Anja went from guest to guest, getting hugs and kisses from everyone. Finally, there was only one person left to greet: Susanne stood in the middle of all the chaos and regarded her with a quiet smile. “Happy birthday.”

“You…you planned all of this?”

“Yes. Well, Miri and I, since she’s the one with a key to your apartment. You didn’t really believe we had forgotten your birthday, did you?”

“No, I… Um, yeah. So this was the important thing you had to take care of tonight?”

Susanne nodded. “I wasn’t lying. I’d say my girlfriend’s birthday is very important.”

Girlfriend. Anja liked being called that. She sank into Susanne’s embrace and kissed her softly. “Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet. This isn’t the real party. Since there’s not enough space here, we thought we’d kidnap you and take you to your favorite restaurant.”

Anja chuckled. “Good idea, especially since there’s probably only a yogurt and a jar of mustard in my fridge.”

Twenty minutes later, they were all seated at a table next to a huge painting of the Taj Mahal.

“My sister tells me there’s a lot to celebrate today,” Franzi said once they had ordered.

Anja’s gaze darted to Susanne. “There is? You ran the numbers already?”

“I’ve been looking at the data until right before you entered your apartment,” Susanne said. “I knew neither of us would be able to sleep without having at least some idea of how things are going.”

“So?” Anja nudged Susanne’s knee with her own. “How does it look so far?”

“Very encouraging. Not only are the February numbers much better than January and even December, but the new website is off to a really great start too. The blog is getting a lot of hits, we have about fifty subscribers to the newsletter already, and the first orders via the webstore are coming in.”

Anja barely resisted the urge to bounce up and down on her chair. “Does that mean Paper Love won’t have to close?”

Susanne held up her hands. “Too soon to give any definitive answers.” When Anja gave her a pleading look, she relented. “But if we keep up the momentum, we should be fine.”

Anja threw her arms around her. “That’s the best birthday present I could wish for.”

“Wait until you open your presents,” Nobby said.

Everyone pushed brightly wrapped gifts across the table at her.