Just not with me? Susanne wondered.

Anja removed the lid from a container and held it out to her. “Cookie?”

With a wry smile, Susanne reached for one. “Thanks.”

As the train compartment around them fell quiet, most passengers dozing, reading, or working on their laptops, their conversation ended too. Maybe it was better that way since Anja didn’t know what to talk about with Susanne.

When the train reached Offenburg, the first of a handful of stops along their route, Susanne’s cell phone rang. She pulled it from the pocket of her blazer. With a quick “sorry” to Anja, she lifted it to her ear. “Are you checking up on me?” she asked instead of a greeting. It sounded affectionate, not scolding, though.

Was it her girlfriend?

But she had told them she didn’t have a girlfriend when Miri had asked.

“Friday? No, that sounds great. Can’t wait.”

A female voice came through the phone, but Anja couldn’t make out what she was saying. Not that she was eavesdropping or anything.

“Don’t be stupid,” Susanne said. “You don’t need to book a hotel. Of course you can stay with me.”

So a woman would visit Susanne next weekend—and she would be sleeping over. Anja didn’t care, of course.

When Susanne ended the call, Anja quickly busied herself with unwrapping a second muesli bar.

Susanne put the phone away with a smile on her lips but didn’t offer an explanation.

“If you’ve got a friend from Berlin visiting, I can give you a few pointers about must-see spots in Freiburg.” What are you doing? She definitely hadn’t meant to say that.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Susanne answered. “Unlike me, my womb mate has been in Freiburg several times in the last few years. I assume Uncle Norbert has shown her around already.”

“Womb mate?” Her brain felt as if it were operating in slow motion—not a good thing considering this day could make or break the survival of the store.

Susanne chuckled. “Yes. That’s what a friend once called my twin sister. Somehow the name stuck.”

“Aww. That’s kind of cute.”

“I think so too, but should you ever meet her, don’t tell her that. She’s an incorrigible flirt, so you wouldn’t want to encourage her.”

The wrapper slid from Anja’s hand, and she quickly picked it up and stuffed it into the tiny garbage compartment between the seats in front of them. “Does that mean your sister is gay too?” She peeked over at Susanne to judge her reaction. “Um, please feel free to tell me it’s none of my business.”

“No, that’s fine. It’s not like it’s a big secret. Actually, Franziska is bi.”