"You're welcome," he said, as he tucked the shipment log under the counter and the gold into the register, before locking it up. He bent around the desk, when she turned to leave, scurrying to open the door into the night.
"You too, miss Bobbins, and please come again soon," he repeated the line he'd said a couple of hundred times with a little laugh, giving a slightly over-dramatic bow when Melinda exited. He closed the door with a silent click after her, casting a glance at the clock on the wall and whooping to himself as it pointed at Closing Time o'clock. Miss Bobbins had turned out to be be a good distraction from boredom. It didn't take him long to turn the sign OPEN-sign on the door to spell out something more appropriate and after turning a key in the lock, Fred nearly sprinted upstairs. He was going to change his clothes and then actually do something.