Nancy Clue Mysteries 1 - The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse by Mabel Maney Page A

laugh. "You're cute when you blush," she said, making Cherry blush even more.
    "You dating anyone?" Midge asked.
    "No," Cherry said abruptly.
    "Why not?"
    "I'm too busy. After all, nursing is an important profession and my job keeps me occupied. It's rewarding and fulfilling work."
    "And there's no chance of meeting anyone at work, right?" Midge teased her. "Golly, Cherry, you sound like a nurse recruitment poster! What's a nice girl like you doing all alone?"
    Cherry groaned. "You sound just like my mother," she said.
    Midge laughed and lit another cigarette. "I bet your mother and I don't have the same thing in mind."
    "What did Midge mean?" Cherry wondered. "I just never seem to meet anyone I really like," she said.
    It was true. For try as she might, Cherry didn't find the doctors and interns at her hospital very interesting, despite the attention they paid her.
    "You'll meet somebody someday," Midge assured her. "I hooked up with a couple of losers before getting involved with Velma."
    "You mean.. .you and Velma..." Cherry blushed a deep crimson. "Golly! I mean...oh!" she cried, covering her red face with her hands. "Nurse Cassie Case is right. Sometimes I can be so na've!"
    Midge laughed at her consternation. "It's okay, Cherry. Lots of people think we're just roommates, especially since Velma's such a fem."
    Cherry blushed some more. Golly, Midge was bold!
    "Don't you think Velma's a dish?" Midge wanted to know.
    "I don't know if I should say, since we look so much alike," Cherry smiled sheepishly. "She certainly seems like a lovely person."
    Cherry found the idea of Midge and Velma as a couple strangely stimulating. "Tell me how you met," she urged.
    "Velma." Midge sighed, lit another cigarette, and settled in to tell the story of their romance. "I had been single for a couple of years. Oh, I had a couple of dates here and there, but nothing to write home about. Then one day I was at the library looking up books about hypnosis. I had an idea, well, never mind. It's not important."
    "Oh, tell me," Cherry insisted. "Don't leave out a thing."
    "I was working on a book about a girl who hypnotizes her parents. I'm a writer." Midge grimaced. "Well, I would be if I could ever finish anything. But that's another story. Anyway, I knocked some books off the stacks, and this really cute girl came over to help me. When I looked up I found myself staring into the greenest eyes I had ever seen. I was completely smitten."
    Cherry was transfixed. "A chance encounter-how romantic!" she swooned. "You fell madly in love with each other, and you've lived happily ever after."
    Midge laughed. "Not so fast. You've read too many romance novels, Cherry. Our path to love was a little rocky."
    "How come?" Cherry asked. "What happened?"
    Midge shrugged. "Stuff got in our way. It took us a while, but when we finally did get together, it was well worth the wait." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Jeez, I'm tired," she yawned.
    "Midge, you look awful. Let's stop at the next diner," Cherry suggested. "A cup of coffee and a snack will invigorate you."
    Midge checked her watch and groaned. "There's no time! It's already two a.m. As it is, we're not going to get there until dawn."
    "If we have an accident because you're too tired to drive, we won't get there at all. Either stop and get a cup of coffee, or let me drive," Cherry commanded.
    Midge pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a small diner. "Let's get it to go," she suggested. While they waited for their order of cheeseburgers and French fries, Midge gulped several cups of coffee. Cherry tried unsuccessfully to contact her aunt.
    "Let's go," Midge said, grabbing the sack of food and heading outside. To Cherry's consternation, Midge was halfway through her sandwich by the time they got to the car.
    Midge slid behind the wheel and gunned the engine. Cherry hopped inside, spread a handkerchief over her lap and nibbled at her sandwich.
    "You're going to get sick," she warned, watching Midge