When they were ready to go to the dessert island, Anna smiled when they both reached for the warm chocolate pecan pie. Mart also took a large sugar cookie, one of Anna’s favorites, but she was too full to indulge in more than one sweet. And anyway, she could always have something later at Sadie’s, since the dear woman seemed to enjoy baking treats of all kinds.

They ate their desserts leisurely in between sips of coffee. When they finished, Anna thanked him for the evening. She and Mart exchanged phone numbers, then walked together to the parking lot.

“Have a nice weekend,” he said, waiting by the car until she unlocked it and got settled inside.

“You too.” Anna waved to him as he stepped back. She exited onto the Lincoln Highway and found herself grinning as she drove back to the Flauds’. She’d felt quite at ease with Mart, almost as if they’d grown up in the same circles. For certain, the evening marked a promising start to her new life in Lancaster County.

“I’m thinkin’ Anna has found herself a friend,” Sadie remarked as she and Glen sat in the front room, where an occasional breeze came in through the west-facing windows, a welcome relief from the warm day.

“A possible beau, maybe?” Glen chuckled.

“Could be one in the makin’.”

“I daresay it’s real nice for her to have another young person to spend time with around here.”

Sadie smiled and agreed. She knew from Rachel that it had been a year since Anna had broken up with her serious beau. “It wonders me if the young man is the Mennonite fella she mentioned before she went home for that short visit.”

Glen nodded, but from his vague expression, it looked as if he had something else on his mind. Something completely unrelated.

“Glen?” Sadie said, leaning toward him.

“Oh, I was just thinking of makin’ a fresh batch of ice cream for tomorrow night,” Glen replied as he got up. He stopped to straighten the embroidered wall hanging Sadie had made years ago. “If Anna’s around, it’d be nice if Luke and family came over tomorrow after supper.”

“Well, even if she’s not. And we can always do with more ice cream.” As Sadie rose to go to the kitchen for some cold water, she could hear Glen in the pantry, getting his hand-cranked ice-cream maker. He really wants Anna to spend some time with Luke and Marianna again . . . and to meet their little ones, Sadie thought. But making new friends her own age is surely her priority.

Sadie got busy gathering the ingredients for a vanilla sponge cake with chocolate frosting. Summer baking was more tolerable early in the morning or later in the evening, when the sun was low in the sky. We’ll have us a delicious dessert, she thought, realizing that she, too, hoped Anna might be available tomorrow evening.