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Maybe I am falling for him, despite all better judgment. But if he’s falling for me, too – which doesn’t seem so far-fetched, considering how much time he spends with me outside work hours – maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.
“I’m gonna try to pin him down today,” I say as I set my panda mug aside. “He’s a young guy named Clarence, and he’s pretty new to the whole business. I’ve also discovered he’s a regular at the coffee shop just down the road. Might be a good time to approach him with a gift of sorts.”
Tarek smiles knowingly. “Nice work. You got this, Sloane,” he says, giving me a pat on the back before heading back to his office. Before stepping inside, he throws a glance over his shoulder. “Let me know how it goes, alright?”
My heart flutters as I nod. “I will. Promise.”
Once he’s gone, I let out an exhale. It’s around noon, the time of day this intern typically stops at the cafe for his lunch, so I decide it’s time to get going.
I make my way to my locker and pull out my disguise. I slip into the modest, ankle-length navy dress I’d picked up at a thrift shop, putting the velcro sandals over my feet and fastening the curly brown wig on my head. After adding a touch of makeup and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, I look myself over in the mirror. I look just like a middle-aged school teacher. Perfect.
I arrive at the cafe just a couple minutes after twelve, and surely enough, Clarence is there. He’s a young, scrawny pixie, sipping at a smoothie as he chats on his phone.
“Nah, I can’t be there,” he says dejectedly. “There’s a big charity gala coming up this Saturday, and everyone at work is expected to go. Maybe we could try for next weekend instead?”
He then notices me staring at him and gives me a curious look. Forcing a warm smile helps me slip right into character.
“I gotta go, babe. Talk to you later,” he says. He hangs up. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Well, hi there, young man!” I say in my best impression of a Texan accent. I sit down beside him and fold my hands on my lap. “You’re one of Craig’s employees, aren’t you?”
“I-I mean, I’m an intern for Craig,” he clarifies, blushing.
“Splendid! Do you think you’ll be seeing him soon?” I ask, tilting my head. “I have a message I’d like delivered if you don’t mind.”
“A message? Uh…” Clarence says. “That depends. What is it? Craig is kind of a secretive guy, not to mention busy.”
Oh, he sure is.
“Well, I’d just like Craig to know I’m so grateful for what y’all have done for my kids,” I say. “The money he’s donated to our school district has changed their lives! We’ve gotten a music program, lots of after-school activities, and even an expanded playground! I don’t know where they’d be without it.” I pretend to brush a tear from my eye.
Clarence smiles. “That’s great to hear, miss. But I’m sure he already knows.” He turns his attention back to his phone.
I grit my teeth. “In any case, me and the kids wanted to give him a little gift to show our gratitude,” I continue. “In addition to my thanks, could you deliver this to him as well?”
I hand Clarence a small gift bag. He takes it with a wary expression on his face. “What is it?” he asks.
“Oh, just a little teddy bear. He’s our school mascot. You know, Mister Gingersnaps?” I say with a hearty chuckle.
“Is that so?” Clarence says.
My heart races. What if he doesn’t accept the gift? I know Craig isn’t a teddy bear kind of guy, but I assume this intern would at least deliver the gift out of sympathy for an old lady.
He peeks into the bag to ensure that it really is a teddy bear. I’m probably not the first person to deliver Craig a sketchy gift, so I don’t blame him.
“Uh… alright,” Clarence finally says. “I’ll make sure it gets to him.”
“Thank you, sweetheart! That’d mean the world to me,” I say with a grin. Rising to my feet, I run my fingers through my curly wig. “Well, I should skedaddle, now. Take care, Mister Clarence!”
“You as well, ma’am!” Clarence says. He sets the gift bag on the table and turns his attention back to his phone.
Once I’m out of the cafe, I let out a sigh of relief. Now all I need to do is wait until the bugged teddy bear ends up in Craig’s office. Hopefully, Clarence doesn’t take his sweet time.
Upon returning to my computer, I set up the program that I’d connected to the bugged teddy bear. I put on my headphones, turn up the volume, and tune in.
At the moment, all I can hear is static and muffled voices. Most likely, the teddy bear hasn’t been delivered yet. I suppose I’ll just have to be patient.
An hour or so passes. In the meantime, I alternate between playing games on my phone and spinning around in my chair to keep myself from dying of boredom. For a moment, I start to worry that this plan will have been a bust.
