Okay, this was kind of fun, Susanne had to admit.

Finally, they put the crayons down and continued exploring the booths along the broad aisle. Anja took the lead as they talked to vendors from all over the world and watched product demonstrations and presentations on the latest developments in the stationery business.

Susanne was used to taking control of work situations, so hanging back and letting Anja do the talking took some getting used to. After a while, she found that she didn’t mind at all. She knew she could trust Anja to do a much better job than she could.

As quiet and unassuming as Anja was most of the time, she now talked animatedly and asked clever questions. Plus her accent when she spoke English with people from all over the world was kind of cute. She charmed the exhibitors without even trying, so the two extra bags Anja had brought became heavier as the day progressed and they collected free samples, business cards, and product catalogs. They also took turns carrying Anja’s backpack, which seemed to be getting heavier by the minute too.

Susanne’s feet and shoulders ached. She had no doubt that if she glanced at the fitness app on her phone, she’d find that they had walked at least five kilometers—and the day wasn’t even half over yet. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she watched Anja take in yet another booth.

This one displayed notebooks that had a computer keyboard embossed on their covers. When she took a closer look, she realized that the letters on the keys spelled out handwriting beats keyboard.

Susanne suppressed a chuckle. This was definitely the right notebook for Anja.

Anja lovingly ran her fingers over the cover, tracing the keys, and then opened one of the journals to study the paper.

“They come in hardbound and softbound, and we offer them in three different colors and three sizes,” the exhibitor said in heavily accented English. “Customers can choose between ruled and blank paper.”

“They are beautiful,” Anja said in a tone that most people reserved for little babies—or their lovers.

A shiver went through Susanne despite the overly warm temperature in the hall.

“You should really think about offering them with dot-grid paper too,” Anja said. “It’s really popular with many customers at the moment.”

That started a lively discussion about ways to make the product even better, and when they parted ten minutes later, Anja slid yet another catalog and a free notebook into her bag.

The vendor warmly shook her hand.

Anja glanced at the business card he had handed her and smiled at him. “Dovidenja. Zelim vam ugodan dan.”

That got her an excited response, and it took two more minutes before Susanne could finally pull her away from the booth.

“You speak…whatever language that was?” Susanne asked as they headed for the hall’s exit.