“What’s your point? She’s not from East Tennessee, and that makes all the difference.” Betty selected a pair of Rayon stockings. “Have I mentioned how much I hate Rayon? Nylons have spoiled me for life. Rayon sags at the knees.”

“Our boys need all the nylon for parachutes. I’d rather they be safe than my hose not sag.”

“Ever-practical Nora,” Betty said as Rosalie rejoined them.

“In this case, you’re right. It’s why I plan to buy some slacks.”

“Oh, that’ll certainly make you a rebel.”

Nora scoffed. “Me? A rebel? Hardly. I’m living up to my reputation for practicality. I’m going to buy a pair of saddle shoes too. I’m tired of losing heels in the mud.”

“Me too,” Betty said.

They finished shopping and stopped at a restaurant near the bus depot for dinner. “Tell us about you, Nora. I feel like I don’t know anything about you. You’re so shy. It’s hard to figure you out.” Betty twirled a helping of spaghetti with her fork.

“I’m not shy.” She blushed again.

“See? You’re blushing. You are shy.”

“I think it’s more that she’s introverted.”

“If I could crawl under this table right now, I would.”

“Case closed. You’ve proven our point.”

Nora squirmed. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” both women said at once.

Nora set down her fork. “My parents emigrated to the United States from Sweden before I was born. My father is a shop owner in Greenwich, Connecticut. I have a brother six years younger than I am. He’s…” Nora considered what to say about Bill that wouldn’t sound terrible. “We’re polar opposites.”

Rosalie shook her head. “That’s all interesting, sugar, but I want to know about you—Nora Lindstrom—not your family. Tell us something that would surprise us about you.”

Nora’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “I don’t have any surprises. I guess I’m a boring person.”

“Nonsense,” Betty said. “Didn’t I hear someone say you were a doctor?”

“I’m not a medical doctor. I’ve got a Ph.D. in physics.”

“See?” Rosalie talked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “That right there is fascinating. What made you want to be a scientist?”

Nora smiled. “I was always captivated by how things worked—the mechanics of time and space, atoms—all of it, really. The first time I swam in the ocean and my body floated without effort, I needed to understand why. I craved the knowledge.” She shrugged. “I guess you could say it was curiosity that made me pursue science.”

“I was curious about the world too,” Rosalie said. “Usually, that curiosity landed me in hot water with either my parents or the principal.”