Alma squeezed the coffee cup and luckily didn’t spill any coffee on herself. “Please. No. I need this trip. Don’t do this to me!”
“I feel awful. I do. I would do anything to avoid it. But there is this special project I was asked to do last minute at my school and we’re up for a grant. I can’t miss it. I’m so sorry. I can go during the summer though. I was trying to swing it in the school year, and it had been approved, but I can’t let my school down.”
Alma couldn’t blame Zoila for focusing on work. After all, that was why she wanted the trip herself.
No. That wasn’t true. Yes, she would do some work on the trip and meet some tequila makers. But she wanted, no, she needed this trip to relax.
“I understand. I was so excited to take this trip. It was your idea!”
“I know.”
Alma sipped her coffee. It was lightly sweetened with a hint of vanilla and a touch of cinnamon. Zoila had tried her best to make up for her shitty news. “It’s fine. I’ll go alone.”
Zoila shook her head. “No. Oh my God, no. You can’t travel to Mexico solo. Are you crazy?”
“We aren’t supposed to call people crazy. That’s rude.”
“Stop. I’m serious. It’s not safe to go alone.”
“Mexico is safe. It’s all propaganda. There are parts of America that have way more crime.”
“You could get kidnapped and sex trafficked.”
Why was everyone on her about security? Sure, it could be risky, but so was walking home at night. She had to live her life without fear. “You sound like Jaime.”
“Jaime?” she smirked. “Have you been spending time with him?”
Alma pulled a chocolate croissant out of the pastry bag and sat on her sofa. “Yeah. Actually, I slept with him yesterday.”
Zoila’s jaw dropped. “YES! Finally, an end to your dry spell. I need details. All the details.”
“It was super hot. I gave him a private tequila tasting Friday night, then we had brunch in Sonoma on Sunday. Later that night, he stopped by and we fucked on the bar.”
“Woman! You are the coolest. Was it like old times?”
“Even better. But then it got weird. I asked him to spend the night, and he said no. He went back to the Tiburon Lodge. I haven’t heard from him since.”
Zoila shrugged and took a sip of her own coffee. “See! He hasn’t changed. Look, I’m glad you got laid, but you shouldn’t even think of getting back together with him. He left you once—he can do it again. Now this should force you to get back out there, with someone else.”
Zoila did have a point.
But Alma had a plane ticket to Mexico and even though she acted like she felt safe, she really didn’t want to travel by herself.
“I’ll consider it.” There was no future with Jaime. But still, she couldn’t imagine being with someone else. “It’s not like we’re getting back together. It’s just hot sex. He is leaving town a few weeks after the Cinco festival.”
“Oh, cool. I can’t wait to go. Will Santi be there?”
“Yes, he should be.”
“Awesome.” She clasped her hands in a prayer position. “Sorry again about Mexico. I really wanted to go for the Feast of San Isidro.”
“I know. But it’s best to cancel it. We can go next year.”
Zoila picked up Tequila, who was begging for a bite of her pastry, which was not going to happen because chocolate was toxic to dogs. Light-colored pug hair blew everywhere like willows in the wind. “Or…I don’t think you should get back together with Jaime, but maybe you should ask him to go to Mexico with you. You even said he was concerned about your safety. You could have fun and great sex. Then you can return home and move on with your life.”
When she put it that way, it honestly didn’t sound that bad. Alma had had a blast in Jalisco when she went with her girls, but she had been so sad from the breakup. Seeing couples together, walking through the streets, had made her miss Jaime even more.
Being there with him, she would feel safe. And it would be nice to have a crazy no-strings sex vacation with someone she trusted.
