“It’s nice to meet you.” Mary bit her lip. Should she say something about Nora? These girls obviously knew her well, or at least better than she did. “That was Dr. Lind… Nora, wasn’t it?” Her heart hammered in her chest and she tried to act casual.

“Yep. That’s our Nora.”

Our Nora?

“We asked her to come out dancing with us tonight,” Betty said. “In typical Nora fashion, she turned us down cold.”

“That girl needs to get her head out of a book and live a little,” Rosalie said.

Mary seized on the opportunity to learn more about Nora. “Doesn’t she like to dance?”

“Hard to say,” Betty offered. “We’ve never gotten her to say yes.”

“She’s so darned shy. If we could just get her out of her shell.” Rosalie stared up the hill after Nora’s retreating form.

“If Del couldn’t do it, what makes you think we can?” Betty asked.

Mary’s head snapped around. “Who’s Del?”

“Oh, he’s a guy who’s sweet on her.”

“She has a boyfriend?” Mary worked to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Both girls laughed simultaneously. “Heavens, no. She says she doesn’t have time for… What did she call them?” Betty asked.

“Entanglements,” Rosalie said.

“That’s it. Entanglements. Honestly, that girl is more interested in the fictional worlds she reads about than she is in real life.”

Mary let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Nora was single. “Where is she going?”

“Home. Lucky stiff got sprung from the dorm and got a brand-new Flat Top all to herself.”

“It’s a sweet place too.”

“I bet,” Mary said. Nora had lived in the same dorm as her and she hadn’t even known it.

“Say, why don’t you come dancing with us tonight?” Rosalie asked.

“Me? Sure.”

“Okay. We’ll meet out here at eight o’clock.”

“Great, and thanks for including me.” Deep in thought, Mary barely remembered to wave goodbye.

Nora had no boyfriend or husband. She lived alone in a Flat Top up the hill somewhere, loved to read, and was painfully shy. She also was beautiful and had a lovely laugh. Nice to know something about you, Dr. Nora Lindstrom. The problem was, those bits of information only made Mary hungry for more.

I will not look back. I will not look back. I will not look back. Nora lengthened her strides. Her breath appeared as puffs of condensation in the cold afternoon air. Behind her, down the hill, she imagined Mary’s eyes following her movements. Even at this distance and without being able to see her, she blushed crimson. What was it about that girl that made Nora feel like an awkward teenager?