Chapter Three
Jaime stared at the words on his phone.
Mezcal…ifornia?
He quickly typed Mezcalifornia in the search bar.
It was located in Tiburon, Marin County—one of California’s wealthiest zip codes.
Jaime had often accompanied Alma to her hometown, where people considered her a hero.
Raised in nearby San Rafael, specifically the Canal, which was the most segregated part in the Bay Area, she had defied the odds and become not only the first person in her family to attend college but also the first Mexican-American female sommelier.
But why would she switch from wine to tequila? Was it something as simple as being Mexican and feeling a bond with alcohol that was cultivated in her country of origin?
She loved wine. Used to bore him to death about all the different types of grapes and varieties. The taste of a good merlot used to bring her to tears. What a shame to let all that knowledge go to waste.
Jaime gulped. She adored teaching him everything about wine. And he had been so in love with her that he would just listen to her go on and on for hours as he stroked her hair and rubbed her always-pedicured toes.
And now she owned a tequila bar with a name he had to admit was cool as fuck.
Was it a sign that the thought of starting a tequila brand had just occurred to him, then he reminisced about his ex and found out she was now running a tequila bar? Had he manifested this? Damn, Enrique’s new age woo-woo bullshit had rubbed off on Jaime.
He flipped through the bar’s Instagram. Wow, it was nice—the bar, not the social media feed.
He definitely could make it better. In one particular shot, there were rows of hand-painted tequila bottles stacked on the shelves.
The vibrant colors were in sharp contrast to Alma, who was leaning over the counter, wearing a black bustier and a sexy smirk.
Damn, she was finer than ever.
Her lips were painted red, and her breasts burst out of her top. How he would love to suck on her titties just one more time. Fine, a million more times.
But he knew he would never kiss Alma again. His soul couldn’t take it.
Maybe, however, it was time for a college reunion.
He dialed Santi, who answered on the first ring.
“Jaime, my man! What’s up, bro?”
“Nothing, dude. How’s Marin?” Santi was a tech bro who lived in Bolinas, which was a beach town in Marin, and developed some app. Jaime had no idea what it did, only that it made Santi a millionaire. Make that multimillionaire. On his own, with no family help.
“Foggy. Just did a hike on Mt. Tam today. Nothing beats that view.”
“I remember.” Jaime closed his eyes, and a flashback overtook him.
Alma loved hiking and had dragged him up there.
Everyone in Marin seemed to be an outdoor fanatic.
Walks in Muir Woods, surfing at Stinson Beach.
One time on a hike at Mt. Tamalpais he’d pulled her to a secret clearing, and they had made love under the stars.
That was also the first time he told her he loved her.
The only girl he had ever said those words to.
Probably the only one he ever would. Jaime couldn’t fathom falling for someone else.
Now she was probably whispering I love yous to another man who wasn’t such an idiot to let her go.
“What’s on your mind, man? You never call me.”
Jaime snapped back into the moment. He was so lost in the memory that he had almost forgotten that Santi was still on the phone.
“Right, sorry. I’m a bit out of it.”
“You drunk?”
“No. Not at all. Though I did just have two shots of this tequila. Tom Bluey’s new one. Have you tried it?”
“Nah. Most of that celebrity stuff is crap.”
Was it ever. “Agreed. They asked me to do some posts about it, but I’m not going to.”
“Good decision.”
“Anyway, I called because I stumbled across Mezcalifornia, a tequila bar in Tiburon. Alma’s bar. Do you know about it?”
He laughed. “Of course I do. Everyone knows that place. Alma is the toast of Tiburon. I would’ve taken you there last time you were in town, but you told me not to mention her name. Ever.”
Fuck. “I know.”
“You over her now?”
Jaime ran his hand through his hair. No need to lie. “Never.”
Santi sighed. “Don’t blame you. She’s perfection.”
Latent rage pooled inside him. So much for never being jealous. “Don’t even think about it, Santi. Anyone but her.”
“Relax, man. I would never. I mean, if she wasn’t your ex, I’d be all over her ass, but she is, so I won’t cross that line.”
Jaime appreciated his friend respecting the bro code, but Santi’s words made him uneasy. There were plenty of amazing rich men, not that Alma cared about the size of a man’s wallet, that were not Jaime’s friends who would be more than happy to sweep her off her feet.
“Good. Well, the thing is, getting asked to promote the tequila line made me think. Why don’t I start a tequila line of my own?”
Santi laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. How about because you don’t know shit about tequila? Remember that time in Cabo when you couldn’t even handle the tequila flight and ordered a strawberry margarita?”
Yeah, he was a lightweight back then. “How could I not—you won’t let me forget it. But how hard can it be? We’re Mexican, it’s in our blood.”
“We? Meaning you and me, or you and Alma?”
“All three of us.”
“I spent years of my life being your third wheel. Never again.”
They had done everything together. Day trips to music festivals on the Russian River, wine tasting at the hottest restaurants in Sonoma, barhopping in Santa Rosa. Those days were the best.
“Are you seeing someone?”
“That’s a negative. I don’t have any time.”
Now it was Jaime’s turn to laugh. Santi was a workaholic, almost as bad as Ramón was before he met Julieta.
“Neither do I. Well, I mean no time for a relationship. I do have time to start a new business, and I have the money. I’m bored, Santi. Sick of doing cheesy brand deals and modeling gigs. Plus, I miss Northern California. Maybe I can come up there for a bit?”
“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 do promotions 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?
But Jaime finally stood on his own. After he quit managing the social media accounts for Taco King, he had surprised himself with how well he had built up his own social media following. And he made a fortune on influencer deals. He had proved that he didn’t need his family financially.
Being back up north in the only place where Jaime ever felt he was seen as more than just the youngest Montez brother would be good for him. He was happy to spend some quality time with Santi and go to that charity event with him and his sister.
But most importantly, he couldn’t wait to breathe the same air as Alma.