This story is a fantasy. Always make sure to get consent from your partner.
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...I loved working at the Happy Moo Cow. I had been doing so since high school, and it worked out as a good summer job my first year back from college. It had been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. My sister had worked at it too, and for years I looked forward to working behind the counter too. I had been so nervous that afternoon when I had asked for the job, despite what everyone had told me.
Mr. Conklin had just looked me up and down, as I stood there nervously, and nodded. He wasn't being creepy, just putting on a show for me. All I really had to do was ask respectfully, and not look like a slob. He knew all about me already. My family had been coming to the Happy Moo Cow for years, and he knew most everybody in town. Besides, it wasn't that hard of a job. Scoop some ice cream, make some shakes, keep things clean, and you were good to go.
At this point I was sort of an assistant manager. Mr. Conklin, another girl, and I oversaw a cadre of a handful of highschoolers. Usually it meant that I was one of the ones that had to close up shop and handle the money at the end of the day. Sometimes though, I did have a chance to come up with some new flavors. That was a fun perk.
Mr. Conklin had owned the Happy Moo Cow for decades at this point. It was a Torrance Bay institution. Torrance Bay itself was formerly a lumber trading port. A sleepy town, nowadays it mostly catered to tourists. During the summer they would come to town, relax at the beach, go fishing off the coast, or adventure somewhere inland.
It was getting late. Michelle and I were scheduled to close that night at eleven, but Tuesdays were slow. Between that and a constant drizzle of rain, it had been an hour since we had a customer. I had Michelle clean up the back, and restock supplies, but there really wasn't anything else to do. So I ended up sending her home.
Michelle gave me a hug, "Thanks for letting me out early."
I gazed across the empty dining area, and out the window into the drizzle. "Yeah, I think I can manage whoever drags themselves in here." I knew she had been antsy to see her boyfriend tonight anyway. "Stay dry. Stay safe."
Michelle rolled her eyes, "Of course."
It was an inside joke between us. 'Stay safe,' meant make sure he uses a condom. She put on her jacket and flipped up her hood. As she headed out, Michelle gave me a wave. I smiled and waved back as the door closed behind her. I liked Michelle. We had gotten close over the past few weeks. She was even going to go to the same college as me next year. I was looking forward to it next year.
Getting back to work, I cleaned off all the tables and managed to sweep up most of the floor before my next set of customers came in. Hearing the tinkle of the bell I looked up, tourists. "Welcome to the Happy Moo Cow! Home of the best ice cream in the city!" I said with a smile. It was the truth. Admittedly Geordi's Deli had good gelato, and Jiffy's by the beach was where you went for a snow cone. In my opinion though, if you had to go for a cool treat in Torrance Bay you went to the Happy Moo Cow.
It was a young couple and their daughter. "Let me know if you have any questions." They looked over all the flavors. The Moo Cow had all the usuals: vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough, mint; however they were a variety of unique flavors too. "Let me know if you need any samples."
After handing out a couple samples, the couple decided to split a classic sundae and the daughter had a cinnamon swirl scoop in a cone. After paying they settled in a booth in the corner. "Let me know how you like it!"
Not long after the bell rang again. I looked up, and a young man walked in. He looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. As he sat down at a stool by the counter, I said, "Welcome to the Happy Moo Cow! How can I be of service?"
"Well," he said, "I'm just traveling through, and I was told this was the place to go for dessert."
"You were told right," I said with a smile. "Jean's bakery would also be a good place, but this late at night you made the right choice."
I gave him a wink. I had dated a couple guys this past year, but I currently didn't have a boyfriend. As much as I liked Torrance Bay, the pool of guys was pretty small. None of them really appealed to me, and I wasn't looking for any one night stands, regardless of how handsome they were. It didn't hurt to flirt with the customers a little though. It was good for tips.
"What's your recommendation?"
I bit my lip, "Hmmm. You can't go wrong with a milkshake. Any flavor you like? I can add some caramel or fudge if you want. That's extra though." I pouted, but he didn't seem to care.
"I'll take a look and let you know," he started to peruse all of our flavors, "Ooh, how about caramel peanut butter?"
"Oh, that's one of my favorites! It's a little rich though, can you handle that?" I didn't really like it, but he didn't have to know. "You can have a sample if you want?"
Waving his hand, "No, no, I trust you."
"Sounds good!"
Grabbing the shake cup, I got to work scooping. Three small scoops, and some milk. "Do you want some fudge too?"
"That would be great."
Setting it next to the mixer, I poured in the milk, and some fudge. Getting it going, it spun it for a few seconds. I let it set, then mixed it again. It looked good. Grabbing a frosty glass from a cooler, I poured the milkshake into the glass. A scoop of whipped cream on top, a spoon, and it was good to go. I set the glass and the leftover shake cup in front of him.
"And here's your straw," I said as I offered him a cup full of the milkshake straws.
He sipped it. "Mmmm, this is fantastic Macy. I'm Derrick by the way."
For a moment I didn't know how he knew my name until I looked down at my nametag. Blushing for a moment, I found something to do to try and look busy. Not long after, the family got up from their booth. The dad came by the counter and dropped a ten in the tip jar.
"Thank you so much!" I beamed at him.
"Of course, we'll be sure to stop by when we are in town again."
They headed out the door. I looked at the clock. There was only another half hour before closing time. Fortunately for me the family didn't make much of a mess in the booth. Wiping it down, I kept busy with the closing time checklist. It was mostly easy work, and fortunately me Michelle had done most of it already. If I could get the chance I would work ahead.
Looking at Derrick, it looked like he was busy sipping his milkshake. He had his phone out and seemed to be focused on it for now. For a moment, I hesitated. I wanted to take care of some stuff in the back. He didn't seem like he would cause too much trouble. Either way it wouldn't take me long anyway.
"I'll just be back here," I nodded towards the back, "Holler if you need anything."
Derrick looked up from his phone. He said, "Don't worry about me."
I gave him a smile as I turned around, and pushed through the door. It swung open, and flopped back and forth as I went through it. Really I just had to organize and get some stuff ready for tomorrow. We had gotten a shipment earlier today, and I needed to make sure all the supplies got where they needed to go. It wasn't hard, I just needed to put stuff where it belonged.
After a couple minutes, I heard the door swing open. Turning, Derrick was standing in the doorway.
"I'm really sorry. Customers can't be behind the counter," I told him.
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I had a little spill, and I wanted to clean it up. There weren't any napkins though."
That was weird. I thought I had Michelle refill all the supplies. Looking around, I remembered the extras were on one of the top shelves. I sighed, and went to grab the stepladder.
Derrick stepped forward, "I can help you with that."
"No, I've got it," I waved him off.
Setting the step ladder in front of the shelves, I placed my foot on the first step when I felt arms grab me around the waist. I was lifted up and swung around.
"What the fuck! What the fuck!" I shouted.
Derrick threw me against the shelves, and I cried out in pain as my ribs impacted a shelf. I turned around to see him leering at me. I rubbed my side, It hurt a lot, but nothing was broken. I was only shaken a little
"The Moo Cow is closing a little early tonight," he said.
My heart started to pound. I don't recall the Happy Moo Cow ever getting robbed. Mr. Conklin just told me to give robbers any cash they wanted. Insurance would take care of it, and my safety was more important.