Battle of the Bookstores

Ryan makes dinner reservations, and Josie worries that the plan feels too much like a date. When Ryan leads Josie to Boston Public Library, Josie hesitates, telling Ryan that she dropped out of school and hasn’t been back since. Ryan convinces her to trust him and leads her to the Map Room—“a tea and cocktails lounge just off the main entrance” that Josie quickly falls in love with (237).

Josie starts the conversation by asking Ryan how he became a bookseller. He explains that he was caught shoplifting from a bookstore, worked off his debt by reading aloud to the owner’s pet parrot, and was eventually offered a real job. Josie thinks of her mom’s habit of disappearing into romances and asks if Ryan has ever confused reality with fantasy during his reading, a question Ryan finds ridiculous. Josie segues onto the topic of the competition. She explains that she and Ryan have complementary skillsets in bookselling. Over the next six weeks, Josie and Ryan plan to work together to increase their profits, hoping to convince Xander to keep them both on staff.

After dinner, Josie and Ryan pass Bates Hall. Being on campus reminds Josie how much she loved this place, and she realizes she’s spent far too much time avoiding it.