Battle of the Bookstores

The next week, Josie and Ryan are in the honeymoon stage of their new relationship. On the day before the competition between their stores is set to end, Ryan meets Georgia, who warns Ryan to treat her right and put her first. The next day, they meet with Xander. When they present their plan to him, pointing out that their collaboration has produced record sales numbers as proof of their combined competence, Xander is unmoved. Though Josie had always been ahead, their decision to work together boosted Ryan’s numbers allowing him to win. Xander offers Ryan the job, but he refuses to take it and walks out.

Xander is unfazed and gives the manager job to Josie. After quick instructions on how to continue running the store to his liking, Xander leaves. Josie tries calling Ryan but he doesn’t answer. He eventually texts after her work day is over, inviting her over. At Ryan’s place, he tells Josie that tomorrow he will be traveling to Provincetown, Massachusetts to check out the bookstore where he was offered a job. If he accepts the job, he will move there—two hours away. Josie panics at the thought of their new relationship potentially ending when it’s barely begun. Though Ryan is committed to making long distance work, Josie feels like he’s leaving her.

Josie initiates sex with Ryan, but he can tell she’s pulling away emotionally to protect herself from the uncertainty of their future. Ryan makes love to her and promises her that he will be hers always. Josie spends the night, and when she falls asleep, Ryan stays up thinking about her reaction and his promise to Georgia. He also remembers Nora telling him and his staff about the decision point in the third-act breakup, where the characters must fight for their relationship. He becomes determined to find a different solution to their problems that doesn’t involve moving away.

The next morning, Josie wakes up to a text from her mother. When she calls, her mother explains that she found Darrell, who apologized for getting scared and begged her to take him back. Breaking with her old habits, she stayed firm with her boundaries and refused to do so. Josie is shocked that her mom has shown real growth. Her mom apologizes for her past bad parenting and explains that she read those romance books because they gave her hope—not about romance, but that people can change and grow “even when they have painful pasts or have made mistakes” (373). By following the examples in those novels, she has personally changed and is able to be supportive of her daughters. Her mother then gives her advice about Ryan, stating that Josie must tell Ryan how she feels about him moving away. She urges Josie to be sure of what she wants and not to settle for less.

Emboldened by Ryan’s words of affirmation the night before and the conversation with her mom, Josie decides to find an alternative solution to their unemployment issue. Josie leaves a note for Ryan instructing him to meet her at the bookstore for closing tonight. Josie calls Xander and convinces him to give Ryan the job instead. That night, Josie returns to the bookstore and finds Ryan waiting. He has lit candles all over the store to illuminate all of Josie’s favorite books and some quotes from each. He reveals that he has read these books to better understand who Josie is. Ryan calls this his grand gesture to prove to Josie that he prioritizes her.

Josie explains what she’s spent all day putting into action. She wants him to take the manager job Xander offered. Meanwhile, she will work for him part-time while also going back to college to get her degree. She tells Ryan she loves him, and when he calls this their happy ending, Josie states that it’s not an ending at all because there are many pages left to live.

One year later, Ryan has renamed the bookstore Beyond the Pages in honor of Josie’s comment about the life beyond the “happy ending.” Josie has added a business minor to her degree and is making progress in school while also working part-time to help Ryan. Josie’s mom has also been working to earn Josie’s trust back by holding down a job, going to therapy, and staying away from dating for a while.

After work one day, Ryan gifts Josie a blind date book. She reads the clue on the wrapping paper, which states that the novel is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story with “witty banter, slow burn, online epistolary, Jewish representation, tall fetish” (391). She then opens it to find an illustration of her and Ryan on the cover. A blurb from Penelope Adler-Wolf graces the front, and inside are all her messages with RJ and annotations in the margins from Ryan. Ryan proposes to Josie who accepts on the condition that they someday buy the bookstore from Xander.