“For a pretty woman.”
Maisie tilted her head this time and replied, “Yes, she’s very pretty.”
“Good,” the woman said with a smile. “I’d like to buy a book now.”
“Okay,” she replied. “What can I help you find?”
“Do you have any books on finding love?”
“Um… Yes. Fiction or something in the self-help or–”
“Whatever you’d prefer.”
“Okay. Well, if you’re looking for something on findinglove, there’s a shelf with a few books on that, but there’s also a romance section.”
“Romance,” the old woman said.
Maisie nodded and walked her to the section, motioning with her hand to the books with shirtless men on the covers, thinking she might be interested in those.
“I think this one,” the woman said as she pulled one of the few lesbian romances Maisie carried in the shop mostly because a few of her friends would buy them occasionally. “For you.”
“Forme?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.
“This one with the pink cover.”
“You want to buy it?”
“No, but you should put it on the counter now. I’ll buy something else.”
The woman walked away from Maisie and back to the counter. On her way, she picked up a different book off an endcap and dropped it there for Maisie to charge her for. Maisie didn’t know why, but she grabbed the book with the pink cover and brought it with her.
“Just this?” she asked.
“Yes, please,” the woman replied with a smile.
When Maisie rang her up, she was handed cash, so she gave the woman her change. The old woman nodded toward the book with the pink cover, smiled at Maisie again, and left the shop.
“What the actual fuck?” Maisie said to herself.
“Hey, boss,” Sarah said.
“Hey. You’re not working today,” Maisie replied when Sarah came in from the back.
“Lainey said you might need me to cover for an hour or two while you work on campaign stuff. If not, that’s cool. I can just browse and pick up a few books.”
“Actually, that would be great. I need to try to raise more money.”
“I’ll take the register. Want me to restock this?” Sarah asked, picking up the pink book.
“No,” she replied. “You can just leave that one there.”
“Oh. Is someone coming in to pick it up? There’s no slip inside with a name.”
Sarah opened the book to the first page, where they always placed a piece of paper with the name and phone number of anyone who called in to request that a book be put on hold for them.
“It’s not reserved for anyone, but you can just leave it there,” Maisie told her, not knowing why she was saying this.
“Um… Okay,” Sarah said, obviously confused.
