Imposter

by J. J. Bella

  He went prepared. He’d had a few days to gather even more information on her, and now that he had her complete browsing and shopping habits, he had a good idea of what she liked, and also what she liked but couldn’t afford. Like a diamond bracelet that she’d viewed several times. Once, she put it in her shopping cart when she had a 20% off coupon, but she never completed the transaction. Probably decided it was still too expensive. And it was expensive. So, he’d purchased it.

  He had the gift-wrapped bracelet and the print outs of evidence of Caleb’s cheating. He walked in and to the counter, where she gave him a real smile.

  “You’re quickly becoming a regular here, Julian,” she said.

  “I’ll give you a hint.” He winked at her. “It’s not the coffee.”

  Her cheeks went pink, and he could have leaned over the counter and kissed her right then. He did lean over, but only to speak to her very quietly.

  “I need to talk to you,” he said. “It’s about Caleb, and it’s very important.”

  She sighed. “If this is some kind of ploy to get me to break up with him—”

  Julian raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m that desperate for a woman?”

  Her cheeks grew even redder and she shook her head, keeping her eyes down.

  “It’s in your best interest to meet with me. Like I said, it’s important, and it’s information you’ll want to know. Especially now that you’ve moved in with him.”

  She was visibly shocked that he knew this. Good. Keep her on her toes. “I don’t see what you could know about him that I don’t know.”

  So, she wasn’t going to address it, but ignore it. “Then I guess it really is in your best interest to talk with me.”

  She shook her head. “Thanks, but that’s okay. I trust Caleb.”

  He waited a moment, holding her gaze before speaking again. “You shouldn’t.”

  She swallowed hard and didn’t say anything. Had she ever suspected him of cheating, or would this come as a complete surprise?

  “I also brought you a little something, just to thank you for being such a great barista.”

  She narrowed her eyes slightly as he slid the wrapped box across the counter.

  “Oh, I can’t accept that, I’m sorry. We just have a tip jar and—”

  “Then consider it a gift for just being amazing.”

  “I…” She looked down at the box, then pushed it back toward him.

  “At least open it and see what it is.”’

  She relented and peeled back the wrapper. When she lifted the lid off, her eyes widened, then she put the lid back. “There’s no way I can accept this.”

  “Of course you can. It’s yours. It belongs to you, so there’s nothing to accept.”

  “Julian…” She pushed the box back to him. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But I do have a boyfriend, and we’re living together now. Things are getting serious, and I have to honor that.”

  Honor that? He almost laughed out loud. “Are you sure he does?”

  “Yes,” she said, but she didn’t sound too sure.

  Another customer came in and the bracelet was still sitting on the counter. He walked away, leaving it behind.

  Leah

  Leah was relieved when Julian left the shop. Until she looked down and saw that the bracelet was still there. She quickly grabbed it and stuck it in her pocket. She just didn’t want it to get stolen, she told herself. Something that expensive couldn’t just sit there for anyone to walk off with. And besides, she had to give it back to him. It was far too expensive of a gift.

  And she knew exactly how expensive it was. She’d looked at it several times. It was always those stupid Facebook ads that got her. She would never go shopping for something like that on her own, but the ad caught her eye and she found the diamond bracelet too gorgeous to ignore. At first, she’d clicked just to see it better. But that was a mistake because then she loved it even more. Maybe it was the rose gold setting, or the way the diamonds were put together to make it look like someone had scattered them in a line, then glued them together. It was wholly unique, and she’d never seen anything like it since. Until now.

  Of course, when she’d looked closer at it, she’d also seen the price and nearly choked. The bracelet cost almost $5,000. Far too extravagant for someone like her. Still, she’d put it into her shopping cart just to see what it felt like. She’d forgotten about it until the web site emailed her to remind her it was there. She’d looked again, even thought about putting it on her credit card, but made the wise choice.

  When another week had passed, the company grew impatient with her. This time they sent a hefty coupon with her reminder. She could get 20% off if she bought it in the next twenty-four hours. She’d gone there, entered the coupon code, and watched the price drop. She might never get it this cheap. This might be her only chance. The timer counted down the hours she had left to decide.

  She’d jumped up, grabbed her credit card, and run back to her computer. She entered the number and her billing information. But on the final screen, where she had to agree to pay almost $4,000 for a bracelet, she couldn’t do it. The next day she’d been relieved at her decision and had removed the item from her cart, then unsubscribed from the web site. She’d purchased a $20 bracelet instead and went on with life.

  Until today. Now it was here, in her pocket. But keeping it would mean something besides her just having this beautiful bracelet. It would mean accepting Julian. And she couldn’t do that.

  A few minutes before closing, he came back.

  “Changed your mind yet?” he asked.

  “Nope. You forgot this, though.”

  “Leah. Are you into self-destructive behavior and bad relationships?”

  “I don’t have either,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. Just meet with me for a few minutes. That’s it. I just want to tell you what I know. This isn’t some secret opportunity for me to coerce you. I only want to protect you.”

  He was starting to get really annoying. But he had managed to pique her curiosity. Maybe if she met with him, he’d finally leave her alone.

  “Fine. Come back in half an hour, and I’ll be done.”

  “Meet me at the diner around the corner.”

  “Don’t forget this.” She handed the box to him.

  He held his hands up. “That’s not mine. I’ve never seen that before.”

  She rolled her eyes, and he walked out.

  When she was done her shift and closing tasks, she walked around the corner and entered the diner. Julian was sitting at a booth toward the back. She sucked in a breath and went to sit with him.

  “I need to get home. I have a bedroom to paint,” she said.

  Her and Caleb had planned to paint the room a new shade of blue, something to celebrate them moving in together and making the place their own. The paint and Caleb were waiting for her.

  Julian

  When Leah sat across from him, he knew he had to play this just right.

  “What I can get you?” he asked. “They have really good burgers and pie here. You must be hungry after working all day.” He hadn’t seen her stop to eat.

  “Nothing, thanks. I need to get home, so let’s make this fast.”

  “Look, Leah. What you’re about to see is going to be very upsetting. Take your time, okay?”

  “What is it?”

  He slid the folder across the table to her. “I’m sorry.”

  She hesitated, then picked up the top of the folder as if it was covered in spiders. She dropped it just as fast.

  “What is this?” she said in a near whisper, her voice already shaking.

  He reached over the table to put his hand on hers. She didn’t pull back. “I’m so sorry. I thought you deserved to know. I would want to know if someone were doing this to me.”

  She opened the folder again and took a minute to look at the first photo, one of Caleb kissing a woman named Eva, from earlier that day. The blue paint they w
ere to be using that night was even visible in the background.

  She flipped through the rest of the printouts. Emails and texts, more photos. She read, and the tears filled in her eyes slowly. She didn’t say she didn’t believe it. She didn’t ask any questions.

  She just put her face in her hands and cried. He gave her a minute.

  “You deserve so much better than this. I wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell you what Caleb is really like. He’s complete scum, and I’m so sorry he did this to you. There are men in this world who would never treat you like that. Who would see you as a treasure and never hurt you.”

  “Right,” she said, wiping her eyes and nose on a napkin. “Like you?”

  “You’ve made it clear you’re not interested in me. But, yes. I don’t play games like that. I’ve never cheated on anyone. Never saw the point. If you’re not happy with the person you’re with, you shouldn’t be with them. There’s no reason to hurt people by cheating.”

  “Have you ever been cheated on?” she asked through sniffles.

  “Once. It was the most awful experience of my life.”

  She blew her nose in the napkin, then pointed to the folder. “Can I keep this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Leah?” He waited until she met his eyes. “Whatever you need, just call me.” He slid a new business card to her. “I don’t care what time it is or what you need. Just call, text, whatever, okay? I don’t believe any person can ever exactly understand what another is going through, but I have been in a similar situation, so I can sympathize. You don’t have to stay with someone who’s not worthy of your affection.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Thanks.” She stood and wiped her eyes again. “I better go deal with this.”

  He watched he go, hoping he’d done enough for her.

  Leah

  Leah could barely see to drive home. Her mind was a tangle of thoughts and questions. How had Julian found this out? How could Caleb do this to her? How long had this been going on? Was this part of Julian’s plan to get to her? Who was this other woman, Eva, and why had Caleb bothered to have her move in if he was seeing someone else?

  When she pulled into his driveway—she wouldn’t think of it as her place anymore—she slammed her car door and stormed inside. Caleb sat on the couch, relaxing and watching TV.

  “Hey babe,” he said. “Tough night?”

  “I know yours wasn’t,” she snapped, already shaking with what was about to happen.

  “I’ve just been moving things out of the bedroom and getting ready to paint.”

  “We’re not painting anything. We’re talking about this.”

  She threw the folder at him. It landed in his lap, but several of the pages spilled out. He picked one up—a print out of texts between he and Eva—and his face fell into shock.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “You tell me.” She opened the folder and held up the photo. “Eva somebody? Who is she? Why are you kissing her?”

  He let out a slow breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Look.”

  “No, no. Tell me the truth. Are you screwing her?”

  “I was. I did. But I ended it when I realized things were getting serious with you. Months ago. I love you. That’s why I asked you to move in with me.”

  “So, you’re saying it’s over, it stopped months ago?”

  “Yes. I am so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I will never do anything like this again.” He stood and walked toward her.

  She held up her hand, and it was all she could do to keep from punching him. She opened the folder again and took out a different photo.

  “So, you’re telling me that this photo of you wearing that shirt, standing right here, with that paint in the background, wasn’t today?”

  She pointed out each thing in the room as she said it, noticing that someone must have taken the photo through the window in the living room. That creeped her out a little, but she didn’t have the mental space to think about that now.

  He stared at the photo, moving his mouth like he was going to say something.

  “Enough of the lies,” she said. “Did you fuck her today? Right here on our couch? Or in our bedroom on our bed? Does she know I moved in?”

  “Today was the last time. She didn’t believe me when I said you moved in and that it was over. She came over so I could prove it to her.”

  “And then you fucked her.”

  “It was just a good-bye thing. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

  “Understand?” She was screaming now, her voice hysterical with rage. “No, I don’t fucking understand why you feel the need to screw someone else while claiming to love me enough to have me move in here. I don’t understand that at all, no. What did I ever do to you to deserve this? What—”

  “Nothing, I—”

  “Were you thinking when you did this? I’m not enough for you? Having sex, like, every night wasn’t enough?”

  “Leah, please. I love you, I—”

  “Oh, no, don’t give me that ‘I love you’ bullshit. You don’t cheat on people you love. This is done. So done.”

  “Please, no!” He dropped down to his knees and clasped his hands together, tears running down his face. “Forgive me. I’ll never do this again. I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I don’t want to screw this up. I love you, and I’ll do anything to make this right. Let me prove it to you. I love you so much, Leah. Marry me. That’s how much I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ll make it up to you every day for the rest of our lives.”

  “Are you insane? I would never marry someone who would do this sort of thing.”

  He crawled forward on his knees and grabbed her legs. “I’m sorry, please don’t leave, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “You have one messed up way of showing it. Good-bye, Caleb.”

  She pulled back from him and ran to the door. As she got in her car, the sobs came. Her phone rang many times with Caleb’s number. She had to pull over, she was crying so hard.

  She sat for a while and let the tears flow. There was nothing else to do in that moment. The pain suffocated her. She had wanted to marry Caleb. A week ago, his proposal would have been a dream come true. But tonight, after finding all this out? It was a joke. How could he think she’d marry him after something like this?

  When she calmed down a bit, she realized she had a new problem. She had nowhere to go. She’d moved out of her place, and it was too late to bother any of her friends. She thought of Julian. He’d told her to call any time with anything.

  Without thinking too much about it, she took out his card and called him.

  “Leah?” he asked.

  She didn’t stop to think about why he knew it was her number. “I’m sorry to call, but you said to if I needed anything.”

  “I’m so glad you did. I’ll come to you, don’t move. Where are you? Are you okay?”

  She sniffled hard. “I don’t think so. And I don’t know. I’m near his house. I had to pull over.”

  “I’m in the car now. I’ll find you. What happened?”

  “I confronted him and—and—” Fresh tears broke out and she couldn’t talk. She could hardly breathe.

  “Okay. It’s okay, don’t try to tell me now. I see you.”

  He got out of his car and opened her door for her. He held out his hand to help her up and put his arm around her to support her as she got into his car. She closed her eyes as he drove, minutes later pulling up to a huge mansion.

  “Geez,” she said, looking up at it.

  He took her inside and had her sit in the living room. “I kept my chef up. I bet you didn’t eat all night. What can he make you?”

  “I don’t think I can eat.”

  “Just a little something will make you feel much better. How about a melted cheese sandwich?”

  Did he know she adored those and ate one whenever she was
feeling down? The thought of the hot, melting cheese made her mouth water. She nodded.

  He came back in the room a minute later with a glass of water. “Drink up.”

  She drank several sips and blew her nose again. “It was so horrible. He tried to say he’d ended it months ago, but when I showed him the photo from today, he didn’t know what to say. He even proposed to me, how ridiculous is that?” She laughed humorlessly and shook her head.

  Julian sat beside her and stroked her hair. She wanted to tell him to stop, but it felt so good. All she wanted right now was to feel loved and cared for. Even with all his jerkishness, at least Julian was good at that.

  “It’s rather absurd,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah. He kept saying that, too.” She smelled the cheese coming from the kitchen and her stomach growled loudly. “He’s so soooo sorry. Like that matters.”

  “He can never undo what’s been done. That’s what makes it so hurtful. Nothing can fix it.”

  “Right. Especially not a fucking proposal. What an idiot! What an asshole! And I thought you were an asshole. This whole time, I was with the biggest asshole on the planet.”

  Julian gave her a half smile and stood to take the plate from his chef, who came into the room with a steaming cheese sandwich.

  “I am an asshole, but I do it with respect and class.”

  He set the plate down in front of her, and she was suddenly ravenous. She chewed so fast, she barely tasted it, but what she did taste was amazing.

  “This is the best melted cheese sandwich I’ve ever had,” she said with a full mouth.

  “I do have one of the best personal chefs in the country.”

  “Give him a raise.”

  He laughed. “If you knew what I pay him already, you wouldn’t say that.”

  She swallowed the last bite and sat back into the couch, feeling much better.

  “Would you like another? Or anything else? A glass of wine perhaps?”