Anna was grateful for the clouds that moved in after lunch, making it less hot for playing tennis. Mart had been modest in saying he was out of practice, but it was obvious he was holding back on the court, hitting the balls directly to her, not making her run back and forth to return his plays.

After an hour of hitting the ball around, they put the racquets away and took a walk over to a bridge and around the banks of the water, where they enjoyed watching the ducks and swans. Mart was a good conversationalist, she realized once again. He politely asked about her family and her interests, showing special concern for her grandmother Eliza.

“You haven’t told me much about your married sisters,” Anna mentioned.

“Well, Sharilyn and Cordelia are both busy wives and mothers, but they like to have fun in their free time baking specialty cupcakes to sell at their bakery. It’s in the historic section of downtown Strasburg,” he told her. “You should see their elaborately decorated cupcakes. I almost hate to bite into them.”

“Funny . . . I don’t think I’d have a problem with it.” Anna laughed. “Have they always enjoyed making such creative baked goods?”

He smiled. “Far as I know. Ever since my seventh birthday, when they began helping Mom decorate my brothers’ and my birthday cakes. Each year they tried to outdo themselves.”

“What a great family tradition.”

“Mom has a whole album of photos of all their cakes through the years,” Mart said.

Soon, they were talking about his involvement with the youth volleyball teams, and she shared about her church youth group, too, especially her friendship with the Denlinger sisters.

All the while, Anna wondered if this might be the first of more solo dates with Mart, even though she had enjoyed interacting with his church friends, too. Is this the beginning of something special?

Later that afternoon, when Anna returned to the Flauds’, she helped Sadie peel the apples that Glen had picked while Anna was out with Mart. Sadie was all abuzz about making two large pans of apple crisp for tomorrow.

“I’ll take one next door to Marianna, and some over to Molly and Eva, too,” Sadie told Anna.

Anna thought it was kind of Glen to pick the apples—in addition to her bad knee, Sadie had been having some balance issues in the past months. As Anna and Sadie worked side by side, Anna asked what she knew about Gabe Allgyer.

Sadie set down the apple she had just finished peeling and reached for another. “Well, I’m sure ya know he’s a young widower.”

Anna nodded. “His little girl, Emmie, is one of the children I’ve worked with at Peaceful Meadows.” She paused. “It’s awful sad that she doesn’t speak.”