by Peggy Dulle
I went back to the website and signed up for the camp. I had to use my real name since I had to use my credit card to pay for the camp. The cost was $125.00. It was relatively inexpensive for a four-day camp. It probably didn’t include room and board but I could stay at a local Motel 6 and not go to far out of my vacation budget. They said they’d send me an email to verify my registration within a few hours.
Shelby and I walked down to the local burger joint and sat outside and ate. A few minutes later Shelby whined, just like she had done last night. I knew we were about to be joined by the local sheriff. He was dressed in his cop attire and he looked incredible. I’ve always loved the way a man looks in a uniform. It just does something to the temperature of the blood in my body. All by himself Tom had an intense effect on me, but seeing him in his uniform pushed me over the top. I took several deep breaths but it didn’t help, not one little bit.
“Good afternoon, Liza.”
“Hello, Tom.”
He sat down and looked over the rim of his glasses at me. “Are you behaving yourself this morning?”
“Did you know that Jessie’s uncle was a clown?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know that he runs the Uptown Clown camp in Santa Dominga?”
His jaw tightened. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Did you know that Martha saw him when she was at a quilt show in Santa Dominga and that’s why she was so excited when she got back in town?”
He shook his head. “I told you to stop investigating and you didn’t listen. You’re a frustrating woman, Liza.” He sighed deeply. “But now you’ve found out two more things that I didn’t know. Maybe I should hire you as my deputy.”
I reached up and stroked the collar of his shirt. “I would look cute in the uniform.”
“No,” he moaned quietly and stroked my neck. “You’d look better out of the uniform.”
I blushed. I never did that. And my pulse was absolutely out of control. I needed to change the subject. “I think I’m going to try clown camp.”
“No, you are not!” he bellowed.
“Too late. I already signed up for it and paid my money. I’m a teacher. I don’t make a lot of money, so when I pay for something I go to it.”
“I’ll give you your money back.”
“Nope.” I gulped. “I can’t take money from a stranger.”
“I’m a stranger?”
“No, but…,” I stuttered.
“Liza,” he said, working hard to keep the irritation from showing, but not doing a very good job.
I picked up a French fry and waved it at him. “Would you like the rest of my fries?”
“You’ll share your fries with a stranger but not take their advice or money?”
“It’s my vacation and clown camp sounds like fun,” I replied crisply.
“It might be dangerous.”
I laughed, covering up my own trepidation. “Clown camp?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Is there anything I can say that would dissuade you from going?”
“Nope.” I picked up another fry and dipped it into the ketchup. I wasn’t really looking so I got ketchup on my fingers along with the fry.
“Stubborn.” He bit the fry out of my hand.
“Controlling.” I started to lick the ketchup that was still on my fingers.
“Pig headed.” He took my hand and slowly licked the rest of it off.
“Manipulative.” My heart pounded faster and harder, as if it was trying to escape my chest. I stood up.
“Obstinate.” He stood up.
“Power monger.” My breathing accelerated trying to catch up with my heart. I grabbed my purse.
“Let’s go.” He picked up my garbage from lunch.
“Oh, yeah.” My body felt like it was on fire. I picked up Shelby’s leash.
We walked back to his hotel room. As we came through the door, Shelby went over and lay next to the sink. Somehow she knew. We didn’t say another word, just stripped each other’s cloths off and ended up in bed. We were like two run-away locomotives barreling towards each other. It was fast, frenzied, hot, and sweaty. And when we crashed together, it was glorious!
When we were finished, I had my legs wrapped around his and my head cradled in his arm.
He stroked his finger down the side of my face, pulled out the barrette that barely held my hair back, and ran his fingers through my hair. Then he smiled, slid his hand behind my neck and brought my lips to his. When we finished kissing, his eyes glistened. “That was very nice.”
“Was this a ploy to get me not to go to clown camp?” I teased.
“Did it work?”
“No.” I gave him a sarcastic laugh.
“Then no, it wasn’t. Just something I’ve been thinking about since the first time I saw you.”
“Well, I’m a thirty-two year old woman and I’ve never done anything like this before.” My face turned red and although I did my best to act nonchalant, I’m sure he wasn’t buying it.
“I figured that, too. That makes it even more special.”
“Special?”
“Yeah, you did it with me.”
I rolled my eyes and then figured any new experience was worth a second time. I reached over and brought his face to mine and we started all over again. This time we took it slow and enjoyed the scent and feel of each other.
Chapter 8
It was after four o’clock when Tom and I finally rolled out of bed. I wrapped one of the Inn’s white terrycloth robes around myself and sat down at the table. Tom put on a pair of sweatpants and sat down in the chair next to me.
“How about dinner, Liza?”
“You better take me to dinner after we spent all afternoon in bed together.”
He laughed and then turned serious. “This wasn’t some one night stand, Liza.”
“That’s good,” I mumbled, although I wasn’t so sure. “What would the kids in my class say? I’m always telling them about not making quick decisions about things and I’ve gone and done it anyway?”
Tom slid his chair over in front of me. “Liza.” His voice was warm and tender.
I couldn’t look at him, feeling ashamed of myself. What the hell had I just done? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
He lifted my face so that our eyes met. “You want to move in with me?”
I hit him on the arm. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
“I can’t think of a better way to wake up every morning, than with you in my arms.” He stroked my fingers. “Want to marry me?”
I tilted my head at him and eyed him steadily. “Don’t you think it’s a little early in this relationship to be asking those questions?”
“Just as long as you realize it is a relationship, not a quick decision made in haste that you or I are going to regret.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “We’ll just take it day-to-day.”
“Fine, as long as we can do a little future planning, too.” He gave me a playful look and then winked.
“We’ll see.” I got up from the table. “I think I’ll go back to my room.” As soon as I got up, Shelby ran to the door.
“Are you wearing my robe on your stroll back to your room?” He smiled.
“Oh, wouldn’t Sarah like that.” I grimaced. “I can hear her cackling already.”
“Her voice is rather annoying, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom and changed.
When I came out Tom was still sitting at the table. “You know, I’ve seen you naked. You didn’t need to go into the bathroom to change.”
“I know.” I saw the frown on his face and went over and kissed the top of his head.
Shelby and I went back to my room. I had an email from the Uptown Clowns verifying my registration for the camp. There was also a list of a few hotels that were giving great rates for the camp. Motel 6 was one of them, so I called them up.
“Motel 6. We are everywhere you need to be.” A bubbly clerk answere
d.
“Great. I need a room for four nights.”
“Are you going to the clown camp?”
“Yes.”
“They have reserved an entire block of rooms. Would you like one?”
“Sure.” I might as well stay with the rest of the clowns.
“Okay, that will be ten dollars a night for four nights.”
“It’s only ten dollars?” That was even a better deal than I had anticipated. My budget wasn’t going to suffer too much from this detour.
“The Uptown Clowns do a lot for our community, so we give them a special rate. Besides, they subsidize the rooms, so we’re not losing any money on the deal.”
“That’s nice of them.”
“Oh, they’re great folks.”
“I’m looking forward to the camp. Have you ever gone?”
“Yeah, I go every year. As a local I get a cut rate on the camp and since I work here, I don’t have to pay for the room either. It’s great fun. Uptown Clowns are the best in the world. You’re going to love being one of us.”
I hung up the phone and took a shower. As I scrubbed my hair, I thought about Uptown Clowns. Was becoming one of them such a good idea? I wondered. Why had the clerk stayed at her motel if she lived in the city? Did all the participants stay at the motels? All questions I hoped would be answered soon enough.
Shelby and I walked back to the park. I still had at least fifty booths to check out. I would be going home tomorrow to get Shelby settled, so it was either look at them today or forget it. I also wanted to stop by the carnival and check it out.
When we got to the park, the Clown Extravaganza was in full steam. There had to be at least two hundred clowns wandering around, dancing, doing flips, making balloon animals, and entertaining the crowds everywhere in the park. Anyone with a clown phobia would be having a heart attack about now.
As I wandered from booth to booth, I kept my eyes on the clowns. I noticed the difference in their costuming and make-up. The clown I’d had lunch with was correct. Each clown organization stayed pretty much to themselves. The Uptown Clowns were easy to pick out. They seemed to be the best magicians in the crowd and the kids loved them. I stopped and watched as they pulled candy and ice cream out of hats and gave them to the kids. The best way to any child’s heart is through their sweet tooth.
A group of five Uptown Clowns came and danced around me. I recognized one as the man who’d given me the brochures about the camp.
“Did you sign up for the camp?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. I’ll be there in a couple of days.”
“Great. You’re going to make a great clown.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re a teacher, right?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t remember telling him that.
“Teachers are wonderful. They’re able to spread the philosophy of Uptown Clowns to their students. It’s like everyone becomes an Uptown Clown. It’s great!” He pulled a pink cotton candy out of his hat and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I love cotton candy. It’s so sugary and not good for you.
And the clowns were gone. As I ate my cotton candy, I wondered which philosophy he was talking about – the one on the “fun” website or the other one?
I spent the next couple of hours wandering through the rest of the booths. When I was just finishing the last booth, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Sheriff Tom. He was dressed in street clothes. Not as cute as his uniform, but it still made my heart skip a beat.
“Evening, Liza.”
“Good evening, Tom.”
“Ready for dinner?”
That’s right, we had plans. I’d forgotten. “Sure. What’s on the menu?”
“What would you like?”
“Something light.”
“How about a Chinese Chicken Salad and a few pot stickers?”
“That sounds good.” I took his arm and we walked back to the Inn. I hadn’t seen a Chinese restaurant in my walks through town. Of course, he’s local and should know where all the restaurants are, especially since he’s been eating out for the last month while his house was being finished.
“Can Shelby go or do I need to leave her in my room?” I said, trying to figure out exactly where we were going.
“No, she can come,” he said, not offering any other information.
“Great. Can we walk or do we need to drive?” I pried deeper.
“We’ll take my car.”
“Okay.”
Shelby jumped into the backseat of his police car and I sat in the passenger seat. It was strange. I’d never ridden in a police car before and now I’d been in one twice in the last few days. And if Tom and I keep our relationship going, I could be spending a lot of time in a police cruiser.
“Do you have your own car?”
“Yeah, but around town I mostly drive my squad car. It makes the law more visible,” he said seriously.
It seemed we were heading out of town. “Where are we going?”
“My house.” He grinned, as if pleased to have the upper hand.
“Wait, isn’t it being remodeled?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He broke into a huge smile. “But there are rooms not included in the remodel.”
“For example?” I asked, still not understanding.
“My bedroom.”
“Ah, now I get it. But I’m hungry. You are still planning to feed me, aren’t you?”
He looked at me over the rim of his glasses, enjoyed a moment of amusement at my expense, and then sighed. “Of course.”
“What is being remodeled in your home?”
“The entire downstairs: kitchen, living room, dining room, game room and two bathrooms.”
“How much is done?”
“Kitchen and one bathroom.”
“That works for me.”
A few minutes later we pulled up to a large cabin nestled in a huge grove of pine trees. It was a beautiful setting.
“This is lovely, Tom.”
“Wait until you see the inside.” His face lit up with pride, as he drove into the driveway. Shelby went running through the pine trees as soon as I opened the door.
“Will she run away?” Tom asked.
“Oh, no. She won’t wander too far. Pretty soon she’ll be standing outside the front door, whining to get in. She likes being an inside dog.”
We walked up a few steps onto a massive wooden porch in the front of the house. It had a porch swing, BBQ and a set of table and chairs.
Tom opened the door. “Let’s see how the remodeling is going.”
I heard him cuss as I stepped through the front door. The place was a disaster. The carpeting had been pulled up and was stacked in the corner. Half of one wall had been torn down and pieces of sheetrock were everywhere. The place was covered in dust and dirt.
He made a face and said, exasperated, “I hate that stupid contractor. Nothing ever gets done on time and the place always looks like it’s been ransacked by a group of thieves.”
“Well, let’s hope the kitchen is in better shape or we’ll be getting back into that police car and heading for a restaurant. I’m starving.”
We walked through several rooms that were just as disheveled as the first, until we reached the kitchen. It was dusty and dirty but at least it was finished. Tom was still cussing.
He put his hand out. “Stay here.”
“Okay.”
He came back a few minutes later with a blanket. “Go sit on the front porch swing. I’m going to clean up this kitchen a bit and then fix dinner.”
“Do you want some help? I’m a great cleaner.”
“No, you’re my guest.” He opened the refrigerator, and handed me a diet Coke. “Go and rest.”
“Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice.” I did as he asked. The swing was fun and I loved watching Shelby run around the pine trees. But my stomach was growling and my patience was wearing thin.
About fifteen minutes later, Tom came back outside. He sat down next
to me in the swing. I put the blanket over his lap. “How’s the kitchen?”
“Much better, thank you.”
“Are you going to feed me now?” I whined.
He put his hand behind my neck and brought my lips to his. When he released me he winked and said, “of course.”
The kiss made my stomach take a dive, like a kite on a string. I ignored it as I stood and put out my hand to him. “Food first.”
“I love a woman who’s got her priorities straight.”
“And I like a man who follows through on feeding me. Let’s go.”
Shelby came in behind us as we went back into the house and went exploring. Tom and I went back into the kitchen, which was now spotless. I had to admit, he was a much better cleaner than I. It’s a good thing he didn’t accept my help.
He pointed to the stool by the bar. “Have a seat there. My kitchen table is in the garage.”
“This is fine.”
I watched as he pulled out several items from the refrigerator. Then he started cutting up the vegetables and several cooked chicken breast. “Are you sure you don’t need any help? I’m not totally inept in the kitchen.”
“No, you’re my guest. I invited you to dinner.”
“I know, but this is ridiculous.” I got up from the stool and went into the kitchen and put my hand out. “Give me the knife. I’ll chop the vegetables and you make the dressing.”
Reluctantly he handed over the knife. “I’m not used to sharing my kitchen with anyone.”
“Didn’t Pamela like to cook?”
He laughed. “Oh no, Pamela never went into the kitchen. I did all the cooking when we were together.”
“Welcome to a new relationship.” I smiled and started cutting. I sensed he wanted to make a comment about how I was cutting the vegetables, but he kept it to himself. Good thing.
A few minutes later the salad was ready. Tom grabbed a bag of pot stickers from the freezer.
“You aren’t making them from scratch? They’re much better that way,” I teased.
“Next time.” He put the pot stickers into a wok, added some water, and covered them. “First they steam and then I’ll brown them.”
“Yum.”
Dinner was ready in a few minutes and everything tasted delicious. The salad dressing wasn’t overpowering and the pot stickers were fabulous, even if they were from a bag.
