Casey sighed wearingly as he grudgingly pulled on his green Buymore polo, gazing at his glum reflection in the mirror. He didn't even look like himself anymore. He looked like every other slob instead of a proud member of the United States Military and one of the nation's top spies. He wished he were in a tux at a fancy consulate dinner, wooing the wives of world leaders and chasing bad guys. Instead he was stuck in LA babysitting a dweeb with a computer for a brain.
He drove his black SUV to the Buymore, parking in the same spot he parked in everyday. He got out and walked through the front door, just like he did every morning. He went to the back, clocked in, and then went to his usual spot on the floor. He stood there, looking around at the now familiar shelves filled with all-too-recognizable merchandise and at the well-known faces in Buymore green. He looked at his price scanner and then put it to his temple, pulling the trigger. It beeped annoyingly.
"Morning Casey!" Chuck greeted him cheerfully, walking by. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
Casey groaned inwardly and looked around, wondering how he had failed to notice the hideous pink hearts and ugly fat babies with bows and arrows showcased around the Buymore. This must've accounted for his particularly bad mood this morning. Subconsciously he must have remembered it was Valentine's Day, his least favorite day of the year.
A bouquet of red roses paraded through the front doors and marched toward Anna. The bouquet dropped with a flourish to reveal their carrier: the most obnoxious worker at the Buymore, Morgan Grimes. Casey sneered with disgust as Morgan presented the bouquet to Anna, who seemed delighted. He turned away before he had to watch them kiss.
"Don't you love Valentine's Day?" Chuck said later, appearing at Casey's elbow as he stocked the shelves. "Everyone showing they love each other?"
Casey grunted. "I don't see how martyred saints are romantic." He replied shortly.
"I'm sensing a little bitterness here." Chuck said. "Sounds like someone doesn't have a valentine."
Casey pointedly ignored him, stocking the shelves with increased intensity.
"Ellie is having Valentine's Day dinner at our place. Maybe you could scare up a date and come." Chuck suggested. Casey stopped to glare down at him. "Okay, maybe 'scare up' was a poor choice of words." Chuck conceded. "Come on, Kemo Sabe! You can't just sit in your apartment alone on Valentine's Day."
Casey turned to look at him. "Finished?"
"At least think about it." Chuck implored.
"That's what I thought." Casey said, turning and walking away.
"Y'know, John, there's more to life than guns and bonsai!" Chuck called after him. A few customers paused to look at him. "Scanner guns and… plants… Can I help you with anything?"
Casey smiled wryly. At least he had Chuck to act like an idiot and keep things a little more interesting.
He managed to sell a washer and dryer and several small kitchen appliances including a microwave. All in all, it was turning out to be a successful day for him in sales. Not to say he wouldn't rather be putting bullet holes in terrorists, but as long as he had to work in that dump he would at least make the most of it.
A woman walked into the store and began looking through the refrigerators. Morgan began moving towards her but Casey cut him short with a glare.
"Hey, she's all yours, buddy." Grimes said, backing away. Casey forced a grin to his face.
"May I help you?" he asked, disgusted at how pleasant his voice sounded.
"I'm just looking." she replied with a brief smile.
"Nothing says 'I love you' like a new, stainless steel fridge." Casey said matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest while his eyes scanned the merchandise.
"I beg your pardon?" the woman asked, giving him an odd look.
"It's Valentine's Day, ma'am." Casey explained, wondering how anyone could have misunderstood his obvious comment. This lady was pretty, but she was an idiot. But in this mission he was used to being surrounded by idiots.
"It is, isn't it?" The woman sighed. "I forgot."
"Not a fan of St. Valentine I take it?" Casey asked, glad that at least one other person shared his dislike of the holiday.
"I prefer to call it Single Awareness Day." She replied. "The one day a year when it's painfully obvious who is single and who isn't."
"I take it you're on the single end of that spectrum."
"See. It's obvious."
"How about you make a huge impulse buy to take your mind off it?" Casey suggested, having to force himself to sound pleasant less and less. "I always feel better after spending a lot of cash."
The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Always the salesman, eh John?"
Casey felt himself grow tense. "How do you know my name?"
The woman tapped his chest with one finger. "Nametag."
Now Casey felt like an idiot. Probably because he worked in a store full of them. It was beginning to rub off on him. But he was also a spy, and being suspicious was in his job description. And he was good at his job.
"Right," he said with a smile. "I keep forgetting. I didn't have a nametag at my last job."
"What was your last job?" the woman asked, casually walking down the line of refrigerators. Shooting bad guys and saving the country. He thought bitterly.
"Construction." he replied without missing a beat. She turned her head to look him up and down.
"I certainly don't doubt that." she said. She turned back to examining fridges. "I just moved into a new apartment and I need a new refrigerator. Something compact and durable, classy but affordable. Any suggestions, John?"
"Well," began Casey, launching him into a memorized monologue describing several of the refrigerators. The woman listened, occasionally stopping him to ask questions.
"I think we have a winner." She declared when he was finished, looking one of the fridges up and down. "Small, sturdy, chic and cheap." She turned to look at him. "I'll take it."
Casey half-smiled. "I'll get the paperwork."
When everything was sorted out and paid for, Casey walked the woman to the front of the store.
"Your refrigerator will arrive tomorrow." he said.
"Will you be the one delivering it?" the woman asked.
"No, that's not my job, ma'am." Casey replied. She looked at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
"Darn."
"Have a nice day, ma'am."
"See you around, John." She turned and left through the automatic sliding doors.
"You could ask her to dinner." Chuck suggested, appearing at Casey's side.
"Don't be an idiot!" Casey replied, walking away. Chuck followed.
"Oh, come on! That girl was all over you! She was practically drooling!"
Casey grunted in reply.
"What could it hurt? If she turns out to be some crazy psycho you can just, y'know, take her down." Chuck continued.
"Even if I wanted to ask her out, which I don't, she's already gone. I don't even know her name." Casey replied shortly. Chuck sped up and stood in Casey's path, forcing him to stop. He held up the clipboard with the woman's paperwork.
"Guess who has her name, number, and address?" he said, tipping the clipboard from side to side.
"Hmm." grunted Casey.