“Distance? Susi, we only saw each other once a year—if that—even before the divorce. How can you need distance from that?”

Susanne studied the grains of the wood floor.

The bell above the door jingled, and Anja’s warm presence filled the store. “Nobby!” She rushed to him, put down the two paper cups, and gave him a careful hug. “It’s so great to see you. How are you? Did the doctor say it’s okay for you to come back to work?”

Susanne watched them smile and talk. Uncle Norbert was right. Anja had been much more of a family member for him than she had been. No wonder he was so protective of her.

Anja looked back and forth between them. “Am I interrupting something?”

The familiar twinkle returned to Uncle Norbert’s eyes. “I get the feeling I was the one interrupting something.”

A flush rose up Anja’s neck and colored her cheeks, but she didn’t try to deny it. She wrapped her arm around Susanne’s hips and held on tightly. “Susanne and I… We’ve grown close. But please don’t get your shotgun out, okay? We agreed to take it day by day and to see where it goes.”

Uncle Norbert’s forehead wrinkled. “Are you really fine with that?”

“Yes, I am. Don’t worry about me.” Anja gave a soft squeeze to Susanne’s hip, then let go and kissed Uncle Norbert’s bearded cheek before wheeling the first carousel outside.

“Sorry,” Susanne mouthed because she had promised to take care of the carousels.

Anja smiled and mouthed, “It’s okay.”

As Susanne watched her wheel the carousel through the door, her uncle’s question resounded in her ears. Was Anja really fine with their agreement?

Uncle Norbert cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. “Why did you never give me that chance?” He waved his hand toward where Anja had disappeared. “I would have been fine with even the occasional, casual contact.”

Susanne reached for her coffee cup to have something to do with her hands and took a sip of the hot beverage. “It wasn’t about you. After seeing what my father put Mama through with his immature ways, I wanted to distance myself from him as much as I could.”

“I’m the first to admit that my little brother often acts like a carefree kid with no responsibilities, but not everything about him is bad, you know? Not everything about this side of the family is bad.”

“I know.” Susanne stared into the black depths of her coffee. “I think I threw out the baby with the bathwater, and I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have punished you for things he did. I’m sorry, Nobby. Uh, Uncle Norbert.”