Julien had a small, Acadian style house nestled on a wooded lot. The house itself was verging on condemnable when he first bought it, but he'd been chipping away at it for almost three years, and while it was still rustic, it was now clean and comfortable. He loved to fish, and being able to access the bayou from his backyard was priceless.
He laid his keys on the table by the door, unpacked all the stuff he'd taken on the trip, and took a quick shower. The house was quiet without his dog (a handsome, tan and white, fifty-pound mutt named Max) but Julien decided he would wait until he was done with work to go pick him up from his sister Nikki's house.
He sent his sister a text letting her know what the plan was and she said Max was doing fine. She asked how his fight went and he told her he won. She congratulated him, but wasn't interested enough in the sport to care about how he won or ask any further questions about it.
Julien's pantry looked about like you'd assume a single guy's pantry would. He didn't mind cooking, but didn't do much of it since he lived alone. He had a few slices of bread left, and he used them to make a turkey sandwich. Then he grabbed a banana for the road and headed back for the gym.
****
"What are you doing here?" Julien asked Christina as he turned the corner into the main gym area and saw her standing there. He usually didn't work on Saturdays, but was filling in for Christina who wasn't able to coach her women's Jiu Jitsu class.
"I had to come in for kids class, but I have to get outta here. Thanks for covering for me."
"Not a problem."
She reached out to give him a hug. "Congratulations on the win last night. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. Coach Tim said you won with the rear naked again. That's a good submission for you."
Julien shrugged. "Hard to pass up when they give you their back."
"Ain't that the truth," she said, giving him a high-five. "It's perfect, too, because that's what y'all are going over today at women's class."
"I know. I just took a look at the curriculum."
She reached up and faked a kiss to his cheek. "Okay, you got it then. I need to take off, Brian's waiting in the car."
"Okay. I got it," he said.
Christina reached up and touched him on the temple near his stitches. "Lookin' tough," she said.
He smiled.
"Speaking of how good you look, I heard you hung out with one of those ring girls last night."
He looked at her sideways. "How'd you hear that?"
"Carlos posted a picture on Instagram. You were with some girl in the background, and there were a bunch of comments about her being a ring girl and you making out and then throat slamming some guy."
"I did not throat slam anyone," Julien said, laughing. "I barely grabbed him by the throat, and it was just to make him shut up."
"How about the girl?"
"That part was true—although I wouldn't say we made out. We kissed a little, that's all. She was cool."
"Do you like her?" She drew out the words, teasing him. Christina was a sucker for some juicy gossip, and was so excited she forgot her husband was waiting.
"No, I don't like her. I don't even know her. I thought you said Brian was in the car."
"Oh yeah, okay. You're right." She reached out and pinched his rear end on the way out, because that's just the type of thing Christina did. "Congrats on the fight and the making out." She was already headed to the lobby as she said it.
"We didn't make out," he yelled after her.
At that very moment, when Julien was shouting "We didn't make out," John David rounded the corner looking like he was scared to find out what he'd see when he got there. He had a girl with him, and both of them were wide-eyed at the outburst.
John David looked at the girl and started in on his damage control. "Coach Julien doesn't normally teach this class. It's usually Christina, the one you just saw walk that way."
The girl glanced in the direction Christina had gone and smiled then she held out a hand to Julien. "I'm glad you're a substitute. I won't feel so bad about being terrible at this." She had an accent that wasn't quite Cajun. It was closer to French, but Julien couldn't tell.
He smiled at her. "Everyone's terrible at first. It's more gratifying to get good at something when you're terrible at it first."
She smiled at his simple logic. They had already shaken hands, and she'd learned his name, but she hadn't told him hers. "I'm Nadine," she said.
Julien's eyes snapped to John David, who bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He shrugged. "Coach Julien, this is Nadine. She's here to try out the women's Jiu Jitsu class."
"Do you have a gi?" Julien asked, looking at her.
She glanced around apologetically. "I'm sorry to say I don't have any idea what that is," she said.
John David cut in. "Coach Christina said it was no gi today."
"Oh, that's right."
Julien knew they were doing no gi. He just wanted her to think she had to have a loner so she'd be asked to give John David her ID.
"What is a gi?" she asked.
"It's what we wear out here on the mat—the thing that looks like a Karate suit," Julien said.
She nodded, able to picture what he was talking about. "Is that something I'll need?"
"You can use one of ours while you try out the class," Julien said. "You just have to bring your ID for collateral."
Julien and John David both looked at her to see how she'd react to that news.
"This might be weird, but I don't know if I'd want to use a loner," she said. "I'll just try it today, and if I like it, I'll buy one. Do you sell them? Or is that something I'd need to order?"
"We have some for sale," John David said.
It didn't really matter since she wouldn't need it for the class that day. Neither of them pressed the subject of trying to expose her fake name. They both knew it'd come out sooner or later.
Chapter 5
The girl who introduced herself as Nadine turned out to be a total psycho. She was the most obsessed Nadine that Julien had encountered to date. Not only did she claim to have the name, but she spent the whole class speaking with a French accent. That wouldn't have been so bad, but halfway through the class, he heard her tell the girl she was grappling with that her last name was LaBelle. Of course, LaBelle was Nadine's last name in the book.
Julien couldn't wait until she was asked to fill out paperwork, because that little charade needed to be stopped. He was okay with a girl claiming her name was Nadine, but using the whole name and speaking with a bad French accent was headed toward freaky.
It was an hour-long class, and the girl who called herself Nadine left as soon as she bowed off the mat. Julien figured it was better that way. She seemed like a nice enough person, and Julien hated to see her embarrass herself. Oddly enough, he was a bit disappointed because she was a cute one.
John David gave Julien a knowing smile when he came into the front office after coaching women's class.
"She said her last name was LaBelle," Julien said.
"She told me that too, but I didn't want to say anything," John David said. He gave Julien a confused look. "I can't imagine she'd think she could sign up without showing some kind of ID."
Julien shrugged. "I'm sure she won't be back. She left as soon as class ended."
"Too bad," John David said, shaking his head. "She was cute."
"I guess," Julien said as if he hadn't noticed. "The name and accent are a little overboard, though."
"I know," John David said. "I saw the last name when she signed the waiver, but I didn't recognize the accent."
"That's because she's terrible at it."
"No, it's because she didn't really say much."
"Didn't you ask her any questions? Talk to her about the gym?"
"She talked to Brad. He just asked me to get her a waiver and walk her back."
"I don't know why you don't have to get their license when they come to a trial class."
"Yeah, I should
just act like we need a license right off the bat when a Nadine comes in. I didn't realize the impersonations were bothering you, sir Julien, I'll just stop them all at the door and ask for ID from now on."
"Shut-up, you know a fake accent is a little scary."
John David looked at him like he was being a little dramatic. "I thought you were a pro fighter now. You tellin' me you're scared of a little girl? She's harmless."
"She's not a little girl. That's the thing. The other Nadines have been girls, but this one seemed a little different—she looked different, at least."
"Brad said she was nice."
"Nice?" Julien said. "What's that mean? She thinks she's a character from a book. She came here with a fake name and accent. I'm sorry, but it takes a certain level of crazy to do that."
John David shot Julien a look that said he could see the logic in that before turning to shift his focus back to the computer screen. "I'll ask her for her license next time," he said.
"It doesn't matter. I'm sure she won't be back."
"There's always the ring girl," John David said, never taking his eyes off the computer.
"Jesus, you know about that too? I need to see this photo Carlos posted. Is that what you're talking about?"
"Yeah. You can't really see her face in the picture, but Carlos commented that she was smoking hot and that y'all were getting friendly."
Julien went to the back office to grab his stuff. He opened his duffel bag, got out his phone, and opened Instagram. Carlos had posted several photos the night before, a few from the fights and a couple from the Fast Eddie's. Julien found himself staring at the one of him and Raven, and even though the photo didn't show her face that well, it was enough to remind him of what she looked like. He smiled, remembering the kiss they shared. She wasn't necessarily the type of girl he wanted to have anything long term with, but she was extremely easy on the eyes, and he thought that he might just look her up next time he went to New Orleans.
"How'd you like Nadine?" Brad asked. Julien glanced up from his phone and wasn't surprised to see Brad's amused expression.
"She tried to talk with a fucking accent, dude. Is that crazy or what?"
"She used the accent on me too," Brad said. "I didn't think it was that bad." He smiled at Julien and shrugged a little. "You can't blame a girl for trying."
"She's a freak," Julien said.
"Then, I guess I shouldn't tell you," Brad said.
"Tell me what?"
"Nothin'."
"What?"
"It's nothing. I was the one who talked to her when she came in and she mentioned something about a bar fight being the thing that made her come in."
Most of the employees at the gym had read Julien's Book. Even the ones who didn't usually read romance read it out of curiosity, and Brad (who read it when it first came out just to see if he was in it) remembered that the Nadine in the book wanted to learn Jiu Jitsu because of an altercation she'd been in in a bar. Brad looked at Julien, waiting to see how he'd take that piece of information.
Julien just closed his eyes and shook his head. "I told you she was a freak."
"I heard John David say to ID her next time she comes in," Brad said. He smiled as if having a crazy stalker girl wasn't a big deal, which Julien found irritating. Brad saw the look on Julien's face and continued, "She's just got a little crush. You should be flattered. Besides, she was hot. If I had a girl who looked like that chasing after me, I wouldn't care if she had a little touch of the crazies."
"Yes you would. Sanity trumps hotness any day," Julien said.
Brad gave him an unconvinced smirk as he left the room. Julien glanced at the photo of Raven again before he put his phone in his pocket and headed home.
He was in the mood to be by himself. He'd probably spend the rest of the weekend fishing with Max, and avoid human contact all together. Thinking about Max made Julien stop in his tracks and send a text to his sister telling her he would be stopping by her house in a few minutes to pick up his dog. She text back saying that would be fine, but by that time, he was already halfway to her house.
Julien picked up his trusty, old dog and spent the remainder of his weekend fishing and doing things around his house. He ordered some tile for his kitchen, and it'd been sitting in his garage for three weeks because he'd been too busy with his fight camp to take the time to install it. The kitchen floor was covered with a thin sheet of linoleum when he moved in. It looked terrible, with holes and stains everywhere, so Julien stripped it and replaced or repaired any bad spots in the sub-floor that was underneath. Since the kitchen floors weren't a priority, it had taken him a while to get started on finishing the project, but now that he was ready to do it, he didn't want to waste any more time. He was excited about the flooring he ordered and ready to see it finished. It was hand-painted Spanish tile that was extremely expensive, but he got a great price on it because he traded the guy that owned the tile shop a few privates at the gym. He had the prep work done, and figured it wouldn't take him more than a weekend to get the tiles in place.
He'd been right. He stayed up until 3AM Sunday morning finishing the project, but it was worth it, and the kitchen looked amazing. He'd already installed the cabinets and countertops, so the floors made the whole thing look complete. He was accustomed to his house looking like a construction project, and that really didn't bother him, but it felt nice to have the kitchen done.
Julien slept until Noon on Sunday, and used the rest of the afternoon to go fishing. He could access the bayou from the very back edge of his property, which meant he could go fishing anytime he felt the urge. That was something he did often.
Even though Julien couldn't see his neighbors from his house, he'd met them several times, and been relieved to find they were really nice people. He had a small, aluminum boat with a motor that he tied to their dock. He had been tying it to a tree on his property, but they offered him the parking spot, and docking it was much easier. Max loved going out on the boat, and went completely nuts every time Julien asked him if he wanted to go fishing.
Julien could clean a fish if he had to, but most of the time he just went fishing for fun and bought his fish at a grocery store. Maybe it was the new kitchen tiles that had him inspired, but Julien decided to clean and cook two of the small bass he caught earlier. He was exhausted by the time he went to bed that evening.
****
The next week was business as usual. Julien trained at the gym and taught all of his regular classes. Part of him thought the girl with the accent would come back, but she didn't, and he was thankful not to have to see her embarrass herself again.
Then, just when he thought he was in the clear, she showed up at the gym.
It was a random Wednesday night, and Julien was about to start a women's kickboxing class when John David showed up at the door of the striking room. He looked a little pale, and Julien wondered for a second if he was sick. Then his gaze shifted to the person standing at his side and Julien realized it was the girl who came in a week or so before calling herself Nadine. Julien already had the rest of the women warming up, and couldn't really take the time to talk much, but he told "Nadine" she could get on the mat and finish jumping rope with the rest of the class. John David gave him an almost helpless shrug as he turned and walked out which made Julien slightly nervous and extremely curious. He couldn’t stand it any longer. He didn't usually leave in the middle of class, but this whole scenario was just too weird. He gave the girls a series of warm-ups to finish and followed John David out into the office.
"Hey, what's that all about?" Julien said in the hall that connected the striking room to the office.
John David jumped at the sound of his voice. He focused on Julien with an unreadable expression that had Julien feeling a little uneasy.
"What's she doing in there?" Julien asked. "Didn't you ask her for her ID?"
John David stared at him for a few long seconds before replying. "Yeah."
Julien looked at him like he
must have misheard. "Yeah, what? She showed you her ID?"
"Yeah." John David threw his hands in the air. "It said her name was Nadine. What was I supposed to do?"
Julien followed him into the office where John David pulled the copy of her driver's license off of the top of a stack of papers. Julien stared down at it through disbelieving eyes. A photograph of the girl along with the name Nadine LaBelle was clearly printed on the thing.
"Mother fucker," he whispered. "What kind of lunatic gets a fake ID to make herself a character in a book?"
John David shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. It's not like I could accuse her of using a fake ID to take a kickboxing class."
Julien knew he had to be getting back to the class even though he really didn't feel like dealing with the crazy girl. "Make me a copy of that thing when you get the chance," Julien said, taking off toward the striking room.
Normally John David wouldn't do such a thing, but given the circumstances, he made a copy right away and placed it in Julien's box. He never imagined a girl would take the whole Nadine thing this far, and he felt a little bad for Julien for having to deal with her.
Julien worked the shit out of those girls in hopes that Nadine would give up and go home in the middle of class. He felt slightly sorry for the other girls, but he knew they'd forgive him once they heard about the crazy girl. He was in a crappy mood, and all the regular girls in the class commented on how they wanted the old Julien back. He'd apologize to them later, but he was hoping his drill sergeant approach would do the trick. "Nadine" was utterly exhausted by the time the class was over, and Julien hoped it would be enough to make her never show up there again.
Julien took the copy of her driver's license home with him. He unsuccessfully analyzed it for a few minutes before he shoved it into a drawer, hoping to forget about it.
Julien's Book Page 4