You drop back from the front of the line to walk beside Pearl.
"Hey. I need to ask you a pretty big favor. I'm trying to figure out what's going on with that footprint I saw in the woods. So I need to go out into the forest this afternoon by myself, while the kids are having their free-time activities."
Pearl nods quickly, even before you're finished. "I get it. You've kind of got two jobs here. I really appreciate that you were honest with me. Yes, I'll cover for you this afternoon. Just don't do this too often, okay?"
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