"Wonderful!" she said. Rose wondered if she could introduce Joe to one of her old single female friends in the community. But then she realized she didn't really like that idea. He was her old friend after all.

It was time to go. She'd still have to walk through town and it was already dark. Father would get worried if she was late. Would it be appropriate to ask to meet him again? In the whirlwind that had been her life, she had pretty much forgotten about her childhood partner in crime (something of which she was a bit ashamed now), but now that she had met him again, she felt oddly nostalgic. But she was engaged, and Andrew would probably not appreciate her spending alone time with another young man. Rose suddenly felt a little frustrated with him.

She looked up at Joe. "I miss the old days, don't you?" she tried to stretch the conversation.