Anja knew resistance was futile, so she didn’t even try. “All right. I guess Susanne and I could both use a break. I think she has plans this weekend, so we won’t be working anyway.”

“How’s that going? Working with Paper Love’s resident hottie, I mean.”

“I thought I was the store’s resident hottie.”

“Compared to that tall sip of water? I love you to death, and you’re really cute, but she’s…” Miri made a sizzling sound.

Anja couldn’t deny it. In fact, she had thought the same more than once this week, whenever she had looked up from the laptop to read Susanne a passage she had just written.

“So?” Miri prompted. “Is she a total slave driver or what?”

Two weeks ago, Anja would have assumed the same. “No, she’s not. She’s actually kind of fun to work with.” She leaned against the railing and watched a duck settle down on top of the stone crocodile and start cleaning its feathers. “Most of the time, it doesn’t even feel like work. We brainstorm ideas, then I write the posts while she takes the photos and proofreads.”

“And you think that’s not work? Are you at least taking breaks to eat?”

“Oh yes, don’t worry. Susanne picked up Indian food twice this week.”

“You’re having Indian food without me?” Miri sounded as indignant as if she’d just found out her girlfriend was cheating on her. “Oh, you’re so going to pay for lunch on Saturday! And I might just have the venison ragout instead of the Flammkuchen.”

Anja laughed, knowing it was an idle threat. Miri never ate anything but Flammkuchen whenever they hiked up the Schlossberg, the hill rising to the east of the Old Town. “I need to get back. Thanks for understanding.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Anja pressed the end-call icon and slid the phone back into her coat pocket. “See?” she said to the crocodile. “That’s why I’m glad I’m not in a relationship. I doubt a girlfriend or boyfriend would have been so understanding.”

Of course, the crocodile didn’t answer, but the duck sitting on its head quacked once.

A second duck swam closer and climbed up onto the crocodile’s head too.

As Anja watched them huddle close, she admitted to herself that not being in a relationship wasn’t as great as she pretended most of the time.

On Friday evening, an hour before closing time, Anja felt as if she finally had a good enough grasp on at least one of the social media channels the store now had.