“Good for you.” They clinked their wineglasses on that final statement, then Anja asked, “What’s next for you?”

“A company where people are judged by their skills, not by their gender, hopefully. It shouldn’t be too hard to find one, especially since I’m not tied to a specific location. Maybe I’ll even work out of the country for a while.”

Wow. They couldn’t be more different if they tried. Susanne would move to a foreign country in a heartbeat, while Anja couldn’t imagine living anywhere but Freiburg.

Susanne chewed and swallowed a bite of potato. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. At the risk of sounding as if I were conducting a job interview, where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Behind the counter of Paper Love,” Anja said firmly.

Susanne regarded her with a serious expression. “But what if that’s not possible? What would you do if—?”

“Are you trying to find out if I have a plan B?” Anja shoved back her half-eaten salad. “I don’t have one. I don’t want one.”

“Maybe you should. Even if we can turn things around for now, my uncle won’t run the store forever, and who knows what will happen once he retires.”

“I know what Nobby wants to happen.” Anja raked her fork through her spaetzle and peered up at Susanne from under half-lowered lids, watching her reaction. “He wants, um…” She hesitated, not sure how Susanne would take it, then forged ahead. “He wants me to take over as the new owner.”

To her surprise, Susanne nodded her approval. “I’d be all for that. Selling you the store might be a good solution.”

“No. That’s not what I…what he…” Anja took a deep breath. “I don’t have the money to buy the store from him. He wants to give me Paper Love.”

Susanne took her time cutting a slice of beef in half. Finally, she raised her gaze to Anja and studied her thoroughly.

Anja squirmed under the intense scrutiny of those gray eyes. God, she suddenly felt like a crook trying to cheat Susanne out of her inheritance. She forced herself not to duck her head in shame.

Finally, Susanne shrugged. “If that’s what Uncle Norbert wants.”

“You…you would be okay with it? With Paper Love going to someone who isn’t family?”

Susanne took a large sip of wine. “My sister has her own practice, and I have no intention of staying around past Easter.”

“What about…well, your father? The store belonged to his father after all.”

Susanne barked out a bitter laugh. “Oh God, no. I’d rather you have Paper Love than my father. At least with you, the store might have a fighting chance.”