Jo reached over, touched Rinn on the shoulder. “Can you please go back to the register now? I really, really, really need you to stand at the register. And not move. Until someone takes your spot. That’s literally all I need from you. And you’re still really struggling, and I need a verbal confirmation that you can do this for me.”

But Jo’s previous revelation hit Rinn like a ton of bricks, all over again. “Wait, everyone but AJ knows?”

“I don’t even know why I bother. Like, why do I try?” Jo shook her head.

Clarity ran through Rinn. Her whole body was alert, ready. And she had only one thought in mind. “Should I tell him?”

Jo nodded along. “Yeah, of course you should. Of course that is where this day is going.”

“Jo. I’ve got to tell him. That I’m in love with him. Don’t I?”

Jo sighed. “Sure. Fantastic. Now. Can you please—get back to the register?”

“So I shouldn’t tell him? That’s what you’re saying? Like what do you think my odds of success here are?”

“Rinn Olivera.” Jo just shouted it at this point. She must have been trying to startle Rinn back to the register.

But Rinn was too focused now. Her head was too clear. She knew she needed to tell AJ how she felt. Rinn would not be intimidated into jumping straight to the register. She had to save the bookstore. She had to tell AJ how she felt.

And then Imogen barreled straight into Jo. As she did, Imogen dropped the notebook that was in her hands and fell over.

Rinn went over to Imogen, to see if she needed any help getting up. “Are you sure you’re all right? You keep, like, running into people.”

“I’m fine,” said Imogen through gritted teeth.

Rinn did her best to not take this personally. As Jo helped herself up, she picked up the notebook that had fallen in the collision. She looked at the cover and flipped it open. Imogen’s face went all scrunched up and concerned, watching Jo flip through the notebook.

“Wait,” said Imogen. “Don’t read that.”

“Why not?” Jo looked up, stared at Imogen’s expression, then closed the notebook. “What in the hell is going on?”

12

Into the Mouth of Hell

11:46 A.M.

Daniella

“What’s going on with what?” Daniella had made it to the floor just in time to watch Jo pick up the notebook filled with the inventory numbers. The notebook itself wasn’t incriminating in the least.

The expression on Imogen’s face, however, told Daniella that her odds of getting out of this unscathed were slim to none. She was going to try anyway, though.