Page 119 of Battle of the Bookstores

“Everything,” I agree, wondering if she’s including our relationship in her equation. “So, let’s focus everything we’ve got on this meeting. We can’t control the outcome, but we can give it our best shot. Right?”

The spark is back in Josie’s eyes, and I smile. If we’ve got a chance, it will be because of that fiery spirit. The thing that drove me crazy, then made me crazyforher.

—

An hour later,we’re heading into work. After we grab our coffee at Beans, I make my way to the Happy Endings side of the store. There are a million things I could be doing, but I’m too anxious to do anything but pace.

“Morning, boss,” Cinderella says, startling me. I didn’t see her, curled up on her favorite reading couch. Her hair isplatinum blonde today—one of the most ordinary colors I’ve ever seen on her. Between that and her bright blue eyes, she looks like an older, more exaggerated version of the character she named herself after.

“Aren’t you fresh off the pages of a storybook,” I say.

She blushes and runs her hand through her hair. “A new look for the new store.”

“Hey, guys!” Eliza walks up to us.

I glance at my watch. “Shouldn’t you be at practice?”

Eliza shrugs. “I wanted to come wish you luck.”

“We all did.” I turn to see Indira and Nora, who worked her weekly shift yesterday, and my eyes well up with tears. “You guys, I…This is…Thank you for being here.”

“We couldn’t let you cross the finish line alone. What time is your meeting?” Indira asks.

“In about five minutes,” I say, blowing out a nervous breath.

“No matter what happens with Xander,” Cinderella says, “we want you to know how proud we are of you and how hard you’ve fought.”

“Working here has kept me young,” Nora says.

“And hot,” Eliza adds, bumping her shoulder against Nora’s.

“You didn’t just give me a job,” Cinderella says, getting choked up. “You gave me a home, a safe space when I needed it.”

Indira puts her arm around Cinderella’s shoulder, and Eliza steps in on her other side. We all move together in an awkward group hug that I wish didn’t feel so much like goodbye. Because no matter what happens, everything is going to change.

The alarm on my phone chimes, and my stomach clenches.

Cinderella offers me a sad smile. “Go give ’im hell, boss.”

—

Xander is tenminutes late. He walks in, looking out of place in a white linen suit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hopping a jet for a private party on a yacht in Bimini after this meeting.

“Lawson. Josie,” he says, approaching our table in the newly remodeled café.

“Xander, good to see you.” I stand and shake his hand, filling my voice with false cheer.

Josie remains seated in a counter–power move that I admire. More proof of her badassery.

“We’re going to have to make this short,” Xander says, grabbing the power back. “But I know you’re both eager to hear the results. And I’m happy to say both stores had impressive sales this quarter—”

“About that,” Josie says. “Ryan and I would like to make a counterproposal.”

Xander laughs, although he isn’t amused. “You don’t know my decision yet.”

Hades appears from wherever he’s been hiding and makes himself at home in Xander’s lap. I expect Xander to freak out—black cat, white suit—but instead, he starts to pet Hades. And my cat—the damn traitor!—starts to purr, tilting his head back in an invitation for Xander to stroke the fur between his ears.

Without hesitation, Josie launches into the speech we prepared, explaining how our numbers went from good to great because we started working together; that the combination of our strengths surpassed anything we could do alone.

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