Mary gritted her teeth. “It’s March, Mother. It’s cold outside.”

“Bundle up.”

Mary prayed for patience. “Do you want to go for a walk, Sam?”

“Sure.”

She grabbed her coat from the coat closet, along with her scarf. She felt in the pockets. Nora’s gloves were still there. She put them on as if they were a shield.

As if by mutual agreement, they headed toward the park. “So, you like it wherever you are?” he asked.

“I do.”

“What is it you do over there?”

“I’m working for the war effort.” Her mother had grilled her much the same way. Mary was proud of herself for deflecting their questions and keeping the secret. She hoped Nora would be proud of her too.

Nora. She missed her so much it was a physical ache. She glanced sideways at Sam. He would never be Nora, that was for sure.

“What kind of work is it?”

“The kind I can’t tell you about.” The words came out harsher then she intended. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t Nora. More softly she said, “I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“You’re sworn to secrecy for knitting sweaters or something? That’s ridiculous.”

Anger blossomed in her chest. How dare he assume she was doing something trivial!

They walked a little further in silence and the awkwardness between them grew.

“You’re different, Mary.”

“I am?” Her heart raced. He couldn’t know, could he? Nora said she didn’t look any different. It shouldn’t be obvious that she and Nora were… Her breath came in shorter bursts.

“Yeah. I can’t put my finger on it, but…”

Before he could say anything else, she blurted, “Nothing’s changed, Sam. I still have no intention of marrying you. I’m going back to Tennessee. I’m going back to my life there.”

His eyes opened wide in shock. “But, your mother said—”

“My mother says a lot of things. She’s not in charge of my life. I am. I’m going back to Tennessee.” She said it with enough force that even she believed it.

“Okay. You don’t have to get nasty about it.”

They turned back toward the house.

“I apologize. It’s just… My father isn’t doing well, and my mother is an interfering bother. I’m sorry if she gave you the wrong impression by inviting you to dinner.”

“I’m sorry too. I don’t think I want to stay for dinner, if that’s okay with you. What’s the use? Clearly, you’ve already made up your mind. You’ve got plans and I’m not part of them.”