The bronze bell above the door chimed sweetly, lightly announcing a customer had entered. Jane quickly sat up, startled. Her book store usually didn't have many customers, especially not on Sunday evenings. She waited expectantly for the customer to come to her desk to ask for help. The books were organized by cover, the ones Jane like best were on the middle shelves. The ones that didn't look appealing were on the very bottom and top shelves. Many people had told her in the past that she couldn't judge a book by its cover and Jane always though that was a little ridiculous. So, the only obvious course of action was to open her own book store and prove everybody that she could in fact judge a book by its cover.
A few minutes had already passed and the customer still had not awkwardly approached her desk. Why haven't they come to me yet? thought Jane. What if they aren't a customer? Who comes in here on a Sunday night? What if it's a murderer?! She thought. Jane gripped her wrist to help her calm down, her anxiety had flared up. “H-hello?” She called into the seemingly empty store. I'm alone! I can't just sit here, I have to catch them by surprise! Ok, take your book and dial 9-1 on your phone. Ok, Jane. Jane, just take deep breaths. Just relax, nothing is going to happen. Following her own advice, she fluttered her eyes close, inhaled deeply, and exhaled while slowly opening her brown eyes, her pupils large. Jane rose from her desk, taking a hardcover copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. She gripped the classic tightly while making her way to the front of the store. Pages rustled in the aisle next to her. Holding her breath, she looked behind her. Then, Jane turned the corner.
She was met with a face full of cotton and stumbled backward. Strong hands reached out of the cotton and gripped her shoulders, preventing her from embarrassing herself and landing on the floor.
“Hey, there! Are you all right?” Asked a man with playfully ruffled brown hair. His blue eyes were full of concern, and Jane noticed that he still hadn't taking his hands off of her shoulders.
