“Lawson,” he says, and I cringe. I hate the machismo bro-y vibe of the whole last-name thing, and the fact that it implies some level of history or friendship. Xander Laing and I are not friends. “Sorry I had to jet yesterday,” he says. “You know how it is.”

“I do,” I say, even though I don’t.

“Listen,” Xander says, getting right down to business. “Your profits are up compared to last June. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you,” I say, sitting up a little taller at the unexpected compliment. “I can’t take all the credit. My team has been—”

“Unfortunately,” Xander cuts in, “you’re slightly behind Josie.”

“Oh,” I say, my face falling. I’m such an idiot—of course my numbers being higher than normal doesn’t mean anything compared to hers.

“It’s going to be close,” he says, giving me a tiny spark of hope. “So you’ll have to pull out your A game if you want to keep your job. Hopefully that’ll motivate your staff, too.”

I try to swallow, but my throat’s gone dry. “Their jobs will be safe either way, right? The profits are only going to determine the manager job.”

“That’ll be up to whoever’s managing the store.” There’s noise on the other end of the line, then I hear Xander talking to someone else. “Gotta run,” he says, back to me. “Keep up the good work.”

I hang up and try to blink away an unsettling mental picture of the future: Josie handing out pink slips or making things so difficult my staff quits on their own. I have to figure out some way to get ahead.

Even still, I find myself pulling up this morning’s message from Gretchen.

Greetings from your plan B! Any update?

I hesitate, chewing on my lip, then type: Can I call you later? No decision yet, but I’d love to hear more details.

Gretchen texts back immediately: OMG! Really?! Yes of course—call anytime.

Their enthusiasm is gratifying, especially after Xander’s news. At least someone thinks I have something useful to offer.

I slump back against the couch and open the Libro.fm app. I wish I was listening to a comfort read, something with a guaranteed happy ending. But right now, I’m listening to a book that I know won’t end happily—after BookshopGirl mentioned the best way to get to know someone is to read their favorite books, I put a few from her Favorite Reads shelf on my TBR list, including this one—Atlas Shrugged. I was going to buy the hardcover, but it’s more than a thousand pages. The audiobook is sixty hours, but still easier for my mind to digest.

I’m about to hit play when a message from BookshopGirl comes in.