Uncle Norbert continued to look at them.

His scrutiny made Susanne nervous. Didn’t he believe her, or could he sense that something had happened between them?

“I think we should fill that prescription and get you home so you can ice that great-looking ass of yours.” Ulrike gently took his elbow and led him to the exit.

“I could drive him home,” Susanne offered.

Ulrike shook her head. “That’s not necessary. Nobby and I are neighbors, so I’m going there anyway.”

“But who’ll make him dinner?”

“Hey, I’m not an invalid,” Uncle Norbert protested. “I hurt my tailbone, not my hands. I can take care of dinner myself.”

Ulrike patted his arm. “You eat dinner over at my place almost every night anyway.” She looked at Susanne. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure he takes it easy at home.”

“At home?” Uncle Norbert echoed. “I’m not staying at home. The doctor said I could work.”

“He or she probably said you could work as long as you’re not sitting for any length of time or bending down and lifting stuff,” Anja said. “And that’s ninety percent of what you do at Paper Love. You won’t be able to restock the shelves or work in the office, and even if you stand behind the counter, you’ll be uncomfortable and grouchy. That’s hardly the way to make our customers happy. So why not finally take some time off, like you promised me you would back in December?”

Oh wow. Susanne struggled to hide her grin. Anja was a force to be reckoned with when she was protecting the people she cared about.

Uncle Nobby looked completely steamrollered. “But—”

“Don’t worry.” Anja rubbed his arm. “We’ve got it covered. Right, Susanne?”

“Right.” Then Susanne’s amusement faded as they left the ER and she remembered that she’d be in the car with Anja in a minute and that she didn’t have a clue what to say to her.

Now that the emergency was over, awkwardness settled between them. Anja missed Susanne’s arm around her. Not even the soothing notes of Jenna Blake’s latest song drifting through the car’s speakers could drown out the silence between them—quite the opposite. The romantic ballad made her all the more aware that there would be no romance for her and Susanne.

“I’m so glad he’s not seriously hurt,” Anja said when she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Me too.” Susanne took a right onto Lehener Strasse, then stopped at a red light at the next intersection. She peeked over at Anja. “But I guess it changes things, doesn’t it?”

“Between us?” Anja said before she could stop herself.