The Impostor, A Love Story (17 page)

“No. I have to rent a place for us to stay
first.”

He leaned over and took my hands again. “Come
away with me this weekend. You’ll love Washington. And I’d love to
be the one to show it to you. Nicole, I can give you the money to
bring Jessica up here.”

“I can’t take your money, Dylan.”

“Sure you can. It’d be better for both of
you. This way you can concentrate on finding a place without having
to worry about the money too.”

“I really can’t take your money.”

“Then borrow it if that makes you feel
better. All I know is I want to spend more time with you.

“Can I think about it?”

“That is fine, I guess. As long as you’ll say
yes.” He kissed me. “Nicole, come with me to Seattle. It’s only a
weekend, and I promise to sleep with my clothes on.”

C
hapter Eighteen

Tuesday, a handful of customers sat scattered
around the bar. Along with Emily and me, only three other girls
were working.

I knew the shift was going to be
disappointing, when all of a sudden Steve walked in. The way he
tipped, I definitely wanted him in my section—especially as slow as
it was.

He came through the door
with two younger guys, both wearing work uniforms from a mechanic
shop.

“Hi.” I guided him to my section. “And how
can I help you today?”

“Bud?” he questioned the guys at the table.
They nodded. “Three buds would be great.” Steve pulled out his
Visa. “Can you put it on this?”

“Of course you can, Steve.” I turned to one
of the guys sitting with him. “I’m sorry, hon, I need to card you.”
The young mechanic squirmed a little, digging in his back pocket
for his wallet as I put out my hand. His bashful grin made me think
that he was sixteen or so. You could tell he didn’t frequent bars
very often and probably had a hard time talking to women. Thin
frame, he couldn’t be more then eighteen.

“Here you go ma’am.” He peeked up for a
moment but was too shy to maintain eye contact.

“Alan Thibodaux. That is a nice Louisiana
name. Are you from New Orleans?”

“
Lafayette,
ma’am.”
He was a cutie. I looked at his birth date.

“You’re my age?” I was shocked. He seemed so
much younger. “You’re twenty-two?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He timidly nodded.

“And you, Hon?” I asked the other mechanic.
He looked a little older, but was probably in his late twenties at
the most. We had to card if they looked younger than thirty.

“Here you go.” He pulled out his wallet and
handed me his ID. He had done this before.

“Timothy O’Brien?” Timothy had
strawberry-blond hair and very pale skin with a dashing of
freckles. He was a little more confident than Alan, but neither was
extroverted at all.

“Irish?” I questioned.

“Just the name.”

“So no Irish step dancing or leprechauns?” I
tried to joke.

“No, just the name.” I handed him back his
ID. He was twenty-eight years old and from Rhode Island.

“I’m from the East Coast too. Let me go get
your beers. I’ll be right back.”

As I was walking away from the table, Katie
whispered, “So who is the Hottie?

“The young one?”

She nodded.

His name is Alan . . . Alan Thibodaux. He’s
from Lafayette.”

“He certainly
is
a cutie.” Katie
muffled her words into her hand.

“I heard you and Dylan were getting really
serious.” Katie’s voice was much louder. It was as if she wanted
Alan to hear I was off the market. I didn’t care. I was.

“He asked me to go to Seattle with him this
weekend.” I lifted my shoulders, all giddy inside.

“That’s wonderful. He’s leaving next week,
isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’ll be gone for four weeks. I don’t
know what I’m going to do without him here.”

“At least you have another weekend together.”
I could hear a little jealousy in her voice. She was only with
Justin for a night, and he moved on. I guess she figured all the
band members were the same. Most people were stunned Dylan hadn’t
dumped me yet.

“I can’t wait.” I lifted my eyebrows.

“So,” she began talking into her hand again,
“introduce me to this scrumptious young man. It’s simply dreadful
in here. At least I can have some eye candy.” I brought her over to
the table figuring it wouldn’t hurt anything.

“Steve, Alan, Timothy, this is Katie. She’s a
friend of mine.” I wouldn’t exactly call her that, but for
conversation, I figured it was harmless. She was one of the few
girls at work who knew I had a kid. Not because I told her, but she
overheard me talking to Carl. I’ve found people can be pretty
judgmental when they find out you are twenty-two and have a
four-year-old.

“Hello, gentlemen.” She was in high flirting
mode. This poor innocent boy had no idea what he had coming.

“Would you ladies like a drink?” Steve
asked.

“I’d love one.” She sat down next to Alan.
“I’d like a martini, Nicole.”

“So, three buds and a martini?” I repeated
the order. “Anything to eat?”

“The roast beef is really good here,” Steve
told the mechanics.

“I’ll have a Caesar salad, Nicole,” Katie
ordered.

“Do you want anything, Nicole?” Steve seemed
to push.

“No, I’m fine, thank you. So that’s three
roast beefs, a Caesar salad, three buds, and a martini, right?”
They all nodded.

Katie hung all over Alan. He
apprehensive
ly answered her questions. I brought them
their drinks, placing the first Bud in front of Alan. He
fidgeted.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He was so cute. Katie
made him so nervous. The bright red in his face concealed his
southern tan. I held back a grin as I passed out the rest of the
drinks.

I walked around the bar, trying to appear
busy. Every so often I’d sneak over and talk with Emily in her
section. Bradley hadn’t gotten in yet, so I couldn’t bug him.

Steve motioned me over to his table.

“Can we have another round?”

“Of course you can.”

“Also, can I ask you a favor?” I was thinking
maybe he wanted some salt or A1 sauce.

“Sure.”

“I was telling Katie I have this house over
in Wasilla, and I’m looking for some people to rent the basement
apartment. It’s only six hundred dollars for all three rooms.”
Six hundred dollars. We are spending that in two weeks, and we
share just one motel room
, I thought. He handed me the
flyer.

“Wasilla. Where is Wasilla?”

“It’s about forty-five minutes away,” Steve
answered.

“Oh, that is close to where Chris lives. That
is far.”

“It’s perfect for kids. There’s a play
gingerbread house I built in back that has running water and
electricity.”

A playhouse
? Jess would love that.

“Nicole is looking for a place, right
Nicole?” Katie interrupted.

“I am, and it sounds perfect, but it’s way
too far. I don’t have a car, and it would be a fortune in cab
fares. I’d be happy to put your flyer up, though.” I grabbed the
flier and started to walk away.

“What do you want in a car?” Steve
questioned.

“Right now, anything cheap that runs. I don’t
want to get stranded on some Alaskan road.”

“That is one of the things I do.” He handed
me his business card. “I have a shop. I get cars in all the time
that I fix up and sell. It’s like a hobby. If you give me your
number, I can let you know when I get a car in. I’ll sell one to
you cheap. I’d just charge you for parts, and you could make
payments.”

“That would be amazing.” I wrote the number
to the bar on a napkin. “You have to ask for Nicole. We’re here
almost all the time. If not, leave a message with Brad. We’re
wasting a fortune in cabs fares and paying for the motel room we
are staying at. I’ll talk to Emily and see what she says. Wasilla
is a little far.”

“I like it because it’s the perfect
environment for my kids. I’m a single parent, so I have to think of
them first. I have sole custody because my ex has a drug problem. I
couldn’t survive without my nanny, she’s a wonderful. She comes
back in a few weeks.”

“A nanny? Really?”

“Yes, she is amazing. She’s so good with the
kids, and she’s a wonderful cook. She lives with us, so she can
help in the day or the evenings, which helps me out a lot.”

“That is awesome. I’m in the process of
looking for someone to help with my daughter when I’m at work. It’s
so expensive, and it’s so hard to find someone I can trust. My mom
was going to try and come up, but she called and said she can’t get
off work.”

“Well, if you decide you like the place, the
nanny could watch your daughter too. It’ll be the same price if
she’s watching two or three, so it won’t cost you a thing.”

“This sounds incredible. I can’t bring my
daughter here till I find a suitable place and find a nanny. That
would be so perfect if Jess could have her own room.”

“Why don’t you check it out this weekend? My
sons are with my parents for a few weeks while Marta, the nanny, is
away. Marta is going to fly to Oregon and pick them up on her way
back here. With her visa she has to travel back to her country
every six months for at least a week.”

He pointed to the flyer in my hands. “Someone
is coming to the house on Monday morning, but if you decide you
like it this weekend, it’s yours. I also have a car in the garage
you can check out. It’s not running, but if you like it, I can
begin working on it for you. I got it for free, so I’ll give you a
really good price.” He turned to the mechanics. “You all will help
me fix it up for Nicole, won’t you?”

The two of them nodded.

“Thank you, that’s so sweet. But you need to
make a profit on it, don’t you?”

“I figure you are new to town, so I can help
you out. I don’t really need the money anyway, and you seem like a
sweet girl. This shop is more a hobby to me. I make most of my
money in stocks.”

“It sounds great. I can’t make it this
weekend, though.”

“If you need a ride this weekend, I may be
able to help you out. I ordered some parts and they are coming in
on Saturday here in Anchorage, so I can pick you up if you
like.”

“This really does sound perfect, but I’m
supposed to go to Seattle with my boyfriend this weekend.”

“That is fine. But if Susan—the person who is
coming Monday morning—wants it, I have to give it to her. It would
only be fair. If she doesn’t take it, I can show it to you sometime
next week.”

“I can send my roommate, Emily, to see
it.”

“I want you to see it. I really don’t know
Emily and would rather deal with you. It may still be available
next week, but I can’t guarantee it because Susan’s having trouble
finding a reliable nanny.”

“Is it possible to see it sometime this week?
This guy I’m seeing is in town, and he could take me over there
before we go to Seattle.”

“I’m sorry. I’m busy until Saturday. If you
can’t go there Saturday, then you can take your chances.”

“You should go Nicole. You can fly up
Saturday afternoon to see Dylan. I know you all want to move out of
that little motel,” Katie interrupted again.

Dylan would understand. He was going to be
busy with the band Friday night anyway.

My thoughts were dueling. He would leave for
the Slope next week. This was the last weekend I’d be with him.
Four weeks—he was going to be gone for four weeks! I really liked
him and didn’t want to screw this up. Three bedrooms, a nanny, a
car—it would help me start my life here. He had to understand.

“I’ll find a way to make it this weekend. You
can pick us up?”

“Yeah, I can pick you up at one.”

One o’clock was so late in the day. “Would
any earlier work for you? I’d like to try and fly out
afterwards.”

“No. One would be the earliest. Where do I
pick you up?”

“Pick us up here.” I didn’t want to let him
know where we were staying, which made no sense, since we would
possibly be moving into his house. How was I going to tell Dylan? I
really hoped he would understand. When Steve and the guys left,
Steve left a fifty-dollar tip again.

“Are you sure? This is really too much.”

“Spend it on your daughter. I had another
good day.” They put on their coats and walked out the door.

“That sounds perfect for you, Nicole.” Katie
took the napkin that Alan wrote his number on and gave it a kiss.
“He simply is delicious.” She folded it up and put it in her bra.
“Tonight I’m going to get me some.”

I just listened as she went on and on about
his sexy-little-this and his sexy-little-that. I have to admit, her
words were all muffled. All I could think about was that I might
soon have a nanny. Jessica would finally be able to come up here.
When Katie finally shut up, I ran to tell Emily about it.

She wasn’t super excited about living out of
the city. We would have to share a car and get up earlier. But she
liked the idea of having her own bedroom and paying half of what we
pay now. She also liked the idea that someone else was going to
cook and clean, but most importantly, she loved that she would live
closer to Chris!

I couldn’t wait to tell Dylan, but I also was
scared.
Please let him understand
. During my break, I
planned to call to see if there are any later flights on
Saturday.

“Hello beautiful.” Dylan came up behind me
and kissed my neck.

“Dylan!” I flung my arms around him.

He gave me a kiss. “I could get used to being
greeted like this. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”

“Meet everyone?”
Like people
? At
the bar
? I already knew the band.

“We need to go shopping tomorrow so you will
have something to wear.”

“Something to wear?”