The Impostor, A Love Story

by Tiffany Carmouche

  “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.”

  Chapter 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 apprehensively 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!

  Chapter Nineteen

  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?”

  “Yeah, for the wedding.”

  “The wedding?” He hadn’t said anything about a wedding.

  “The wedding is Saturday night. My sister Brenda is getting married.”

  “A wedding?” He was taking me to a wedding? “A wedding? What time?”

  “Saturday night at eight. I have never brought a girl to one of these things before. You will be my first.”

  I should have been elated. A wedding. Why does God have such a cruel sense of humor?

  How could it be that these two opportunities were happening at the same time? How could I choose? If I went with Dylan and didn’t get the place because of it, I’d resent him. If I don’t go to the wedding, I could end up losing him. I started to tell him of my dilemma, but stopped myself. Maybe I could do both. I couldn’t ruin this.

  “I’ll pick you up at one tomorrow, and we’ll go get you a dress for the wedding. It’ll be fun. Tell Brad you aren’t coming in for the early shift okay? We’ve also got to get your plane ticket.”

  I had to tell Dylan, but how? “Dylan, can I talk to you about something?”

  “I’m going to take you shopping. There is no getting out of it.”

  “It’s something else.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I don’t really want to talk here.”

  “Is everything okay? Is Jessica okay?” He could tell there was something wrong from the hesitation in my voice. “Can you go on a break?”

  “I’ll ask. I really need to talk to you.”

  “I don’t have to go on for a bit. Let’s go.” I ran over to the bar to ask, and then grabbed my coat and walked back to Dylan. He took my hand and led me to the car. He opened the door for me, and then climbed in the driver’s side.

  “What’s going on, Nicole?” How could I begin?

  “I just got some great news, but it affects something important to me, so I’m having a hard time figuring out what I should do.”

  “So, what is this wonderful news?” I lit up thinking about the opportunity to get my life started here in Alaska.

  “There’s this guy renting out his basement in Wasilla. It has three bedrooms, and it’d be less than what Emily and I are paying now for just the motel room.”

  “Wasilla. That is kind of far, Nicole.”

  “Yeah, but the great part is, he’s a mechanic and said he has a car he could fix up for us, so we’ll have transportation. We won’t have to take cabs everywhere. It would be an older car, but it would run, and I can make payments.”

  “I can get you an apartment, babe. You don’t have to rent from a stranger. And we c
an get you a car. I don’t want you driving around something that could break down. It could be really dangerous.”

  “You’re too sweet. I can’t ask you to do that. I need to try and make it on my own two feet, and this is all I can afford right now.”

  “Nikki, I was going to talk to you about it this weekend. I know you need a place for you and your little girl. I want to help.”

  “You are already helping by letting me borrow the money to bring her here. I can’t ask you to get us an apartment too. Besides, the guy also says he has a nanny I can use. I was trying to figure all this out, and he showed up at work today. He has a car I can buy, a room I can rent, and a nanny my daughter can use.”

  “He came in today?” he questioned.

  “Yeah, it was slow, and he was saying he was renting out his basement.”

  “This is a guy you just met at the bar? It wasn’t an ad or something?”

  “He comes in all the time. He’s a nice guy,” I explained.

  “But he’s a guy you met at a bar, and you want to move into his house?”

  “It isn’t like that. He’s renting out his rooms and has a nanny. It’s for my daughter.”

  “He is a stranger. You can’t move in with a stranger—some dude you just met.”

  “He’s got kids. He is single dad, so he isn’t wild or anything.”

  “He is a single dad. Is that supposed to make me feel better?” His voice began to rise.

  I had not seen this side of Dylan before. He was getting upset, and I hadn’t even begun to tell him the news about not going to Seattle this Friday. This wasn’t going well.

  “You can’t move in with him. I don’t even know who this guy is. Didn’t you listen to anything Chris said? I’m not letting you move in with some guy you met at a bar.”

  “I met you at a bar.” I could tell he was hurt by my statement. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. He’s harmless. Dylan, I’m not like you. I struggle to get by. And this is an opportunity for me to really begin my life here in Anchorage. It’s a way I can afford a place, a car, and a nanny. I don’t know how I could do it otherwise.”