The Impostor, A Love Story Read Online Free

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    “No, a friend of mine does. I just didn’t
want to sit next to those smelly guys. I saw how tiny the two of
you were, and I figured I’d see if I could change our seats.”
    Then he stared me up and down and muttered
sarcastically, “I see you got your shower.” He bit back his grin.
“So really, how did you find me? Are you stalking me? Maybe I
should have written your identification info on my arm.”
    “So you are the night manager?” Emily asked
to clarify.
    “I am.”
    “I talked to Butch over the phone, and he
told us to come in to talk to you. We are the new waitresses.” I
was sure he would be thrilled.
    “The new waitresses? You gotta be joking,” he
complained sarcastically.
    “No, you are stuck with us.” I beamed.
    “How am I going to get anything done around
here? You are as sassy as they come.” He directed the comment to
me.
    “Hey, I’m not sassy.”
    He walked over to me and pulled up my sleeve.
“Hmm, so the Sharpie didn’t come off, huh? You still got my name
branded on your arm? Does that make you mine?”
    I pulled down my sleeve, a little
embarrassed.
    “You were worried that I was a killer, and
now you’re here asking for a job?”
    “I didn’t know . . . I guess . . .” I knew he
was joking, but he caught me off guard.
    “So if I hire you, you know I’ll get to boss
you around. You will have to listen to me.” He had a devious grin.
I nodded.
    “This may actually be fun.”
    “You know them?” The bouncer had been
listening in on our conversation.
    “Yes, Pete. These two lovely ladies will be
working for us, starting tomorrow?” He raised his eyebrow verifying
that we could actually begin tomorrow.
    “That would be great,” we replied, eager to
begin.
    “Pete, this is Emily. And this,” he turned to
me, “this is Sleeping Beauty. I found them dreaming in the terminal
in Seattle. They almost missed their flight.”
    “Yes, Brad here was our Prince Charming. If
it weren’t for him, we’d probably still be sleeping on those metal
seats.”
    “So you woke her with a kiss?” Pete
joked.
    “No. I guess he didn’t read the fairy tale.
He just nudged me,” I sassed.
    “So you would have preferred it if I woke you
with a kiss?” Brad raised his eyebrow.
    “Well, maybe then , but now you’re my
boss so it would be sexual harassment.”
    “See what I mean, Pete? She is trouble. Emily
here is the sweet one.”
    “I can see that. So Sleeping Beauty, what is
your real name?” Pete asked.
    “It’s Nicole. Nicole Carlisle. And despite
what he tells you, I’m an angel. He’s the one who is trouble.”
    “Watch it, young lady, or I’ll have to fire
you before you begin.” Brad smirked, glancing down at me. He turned
to Pete. “Can you take over the bar? I’m going to show these ladies
around and get them ready to work tomorrow before I change my
mind.”

Chapter Three
     
    As the weeks passed, we settled into Alaska
nicely, waitressing double shifts most days. We were stunned by the
amount we made in tips.
    “In Alaska, a lot of men make good money.
Many work on the fishing boats or on the North Slope—the oil
pipelines. Pretty girls like you will find the guys are really
generous because they haven’t seen a girl in two to four weeks,”
Brad explained as we cashed in our ones for larger bills.
    Whenever a live band played, the place was
packed. A new band had come into town, so Brad invited Emily and me
to a party he had planned for Sunday. Brad was one of those guys
you couldn’t help but like. On rare occasions when work was slow,
I’d pass my time at the bar with him. He made light of everything
and was so much fun to be around. Emily teased me about him, but
once I found out he was my boss, I realized he was off limits.
    While Jessica was with my parents, I wanted
to work as often as I could. We signed up for the eleven-to-six
shift but worked a “floater” shift from six to three in the
morning, doing double shifts almost every day.