Courting the Clown by Cathy Quinn Read Free Book Online Page A

idea, and she was the one who executed it. I’m at least ninety-seven percent innocent.”
    “And three percent utter evil!” Sylvie countered. “You went along with it. You’re her accomplice. They have severe punishment for accomplices these days, you know.”
    Helen was actually sounding worried. “You can’t take it out on me! I swear, I didn’t know she planned to leave you to it alone! I thought getting you in costume and into a house filled with kids was bad enough!”
    Good. She was scared. Sylvie snuggled closer into the duvet and reached out to scratch Lazarus behind an ear. She smiled. Excellent. “I got the brochures from the community college,” she said. “Now all we have to do is choose a course for Susie.”
    Susie was dyslexic. Her handicap hadn’t been discovered until after she’d left high school, bitter and disappointed, convinced she was most stupid person in the world. The cousins had lived far apart at the time, too far away to shake sense into her, and had only found out the whole story later on.
    Recently, Susie had had regular sessions with a specialist, and her reading and writing skills had improved vastly. She’d even taken the GED a couple of years ago, had become a insatiable reader, and her cousins were certain she wanted to go back to school.
    But after high school, she was terrified of classes, of teachers, anything that had to do with school. She nearly broke out in hives at the sight of chalk.
    So naturally, a course at the community college was the perfect new zone for her to explore. Evil and nasty. Just what the doctor ordered. It would be good for her. And the best part – she obviously didn’t suspect a thing.
    “Excellent. See anything interesting?”
    Sylvie flipped through the thick leaflet of course descriptions. “There are quite a few options. I like creative writing. There’s a cool poetry class. I wouldn’t mind taking that one myself.”
    “No. You can’t go with her. She has to do this on her own.”
    “Yeah, I know, I know. And there are several other possibilities.”
    “Maybe we should meet for lunch tomorrow and discuss it?”
    “Can’t tomorrow. Job interview. This weekend?”
    “Sure. What kind of a job is it?”
    Sylvie hesitated. “Oh, just a temp job,” she then said off-hand. She didn’t need another lecture. “Just something to get me through the holidays.”
    “Yeah? Where?”
    “Actually, I’m not sure. It’s a store somewhere downtown. I don’t remember the details.”
    “Retail? In December?” Helen groaned. “Oh boy, are you in for a nightmare.”
    “I’m not sure yet, might be an office job. And anyway, I’m a starving artist, remember?” Sylvie quipped. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Chapter 4
     
    I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.
    Sylvie took a deep breath, looking at herself in the mirror. She was looking neat and professional. Her hair was brushed, and neatly pinned up, her make-up looked natural and she was wearing a simple conservative suit in subtle shades of gray. All in all she should fade naturally into the walls of any office, like a good office slave should.
    No ridiculous clown make-up. No scary polka dots. No horrid wig. She looked like a normal person. A normal person ready to tackle a new exciting job – and, damnit, with cheeks ever so slightly tinged with red because of her soon-to-be boss.
    Stupid, she chastised herself. He wouldn’t even recognize her again. He’d met a bedraggled clown, her real self well hidden behind paint and polka dots. She was determined to show him her professional side today, to prove that she would make a valuable employee -- but there was no need for her heart to race. This was just a job interview.
    The building was one of the glassy skyscrapers in the city center. She circled it a few times before finding a parking place, and used the time to pray they had employee parking somewhere not too far away. Running through the city center every morning and afternoon