AllFreeNovel
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I always suspected Mason was spoiled and self-centered, but this is one of the rare times I hate being proven right.
As soon as we leave the room and shut the door behind us, I stalk off down the hallway without a word, leaving Mason hurrying after me.
At the end of the hallway, he grabs me by the shoulder. I spin around and glare at him. “What?” I snap, shaking his hand off.
He pulls the red curly wig off his head and stands there with his red clown nose, staring at me in exasperation. “What’s going on? Are we done?”
“Are we done?” I glare at him. “Yes and no. There are more kids waiting to meet you. And I’m honestly thinking of cancelling.” The press had already come and snapped his pictures and interviewed a few kids—who were super excited to meet him, until they actually met him. Then they were kind of wary, but fortunately the reporters had left by then.
“I didn’t ask you to cancel.” He folds his arms across his broad chest. “I don’t want you to cancel. We made a promise to those kids, and we should keep it.”
My shoulders sag. He’s willing to keep going even though he clearly hates being here. That doesn’t help the kids, though, and that is the reason we came today.
I let out a sigh and roll my shoulders, trying to release some tension. “Mason, you’re supposed to be a fun clown, and you’re giving the kids Pennywise vibes.”
He gives me a skeptical side-eye. “Is there even such a thing as a non-frightening clown?”
“Yes, that’s why they have them at children’s parties,” I say in exasperation.
“Did it ever occur to you that I might be freaking out because I have coulrophobia?”
“Colo-what?” I say in alarm. I pull my phone from my purse and try to look it up, but there’s no reception.
“A debilitating fear of clowns,” he supplies.
I stare at him. Where did he get that information from? “I have so many questions.”
He tugs at his polka-dotted suit. “Let me out of this clown suit, and I’ll give you answers.”
“Nope.”
He gives me a winning smile, his brown eyes twinkling and unfortunately making him the sexiest clown that ever donned the suit. “I look so much better without the suit on.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Yes, I’ve seen the underwear ads.”
He replies with an unbearably smug smile, as if thinking to himself,Of course you did. “Well, thank you.”
“I didn’t say I liked them,” I scoff.
Then again, I didn’t say I didn’t.
The truth was, I did like them. Objectively, Mason was undeniably gorgeous. Subjectively, he was an absolute ass.
“You didn’t just like them. You looooved them.” He drew the word out, his smile widening. When Mason wanted to, he could be charming as hell, even with a round red nose and giant shoes.
“Did not.” I sounded like a huffy kindergartener.
“You loved them, you loved them,” he sings. “Rowan loves my underpants.”
“That’s the Mason the kids need.” I say. I hold the wig out to him. “Wig up, and let’s go. You can be adorably charming and funny, and please do not tell anyone I ever said that, because I know people. Bad people. People who can do bad things to you.”
“I think I’m getting your message.” He winks at me. “Tell everyone, is what I’m hearing.”
“Ok, I want you to channel that wonderful Mason funny energy and go back there and clown around for the kids. You can brighten their day, Mason. Please take the hockey stick out of your ass and do so.”
He chokes on a laugh and puts the wig back on.
As we start to walk down the hall, he pauses.
