Anja dropped into the seat next to Susanne and stretched out her aching feet as far as the space in the high-speed train allowed. At least the regional train from the exhibition grounds to the main station hadn’t been as crowded as this morning. Too bad, a little voice commented. She ignored it.

Susanne rotated her shoulders, which probably hurt as much as Anja’s since they had taken turns carrying the backpack and had each lugged around a heavy bag too. “I can’t believe this was just one day. It feels like we were there all week.”

“Yeah.” Anja’s brain was on overload with all the stimulation from the fair and the things they would have to do in the coming days and weeks, and her feet ached as if she had walked all the way from Freiburg. She closed her tired eyes. “But it was worth it, right?”

“Mm-hmm. Definitely. I mean, I still don’t get why an adult woman would squeal over a notebook like a teenager who just met her favorite band, but it was fun and it helped me see the direction we need to take the store in more clearly.”

“I did not squeal.”

“No, of course not. You were just talking excitedly, in a higher than usual voice.” Susanne imitated a cartoon character who had inhaled helium.

Anja opened her eyes and reached out to give her a playful slap to the shoulder, then paused and let her hand drop back into her lap. Oh wow. When had she become so relaxed around Susanne? Somehow the tone of their interaction had shifted during the course of the day. Hard to imagine that this was the same woman who had insisted on being addressed by her last name less than two weeks ago. Was that a good thing? She hoped so. Having Susanne behind the camera had certainly put her more at ease when they had filmed several short video clips.

“Do you think the videos are good enough to use on YouTube?” Anja asked.

When no reply came from Susanne, she turned her head and looked over.

Susanne had pulled her silver clip from her hair so she could rest her head more comfortably against the seat. Now her hair tumbled loosely about her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted. Her usually controlled features had relaxed in sleep, making her look younger and more vulnerable. What a difference from the ice queen who had stormed into the store on the first day, cursing the Bächle!

Anja’s gaze followed the soft lines of her mouth. God, she was beautiful. Why on earth hadn’t they put Susanne in the video instead of her? Her fingers itched to comb back a strand of hair that had fallen onto Susanne’s face. Stop it. This is crazy. She shoved her hand beneath her thigh to resist temptation.