Ice cream And Robberies

My precious treasure

Enjoy.
***
"I've checked and the tray was definitely plugged in." I tell my boss, as he sadly stares at the melted strawberry ice cream. "I haven't a clue whats up with it, but it melted about two hours before the end of my shift."

Tom, the owner of Sweet Cones - a rapidly expanding local enterprise - winces. "What a waste." He shakes his head, mentally scratching out profit margins. With a tug, he pulls out the tray, muscles flexing, and looks at the mechanisms below. "Alright, tell you what, you go empty out this mess and I'll check the pipes. Something's gotta give."

I tip my cap. "Kay." Then, I lug the tray out back to dump the tonne of strawberry syrup down a drain. At first, the gloopy liquid goes down smoothly, but too soon the drain is overwhelmed and starts gargling it back up.

During one particularly bad upchuck, I see something glistening within a pink bubble. Naturally curious, I drop the tray, ignoring the harsh clash of tin on asphalt. "Is that..?"

I gasp. 

Jewels.

"What the hell?"

I grab it, wipe it on my apron, and sure enough a small packet full of diamonds is sparkling up at me. Where did these come from? I look at the drain, then at the tray. Weigh the greater evil: sticky hands, or a lost fortune.

Strawberry splats into my face as I plunge elbow deep into the bottom of the tray. But low and behold, instead of gloop and metal, my hands find more plastic wrappings. Dragging them out one by one I count a dozen packs of jewels: diamonds, rubies, other gems I can't remember the name of, and some actual jewellery like necklaces and rings.

Hidden with the melted ice-cream is a small fortune. Tom is going to lose his mind!

Maybe we'll be millionaires! Maybe he'll let me keep them! Maybe I don't have to work with sticky handed kids for the rest of my life. I'll live a life of glamour, of wealth, of -

"What you got there, Saffron?"

"Argh!"

I overturn the tray, scooping the goods hazardously into a pile which I then sit on.  Refraining from growling "my precious", I look at Logan with a suspicious gaze. Meeting a total hottie twice in one afternoon: coincidence? I think not.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, with as much judgement in my tone as possible. Go away, I silently urge, I'll share when we're married.

"Waiting." There's a pregnant pause, where he just smirks and I sit on my dirty, stained hands like your usual madwoman.

"...For?"

"You." He states so boldly I have to gape. Cute, or stalker? Does it even matter if its stalking if the stalkers cute? My mind says taser him. The rest of me...

Cue the blush.  I will myself to be the strong alpha female I know I am, to prioritise and cast this surely preordained attraction aside. "I'll call you later. Maybe."

I want to make a shooing motion, but my hands are preoccupied being crushed by my butt. Take a hint you stubborn mule!

"You don't have my number. Anyway, I actually wanted to talk to you...professionally."

"Oh?" Is he an ice-cream critic or something?

"Yep." He flashes me a disarming smile. "I know what you're sitting on. And whats more, I know what you're hiding because I'm the reason they're there."

Don't bite, he's totally bluffing.

I stick up my chin, and meet his eyes, refusing to reveal my prize. Nothing can make me move. Not hell or high water. I am a rock, unbendable, unmovable -

"I stole them."

I'm off them so fast you can see burn marks on the floor from my retreat. I'm pretty sure the whole region heard my gasp, and profanity, and more gasps and more profanity.

"You- you, oh my god, jail, I'm going to jail, rip girls holiday, hello orange jumpsuits. I'm a conspirator! An obstruction of law..." I pause, an evil grin coming onto my face. "unless I turn him in. Then, I'm a hero. Maybe I'll get some prize money."

"Or maybe I'll kidnap you so you can't tell anyone." He gives me a dry look.

"Noted."

Not. I bet I could outrun him. I'm fast, like really fast. Or I could fight him and put all of Dads training to use, though the thought of hurting him doesn't really appeal to me, despite his empty threat. "Why did you tell me this? You're cute," He wiggles his eyebrows. "but kind of dumb. Also, why strawberry ice cream? You cost Tom a week of profit, you know. This stiff isn't cheap." I flick the goop in his direction, smirking as it splats on his shoes.

"I'm telling you, because I've got a proposition. You want money, right? Well, I've got a...heist to pull off, and I think you've got just the skills I need."

"Yeah..." I start edging backwards, ready to buck it and run to the nearest station. I'm not stupid; I'm nobodies fall guy.

A weighty hand lands on my shoulder. I stiffen. If I had fur, it would be standing on edge. I swear, the sun's light fades, the air gets a chill, puppies everywhere start howling in misery... This is the end. I start thinking of all the good stuff I've done in life, and decide that fate sucks. I'm a good person - whatever happened to good karma!

"No worries! You're the perfect recruit, Sofie." I gasp, spinning around to see...

"Dad?!" I'm surrounded, Kyle, Dad, Tom and Jess suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "What the hell is going on?"

Jess grins, picks up a packet of gold necklaces with large rock pendants, and tosses it to my brother, Kyle, who pockets it. "You've been sold to the underground."

Kyle pumps his fist in the air, and I swear I hear him mutter, 'we're so badass'. But that would be lame, and this whole day has been wayyy to melodramatic for that.