“Croatian. No, I don’t really speak it. Just a few phrases that I remember from when I was a child. My parents and I used to spend every summer in Croatia, but I was just eight or nine when the war broke out and we stopped going, so all I remember are things like goodbye and have a nice day.”

“It’s a beautiful country,” Susanne said.

Anja’s eyes lit up. She got that dreamy look on her face—the same one she got when she talked about pens and notebooks. “You’ve been there?”

Susanne nodded. “Just once. I spent a week on Krk last year. Not long enough to pick up more than pivo molim.”

They both chuckled at Susanne’s beer-ordering skills.

“So you didn’t go back as an adult?” Susanne asked.

Anja shook her head. “September is really the best time to go. It’s still warm enough to swim, and most tourists are gone by then. But that’s also the time when we’re pretty busy at the store with back-to-school sales.” After a moment, she added, “Plus vacations like that aren’t in my budget.”

“Did you never consider getting a better-paying job so you can go on vacations, maybe get a car…”

Anja stopped abruptly, ignoring the fact that they were right in front of the escalators.

Other visitors had to veer around them. Some cursed loudly.

“It might be hard to imagine for you, but not everyone needs a BMW and tailor-made clothes to be happy.”

For a second, Susanne didn’t know what to say. It was rare that anyone talked to her like that. She opened her mouth to protest but then snapped it shut, lightly gripped Anja’s elbow, and pulled her onto the escalator going up to the next level.

There were no exhibitors on this floor, just meeting rooms, so fewer people milled around. Susanne spied a quiet corner with a padded bench across from several computer terminals with a handwritten sign that said out of order. She led Anja over and put down her heavy bag.

Anja dropped onto the bench next to her and ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry.” She glanced at Susanne, then away. “I don’t know what… I’m usually not… I guess all the stress of the store possibly closing is getting to me. Of course, that’s not an excuse for being a bitch.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Susanne’s mouth. “You think that was bitchy? Compared to some of my former colleagues, that was tame.”

Anja shook her head. “Then I definitely wouldn’t want to work for that company.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” She couldn’t imagine Anja surviving for even a day in that pool of sharks.