tequila bar, she clearly must be an expert.” She was incredible at everything she did, so that wasn’t too far of a stretch.
“She is the best. Do you even know what she does? She was a sommelier, and then she went to Mexico and studied to be a catadora. She knows everything, all the different types. Her bar has spirits from around Mexico, no additives, small batches from artisans. And these supercool women-only brands. She’s brilliant.” He paused. “You know you’re an idiot for losing her.”
“I’m aware.” Jaime clicked on a flight reservation. “Just booked it. A one-way to SFO. I arrive in two days. Will you pick me up at the airport?”
“You’re crazy. But, of course. Shoot me the details.” Santi sighed. “Jaime, Alma isn’t the same sweet girl you crushed in college. She’s a powerful businesswoman. Top of her game. Every eligible straight man in Marin is obsessed with her. She won’t give any of them the time of day. And she’s crazy busy. It’s pretty arrogant of you to think that she would take time out of her schedule to teach you about tequila. If you want to learn, go to Mexico yourself.”
Jaime scrolled her bar’s Instagram. She had twenty thousand followers—he had twenty-two million. He could agree to dopromotions for her and blow up her social media. He checked TikTok; the tequilería didn’t even have an account. Social media. Her Achilles’ heel. He would fix that.
“That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. Her socials are dismal. I can make her huge. It’s the one thing I’m good at. I’ll make her an offer she can’t refuse.”
“Maybe she doesn’t care about her socials. She’s clearly successful without a great presence.”
Not caring about her socials? That was unfathomable. “Well, she should care.”
“Trust me, bro, she can and will refuse you.”
“Want to bet?”
“Sure. I’m game. Hey, since you’re up here, can you go with me to this charity event? It’s a prom for Down syndrome.”
Jaime’s heart constricted. “Oh, I’ll go with you for sure, and I can make a donation.” Santi’s younger sister, Leti, had Down syndrome. She used to come up and visit them at college. She was the sweetest girl.
“Thanks man. It means a lot. It’s like a ball, and she gets to dress up. It would be amazing if you could be her host. I could, but I’m sure she’d rather dance with you. And that way I can be a host for another student. The foundation is short on volunteers.”
“I’d be honored.”
“I appreciate it. Well, I guess I’ll see you soon. Just don’t get your hopes up about Alma. She has money and doesn’t need yours.You’re going to have to think of something you can offer to her to even get her to consider working with you. Social media exposure won’t be enough. It’s not going to be easy.”
“Nothing in life worth having ever is. Thanks for the insight. I’ll see you soon. Bye, bro.”
Jaime hung up the phone and gazed back upon the ocean. A sense of calm came over him.
For the first time in a while, something excited him. He was more than a pretty face, a token Mexican model for brands that wanted to be diverse. If he could learn enough about tequila, he could start his own brand, a Mexican-American-owned brand. He would partner with the best artisan tequila makers. And hands down, he would have the most incredible social media.
This was something he could do without his father, who had ignored him and always favored Ramón. He could do this without Ramón’s bullshit business advice too. Last time Jaime wanted to start a business under the family umbrella, Ramón demanded Jaime give him a business plan before he even discussed it. Who does that to their own brother? And without Enrique consulting his astrology chart to make sure Mercury wasn’t in retrograde. What did that mean, anyway?
