The ladder wasn’t very high, just a three-step, but she didn’t seem comfortable up there. She held on to the grip with one hand while trying to hang a paper flamingo with the other.

It made Susanne a bit nervous too. The last thing her uncle needed was a workplace accident. “Want me to do that?”

For a moment, Frau Lamm looked tempted to let her take over, but then she shook her head. “I can do it.”

“Suit yourself.” She had offered, so now Frau Lamm was on her own. But she couldn’t help keeping an eye on her.

Since Frau Lamm was short, she had to stretch to reach the ceiling. The sweater she wore rode up, revealing a strip of smooth skin and a toned belly.

Admittedly, Anja didn’t look bad for a paper geek.

The random thought made Susanne frown. Where the hell had that come from? And since when did she think of her as anything but Frau Lamm? She resolved to keep her eyes—and her thoughts—on work. “So care to explain that wet ink/dry ink stuff you were talking about with the customer yesterday?”

Frau Lamm paused in her attempts to hang the paper flamingo. “Basically, it’s about the viscosity of the ink. Some inks flow more quickly from the nib, so they’re called wet. There are even some companies who add lubricants to their inks. In comparison, a dry ink has a slower flow, so there’s a bit more friction when you write.”

Wet, lubricants, friction. Susanne hid her grin behind the pen magazine. Who knew that inks could sound so sexy?

At least when Frau Lamm talked about them. She launched into an explanation of various examples for wet and dry inks, gesturing animatedly with both hands. She seemed to have forgotten her earlier discomfort at being on a ladder.

It was kind of cute how enthusiastic the usually quiet woman became when she spoke about inks, but at the same time, on top of a ladder wasn’t the best place for that much enthusiasm. It wobbled on the uneven wood floor, making Frau Lamm drop the flamingo as she latched on to the grip.

Susanne put down the magazine and pointed at the paper animals. “Come on. Let me do that.”

“I told you I can do it.”

“I’m not saying you can’t. But I’m taller. If you hand me the animals and I pin them, we’ll be done in no time.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Frau Lamm nodded. “All right. Thanks.” She climbed down and picked up the paper flamingo.

Susanne climbed up, ignoring the fact that her thigh brushed against Frau Lamm’s shoulder in the process. When Frau Lamm handed her the flamingo, she pinned it to the ceiling by the attached string.

Next, Frau Lamm held out what looked like a fox.