The Impostor, A Love Story (20 page)

I didn’t know where to begin. He ran his
fingers through my hair for a moment and communicated with me
through the mirror. “Perhaps some layers and a few more highlights
to accent the natural auburn highlights in your hair?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Suddenly, Steve walked in the salon. Somehow,
he noticed me and walked over to Sebastian’s station.

“Nicole, how are you?” He sounded surprised
to see me. I felt a little weird with my wet hair and all.

Sebastian stepped behind Steve so Steve
couldn’t see him and raised his brow in an exaggerated manor as if
to say, “Who is this chap?” I almost laughed.

“Hi, Steve. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was shopping in the area and thought I
saw you in the window.”

I noticed the window and wasn’t sure how that
was possible, but maybe there was an angle I didn’t see.

“Oh, okay.”

“So, do you still need a ride on
Saturday?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

“Did you want to go to lunch beforehand? I
might be able to get you a little earlier.”

“Earlier would be great. Thanks for the lunch
offer, but I need to get to the airport as soon as possible. The
sooner we can go to the house, the better.”

“Oh, I see.” He looked a little disappointed,
but quickly brushed it off. “Okay, I’ll try to get you a little
early.”

“Steve, my boyfriend should be here soon, and
I know he would like to meet you before he goes to the Slope. Could
you come back in forty-five minutes or so?”

“Oh no, I’m getting ready to head out. I just
saw you in here and thought I’d say hi.”

“I’ll see you Saturday then.”

“See you Saturday.” He walked out the door
quickly.

When Steve left, Sebastian raised his
eyebrows even higher and put his hands on his hips.

“Should Dylan be worried? Do I see a love
triangle in the mix?” He gestured with his hands.

“My friend and I are just renting a basement
apartment from him, that’s all.”

“I don’t know girl, what window did he see
you through?” He looked around and smirked. “I think he’s stalking
you.” We both laughed.

“There is a mechanic shop somewhere around
here that he gets his parts from.”

For three hours, I was pampered. Dylan came
in as if it were clockwork and signed the receipt in the front.
Sebastian exhibited his masterpiece, making me turn around as if I
was on display.

“Stop, you’re embarrassing me!” I tried to
hold back the timid smile that was taking over my face.

“Mmm,” Dylan strolled toward me taking my
hands. “Now that is what I’m talking about.” Encircling me, he
strolled, examining me from every angle. “Wow. I may have to take
you hostage again tonight. I don’t know that I can let you go to
work at a bar looking like that.” I knew he was just joking,
because it was their last night playing in town, and he couldn’t
miss it.

“I made reservations at Giovanni’s. Since
it’s our last night together in Alaska, I wanted to take you out to
dinner alone.”

“I’m telling you, McDonald’s would have been
fine.” It would have.

When we got to the restaurant, the valet took
our car. As we walked through the doors, it was obvious everyone
knew Dylan. “Good evening, Mr. Richardson. May I take your coats?”
They led us to our table. I loved the candlelit atmosphere and the
soft music in the background.

“Can I order for you?” he asked.

“Sure, surprise me.” I smiled.

“Vorreiunabottiqlia del vostromiglior vino e
per iniziarequalche antipasto bruschette e ostricheripiene,
grazie.”

“You speak Italian?”
You have got to be
kidding
. He was a musician, for god’s sake. I shook my head.
There is no way this guy was for real.

“Only a little bit. Someday I’d really love
to travel to Venice, Tuscany, and Rome. I‘ve been waiting for the
right person to take with me.” He took my hand in his, bringing it
to his lips. “Venice is a magical place, and I wouldn’t want to be
there with just anyone.”

“I know . . . to travel in a gondola in
Venice is my dream . . . and the cobblestone roads in Tuscany. I
have always wanted to travel to Assisi.”

“St Francis, my favorite saint.” The corners
of his mouth lifted. He didn’t cease to amaze me.
God, to go to
Italy with him
. I couldn’t let him see the longing in my eyes
and quickly changed the subject.

“So what did you order us?”

“A bottle of their finest wine to begin and
some bruschetta antipasto and stuffed oysters.”

“Oysters? Think you’re going to get lucky?” I
bit back my smile, lifting my eyebrow.

“A man can dream.” He leaned forward. “I keep
envisioning you in that silk lingerie. They are clothes,
right?”

“You’re so bad.” I felt my cheeks get
warm.

“Listen, since I’ll be leaving from Seattle
to go back to the Slope, I wanted to give you this now.” He handed
me an envelope. “It’s hard to do anything from there.”

“What is this?”

“The money to bring your daughter here. She
should be with her mother.”

“Dylan, I really can’t accept this.”

“Yes, you can. If you want to pay me back,
that’s fine. But you shouldn’t have to wait till you earn enough
money. Who knows how long that will take? And you really don’t have
to pay me back. I want to do this. You’re not letting me get you a
car or an apartment or anything. At least let me help you bring
Jessica here.”

I loved hearing him say her name. I’d pay him
back, every penny. “I won’t be here when she gets here, so I got
her this.” He handed me another envelope. “I don’t really know what
four-year- old girls like. I’m more in tune with women, who are a
little older, but I thought she may like this.”

I opened the envelope and found a business
card for the children’s store.

“You said she will have her own room. I
thought you all would have fun picking out the theme together. They
have my account information and will bill me for whatever you buy.
I personally thought the princess bedroom sets were
to die
for.
”

His exaggerated gesture and tone of voice
made me smile.

“But I wanted you to be the one to
decide.”

“Dylan, I really can’t accept all this.”

“Sure you can. It will be fun. I really am
betting she will choose the princesses—even I liked the princess
bed. And I know she will love this carousel horse also. And if
she’s a tomboy, well they have this really cool Tarzan bed with a
rope swing and everything! I wish they had these when I was a
kid!”

“Dylan, what am I gonna do with you?”

“I can think of a few things.” He kissed me.
“I wish I had grabbed you and kissed you the moment you caught my
attention. I wasted so much time; I’d have had a lot more time to
spoil you.” He grinned, taking my hand to his lips and kissing
it.

How could I accept all of this
? I was
starting to feel a little guilty.

“I really can’t take all this.”

“Shh, I want you to. It’s already done.”

Dinner was delicious. Dylan took my hand, and
we walked toward the valet attendant. As we waited for the car, he
explained, “Tonight I have so much I have to take care of before I
return. Washington will be fabulous, I promise. You can surprise
me. Any of those dresses are stunning on you.”

As we got in the car, he reached in his
pocket and pulled out one more envelope. “I got your plane ticket.
I figured if you left by four o’clock, you would have a half hour
to get ready for the wedding. I know that’s not a lot of time for a
girl, but I don’t see how you could make it back from Wasilla in
time to catch an earlier flight.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Come straight to the church, okay? There is
money for a cab in the envelope. I’ll be busy with my sister, so I
can’t pick you up. Here is the address of the church and the
reception.” He handed me the invitation and the airline ticket.
“Don’t be late to the airport—it’s a full flight. I also left money
in there for you to take a cab from Wasilla so you can get to the
airport on time.”

“You really don’t have to give me cab
money.”

“Please don’t be late. I don’t want you to go
meet this guy without me, and I’ll be worrying about you the whole
time. There’s no way to get in touch with me, because I’ll be at my
family’s disposal. It’s my baby sister’s wedding. I won’t be able
to enjoy it until I know you are safe. Please don’t be late.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise. Are you sure you
won’t let me say no to any of this?”

“I’m pretty hardheaded.” He smirked. “It
would be rude for you not to accept it.” We pulled into the parking
lot at work.

“You are totally amazing.” I leaned over to
kiss him.

He gently touched my face, looking into my
eyes, “It’s going to be so hard not to kidnap you tonight.” He
smiled. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

I kissed him again. It was hard to say
goodbye, even though he’d be back on stage in just a few hours.
“Thank you, Dylan. Thank you for everything. I can’t even begin to
tell you what you mean to me.”

“Shh.” He touched my lips. “Anything for
you.”

Chapter
Twenty-two

I took Steve’s business card out of my purse
and called his number. The answering machine kicked in, so I left a
message. “Hi, Steve, it’s 1:20. I didn’t know if you’d be here
soon.”

If we didn’t leave soon, I’d never make it
back in time for the flight. I wondered where he was. I thought he
was coming early. I paced the floor impatiently. At around 1:45, he
finally gave me a call.

“Nicole, I’m sorry. I am just getting out of
the parts place. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I’ll
be there in ten minutes.”

“I’m worried about the time. I have a flight
to catch.” I hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should come at
all.

“I can give you all a ride to the airport
once you’ve seen the house.”

“Are you sure?” If we came right back, I
could make it in time. “I can’t be late.”

“Yeah, that will be fine.”

“Great.”

Because of the time, I was a little nervous
about going, but I knew it was important. The drive to Wasilla
seemed so long. I kept checking the time. An eternity passed. The
truck finally rumbled down the long gravel driveway toward his
house. My dress and small suitcase were squished in the back seat
with Emily. I didn’t want to put them in the bed of the truck to
get tossed around like a rag doll.

We parked in front of his mechanic shop and
got out of the truck, pulling my things out so Emily could squeeze
out the back. The lovely house was set up on a tiny hill. Facing us
was the huge, beautiful bay window he had told me was perfect for
watching the northern lights.

We made our way up the sidewalk to the front
door. The sidewalk also wound around the house.

“I will show you that a little later.” He
pointed off in the direction the path followed.

We entered the house on the second floor in
the living room.

“This is our living room.” Steve began the
tour.

“Wow! Nicole, look at that view.” It was
priceless. The bay window revealed the wonder of Alaska. We could
see the miles of woods and the beautiful mountains in the
distance.

“And here is the kitchen,” Steve said. The
cathedral ceilings made it feel open and airy.

“Upstairs is my bedroom, the boys’ room, and
the nanny’s bedroom. And downstairs . . .” He began walking down
the stairs. “These are the rooms I’m renting.” The hall connecting
the stairs to the rooms was small, but there were no water damage
stains on the ceiling. Off to the left were the doorways to each
bedroom. We examined each one. The three rooms were average sized,
but each had their own bed, dresser, and closet.

“This is nice, isn’t it, Emily?”

“Yeah, this is great.”

“The laundry room is across the hall. The
washer is broken, so I just get my clothes done at the
laundromat.”

“That’s what we are doing now anyway.” We
walked back upstairs.

“Wait till you taste the nanny’s pot roast.
She’s a really good cook. And she uses the table in the dining room
here to teach the boys to read. But I think what your daughter will
like is. . .” He opened back up the front door and walked around
the side of the house. Emily and I followed.

“I think she will love this.” Steve took us
around the corner. It was adorable. The pathway led to a little
pastel house the size of a large shed. The outside was decorated
with lollipops and painted as if it were the original gingerbread
house.

“This is the best part,” he continued,
showing us inside. He turned on the light and the faucet. It had
electricity and running water! There were stacked wood bunk beds
and a little table and chairs.

“Jess is going to love this.”

“I wish I had one of these when I was a kid,”
Emily added.

“I built it about a year ago. The kids really
like it. Marta plays with them out here a lot.

We trudged down the hill. Next to the garage
was a little tan Taurus.

“This is the car.” It wasn’t atrocious. The
body was in good shape.

“What is wrong with it?” I asked.

“I just need to rebuild the engine. It
shouldn’t take me long. I could let it go for about a thousand
dollars. That is what it will cost me to get it running again. You
could give me half up front and pay the other half later.

I looked at Emily. She nodded. It was
perfect.

“That sounds great. We are interested.” I
glanced at my watch. “I better get to the airport. It’s getting
late.”

“I have to do something in the shop, but I’ll
be right up. Why don’t you all wait for me in the house? As soon as
I’m done, we can run. It will just take a few minutes.”

Emily and I made our way back inside.