4 - Samantha
He made the elephant so fast I could hardly tell what he was doing, but then it appeared in his hands. I run my fingers over the big ears and long trunk and shake my head. Amazing. I glance back at the clown and watch as he waves his hands over the children and they all laugh and play along.
Jess wasn’t wrong, he’s very good. He glances over his shoulder and our eyes meet again. He smiles at me and sticks out his tongue before turning back to the group of kids. I can feel the pulse in my whole body and I glance back down at the balloon elephant, turning it around in my hands.
“Well, look at you,” Jess says with a grin. “I haven’t seen you smile since you got here.”
I hold up the elephant. “Guess the clown is doing his job then, hey?”
Jess’s grin widens. “I guess he is.”
I choose to ignore the teasing in her voice. “I didn’t expect him to be so…”
“…attractive?”
“No, young!” I answer quickly. “I didn’t expect him to be so young. I thought it would be a guy in his sixties for some reason.”
Jess chuckles. “So did I. It’s hard to tell what he looks like under that makeup, but based on that jawline I’d say he’s quite a stud.”
I roll my eyes. “Aren’t you married?”
Jess grins at me. “I’m not looking for me, Sam,” she says.
“Stop,” I say. “I’m not even divorced yet. I’m not ready.”
“Whatever you say,” she replies. I glance back at the clown and try to imagine what his face would look like. He lifts his arms and the fabric of his costume pulls across his broad back. He’s certainly muscular.
“Harper, Rosie!” Jess calls over. “Come over here and help me settle something.”
“What are you doing,” I whisper. She looks at me and grins again. The two women come closer and Jess nods to the clown.
“What do you think about Clifford? You think he’s a hunk under all that makeup?”
Rosie and Harper turn towards the clown and suddenly all four of us are staring at him. Rosie tilts her head to the side and Harper squints.
“Definitely,” Rosie says. “Certified stud.” She turns back towards us and nods once, as if that’s the official seal of approval. Jess laughs.
“I knew it. See, Sam? You should go for it!”
“Absolutely,” Harper says. “The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. I’ve never had sex with a clown before.”
I start laughing and shake my head. “Stop, stop! I’m not sleeping with anyone!” I know they’re only joking but I can’t help the blush that starts to creep over my cheeks. Jess puts an arm around my shoulder and laughs.
“I’m only teasing. No harm in looking though. Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
She pulls me towards the kitchen and I steal one last glance towards Clifford the Clown. He’s got the kids all lined up and somehow is getting them to jump and move exactly as he says. He definitely has a gift for working with children.
The four of us step inside and I listen as Harper, Rosie, and Jess talk about their kids. They laugh and joke about all the things that kids do, and I can’t help but feel like the odd one out. Not only do I not have a child, but my marriage has been an absolute disaster.
The lightness that I felt when I was watching the clown perform starts to dissipate as thoughts about Ronnie creep in. I still remember the way he looked when I confronted him. He denied everything even though I had followed him to the restaurant and seen him kiss her. My whole world had crumbled around me.
He must have been cheating on me for months, maybe even longer. My throat tightens and I try to push the thoughts away when Jess appears beside me with a glass of chilled white wine.
“Here,” she says with a whisper. “If I have one job today, it’ll be to get you to drink and smile.” She look up and towards the back door. “Where’s Clifford? He was good at that.”
I laugh and shake my head as Jess nudges my shoulder. The two other girls laugh. Just then, the laughter and children’s screams outside get a little bit higher pitched. I hear an adult yell. The four of us look at each other and then rush outside.
It’s carnage. I don’t know how this happened in such a short amount of time. Clifford the clown is on the ground, holding his arm and writing around. The kids are running around in circles and Owen is trying to wrangle them. Matt, Jess’s son, is swinging a plastic baseball bat wildly over and back. He knocks the clown’s air canister and it falls with a loud clang.
Owen finally manages to grab Matt just as Jess starts herding the other children together. I jog over to the clown as he lies on the ground.
“You ok?” I say as he groans. His eyes slowly lift up to me and he blinks a few times.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he says and then groans as he tries to stand up. “My arm.”
“What’s wrong? What happened? We were only gone for a minute.”
“That’s all it takes,” he says with a grimace. His regular voice is deep and gravelly. Despite all the clown makeup, something sparks between my legs. Even with all the clown makeup, I can see the way his eyes gleam when he smiles. “That one grabbed a bat and hit me,” he says, nodding towards Matt. “I tripped over these stupid shoes and fell on my arm. I think it might be broken.”
“Oh my goodness,” I say softly. “Come on.”
I help him to his feet and guide him to the kitchen. Soon, he’s gone some ice on his arm and he’s sighing. I grab a dish towel and wrap it around his arm in a makeshift sling.
“There,” I say.
“Are you a nurse?” He asks as he admires my handiwork. I laugh.
“No, not a nurse. Just resourceful.” I study his face for a minute before speaking again. “I’m Sam,” I say after a pause.
“Clifford,” he replies as his eyes spark again.
“Wait, is that your real name?” I ask as I try to hide the smile on my lips. He lets out a quick laugh and shakes his head.
“Dean Shelby,” he says as he extends his good hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The instant our hands touch it’s like a current of electricity passes through my arm. His eyes are locked on mine and it feels like time stops.
He clears his throat. “Thank you,” he says, motioning to the sling.. He shifts his weight and groans. “This is so painful.”
“You’re going to have to go to the hospital,” Jess says as she comes back in through the door. I almost jump backwards. “I’m so sorry about this.”
“It’s fine,” he says. He glances at me and winks. “Occupational hazards.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Dangerous job,” I say.
“Very.”
Jess glances at his arm and shakes her head. She puts her hands on her hips and sighs. “I’m so sorry, Clifford. So, so sorry. Can you drive? I’ll call you a cab. I’m so sorry.”
“I have a stick shift,” he answers with a grimace. “So, no, I guess.”
“I’ll drive,” I hear myself say. “I can drive stick and none of these kids are mine. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” the clown says, knitting his eyebrows together. It gives his face an exaggerated sad look and I start laughing.
“She’s sure,” Jess responds with a raised eyebrow. “Here,” she says, handing me some money. “For the cab back.”
“Don’t worry about it, Jess.” I say with a smile.
“Then you take it,” she says, thrusting the money into Clifford’s sling. “For this whole mess. Call it a tip.”
He just laughs and shakes his head. “It’s really not necessary. It’s fine, really. Kids get excited and it happens.”
“Just take it,” she says. “I feel so bad. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He grimaces again and I stand up a bit straighter.
“Come on,” I say. “We should get you to the hospital sooner rather than later.” I hook my arm around his shoulder and try to ignore the thrill that passes through me when our bodies touch. He groans as he stands up and then looks at the sling and nods approvingly.
“Let’s go,” he says, letting his eyes linger on mine for just a few moments. I blush and look away, not daring to look at him or Jess.