Finally, Sam closed the box and tucked it back in his pocket. He started the car. “Just… Just promise me you’ll think about it. Please? Don’t say no. Maybe I should’ve asked you differently. I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever proposed to a girl.”

Mary thought he might cry. She stopped short of putting a hand on his arm to comfort him. She couldn’t. Her own emotions were too much of a jumble.

“Please take me home,” she said quietly.

Sam put the car in gear and drove her home. She opened her door before he came to a full stop.

“Mary?”

“Not now, Sam.” She ran up the sidewalk, through the gate, up the front steps, and into the house without a backward glance. She didn’t stop running until she was in her room. She clicked the door shut as quietly as she could and leaned heavily against it.

Sam had asked her to marry him. It should’ve been the happiest moment of her life. Instead, she felt like she’d been sentenced to prison.

CHAPTER THREE

Nora lifted the goggles from her face and rubbed her eyes. If you’d slept last night, you might be able to concentrate better today. She sighed. No matter which way she’d turned, she hadn’t been able to get comfortable. The full portent of her decision to accept Dr. Lawrence’s offer weighed heavily on her mind.

Were Anna and her parents right? Had she lost her senses? “No. No, you did exactly the right thing. Stop second-guessing this.”

“Talking to yourself, Lindstrom? You know that’s a sign of madness, don’t you?”

Nora startled and swiveled around on her stool. “Is your only purpose in life to annoy me, Dennis?”

“No. That’s a bonus.”

“What do you want?”

“You’ve got some very official-looking visitors. They’re waiting for you in Dr. Fermi’s old office.”

Nora threw down the goggles, shrugged off her lab coat, and rearranged her dress. She didn’t have time to go to the restroom and fix her hair, which she was sure must look a fright.

When she reached Dr. Fermi’s office, she could hear raised voices behind the closed door. She hesitated.

“…and I’m telling you…”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to steady herself, and rapped her knuckles on the door.

“Come!” The voice was gruff, and the invitation was more a growl than a greeting.

Slowly, Nora opened the door and peeked around it. There were three men in the room, two standing and one sitting. She’d met Dr. Oppenheimer before, of course. He’d examined some of her hypotheses and experiments. The other man standing she knew right away from pictures and newsreels—Dr. Ernest Lawrence. These were two of the greatest scientists of the day, and they were here to see her. She thought she might faint.