“Hi, Dot,” Hannah greeted her warmly.

Dot smiled at both of them. “Hello, Hannah. Hi, Norman. Good to see you here tonight.”

“How’s the baby, Dot?” Norman asked her.

“Growing like a weed. My mother has her hands full on the nights I work, I can tell you that!”

“But she doesn’t mind . . . right?” Hannah asked her.

“That’s right. Mom rocks him to sleep every night and Jimmy says she sings silly little songs to him about what a fine big boy he is.”

Hannah hid a guilty grin. On several occasions she’d sung silly little songs to Moishe and told him what a fine big boy he was!

“Would you care for wine tonight?” Dot turned to Norman.

“Hannah?” Norman referred the answer to her.

“Not tonight,” Hannah answered, and then she qualified it. “At least not for me. But Mother and Doc might want wine when they get here.”

“I’ll check back then. A mixed drink from the bar? Or water?”

“I’d like iced tea, please. And could I have a wedge of lemon with it?”

“Of course.” Dot turned to Norman. “How about you?”

“I’ll have the same.”

“Shall I bring the bread basket now? Or wait until they get here?”

“Now.” Hannah made a quick decision. She was really hungry, probably because she had been too upset to eat anything except the lime bar cookies Michelle and her mother had made this morning and one Cocoa Snap Cookie this afternoon.

“Give us a minute before you bring the bread,” Sally said, arriving at their table as Dot was about to leave. “I want them to taste this first.”

Hannah looked down at the plate Sally placed between them. On it were two very thin slices of pie. “Is this your Buttermilk Pie?” she asked.

“Yes. It’s just a sample to see if you like it.”

Norman laughed. “I’ve never had dessert as an appetizer before.”

“I don’t think I have, either,” Hannah said.

“Sure you have. Haven’t you ever had cookies for breakfast?”

“I did this morning,” Norman admitted. “I didn’t have time for breakfast, and Hannah gave me cookies when I came to see her at work.”

“No wonder we’re so hungry!” Hannah admitted. “I did exactly the same thing.”

The pie was calling out to her and Hannah took a bite. “Smooth, simple, and sweet with a little tang. It’s absolutely delicious, Sally.”

“The nutmeg is the perfect spice,” Norman declared, cutting off another bite. “It’s just wonderful, Sally.”

“Thank you.” Sally waited until the samples she’d brought were gone and then she handed the plate to Dot. “You can bring the bread basket now,” she said. “If all they’ve had all day is dessert, they’ll need something a bit more filling.”

When the bread basket came a minute or two later, Hannah and Norman attacked it like starving wolves. The little taste of pie had definitely sparked their appetites. They split a muffin, devoured two slices of Sally’s peach bread, and ate two mini scones apiece.