Page 60 of Tangled with the Tight End

I send a text.

Declan: Don’t worry about having clown makeup on.

I delete that.

Declan: Come back.

I delete that.

Declan: Are you okay?

I delete that.

The front door opens again.

“Winona?”

“It’s me!” she shouts. But she doesn’t come into the family room.

I wait. And wait.

She’s gone long enough that I shout her name, and when she doesn’t answer I pick up my phone, open the intercom app and say, “Winona? Are you still here?”

“I’m here!” her voice carries through the house from somewhere far enough away that it’s muffled.

A few minutes later, she comes back into the room, her face is the kind of red that comes from scrubbing. But the white makeup, oversized red lips, and black around her eyes is all fully removed.

“So … are we talking about the clown makeup? Or …?” I ask her.

“I was a clown today.”

She gives one firm bob of her head as if her statement explains everything.

“Hence the makeup,” I say.

When a smile spreads across my face, I realize it’s the first one I’ve smiled all day.

She did it again—made me smile.

“Can we not?” she asks.

But then, her eyes crinkle. She lets out a soft huff and then she starts cracking up. My laughter joins hers. The sound fills the room.

“I can’t believe I forgot to take off my makeup!” Winona covers her face with her hands.

“I’d really, really love to know the story behind the clown makeup.” I wave to my leg. “I’m stuck here on the couch, watching a game I should be playing in. Humor me, Winona.”

She shakes her head softly, walking over to the chair next to the sofa.

“I’ve got this thing I do,” she says. “It’s called …” She pauses. I hold her eyes, still smiling from the way she just made me laugh. “It’s called Winona for Hire.”

“Winona for Hire?”

“Yeah. I do odd jobs. The oddest jobs, really. Like … goat sitting. Planting potatoes. Walking five dogs—all at once … things like that.” She smiles a bashful smile. “... And being a clown at a five-year-old’s birthday party.”

“But you’re a nurse’s aide,” I state the obvious.

“I have school loans, bills … My hours aren’t consistent and the pay isn’t amazing. I love what I do, don’t get me wrong. And, if all goes well, in less than a year I’ll be a nurse. Then I’ll make a lot more. But for now, to make ends meet, Daisy came up with Winona for Hire. I posted fliers at the deli and the bakery. People have been calling ever since.”