“It suits you.” Nora bit her lip. “Do you have any special plans later?” Her heart hammered in her chest. What could she be thinking?

“As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“I’d like to make up for running you over. There’s a brand-new movie opening at the theater tonight. It’s Mrs. Miniver with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Would you like to go with me?”

“You like the movies?”

Nora laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. I adore the movies. I especially can’t resist a good war movie. How about you?”

“Are you kidding me? I love the movies! Yes, I’d love to accompany you. What time and where shall we meet?”

“You live in W-1, right?”

Mary’s eyes grew large. “You know where I live?”

“Let’s see… You were out in front of the dorm talking with Rosalie and Betty. They live in W-1. Then you came to the dance with them. Ergo, I deduce that you must live in W-1.”

Mary clapped her hands delightedly. “Very observant. I shall have to be careful not to give away any state secrets with you around.”

“So, as I was saying, you live in W-1, which is closer to the theater than my place, so why don’t I swing around and get you at, say, six o’clock and we’ll walk to the theater together. That way we’ll have time to pick up refreshments before the movie starts.”

“That sounds perfect. It’s a date.” Mary winked, waved, and once again was on her way.

Nora stared after her. It’s not a date, it’s a movie, isn’t it?

Mary stifled a scream when the Nazi soldier brandished a gun at Mrs. Miniver. Reflexively, she grabbed hold of Nora’s hand and squeezed. Nora returned the squeeze. Her hand was soft and warm, her skin smooth and supple. For a moment, Mary forgot all about Mrs. Miniver’s dire predicament. She snuck a peek at Nora’s profile. Every feature of her face from her intelligent blue-green eyes to her aquiline nose, to her perfectly formed lips, worked together to create a vision of beauty unlike any Mary had ever seen before. I could look at you like this forever and never get tired of the view.

Mary swallowed hard. This. This was how she expected to feel when she fell in love with someone. This was what she’d never felt for Sam. Mary’s breath quickened. You hardly know this person. Besides, she’s a woman. Women don’t fall in love with other women. Maybe she was mistaken. Maybe she was caught up in the heady moment of helping to win the war together. Maybe it was a passing crush.