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J ulia FaceTimed her best friend, and just the sight of Courtney Horan made her feel better.

They’d met in drama club at their small Pennsylvania high school, where Julia felt weird being adopted and Courtney felt weird being biracial.

They were on stage crew together, while Julia painted sets at a level of detail an amateur production of Annie didn’t require, and Courtney came into her own as stage manager, even standing up for Julia when a mean girl in the cast called her Little Orphan Julie.

On the show’s opening night, Julia didn’t cry during “Maybe” because everyone was watching her, but she lived that song.

Their one mistake was giving up me.

After graduation, she and Courtney went to Notre Dame together, helping each other through bad boyfriends and Statistics I, and they got married around the same time, serving as each other’s maid of honor in real Jimmy Choos.

No knockoffs for us!

Julia’s phone screen showed Courtney in aviator glasses that emphasized her striking green eyes and prominent cheekbones.

Her skin was a poreless light brown, her thick black hair pulled back into a short ponytail.

She wore almost no makeup, naturally pretty in a navy Patagonia fleece and white cotton turtleneck and jeans.

She was sales manager for an office equipment company, on the road constantly, a creature of the airport lounge, where Julia found her today.

“Courtney, do you have time to talk?”

“Totally, I’m on another delay.” Courtney smiled. “How’s my girl?”

“I have something to tell you. My horoscope predicted Mike’s murder.”

“What?” Courtney’s eyes widened. “That’s not possible.”

“Listen to this, from October eleventh.” Julia read her the horoscope. “Well? I’m not crazy, am I? It says what I think, doesn’t it?”

Courtney blinked. “It really says ‘be aware’? A ‘loved one in jeopardy’?”

“Yes, and I told you, right before it happened, I knew something was wrong.” Julia remembered the feeling, the dreadful knowing. “I had a premonition, straight-up, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t trust it. The horoscope says I have to trust myself and—”

“Stop, hold on. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Why not? I should’ve said something when I had that feeling. If I’d trusted myself—”

“No, Jules, that’s wrong.”

“—I could’ve warned him.” Julia was upset all over again. It felt like a confession, but she was already guilty.

“What difference would it have made?”

“He could’ve moved aside. I could’ve screamed sooner. People could’ve come.” Julia’s gut twisted. “Anything could have happened. Anything else .”

Courtney scoffed, shaking her head.

“Plus if I’d read the horoscope, I would’ve made different choices. Not go out to dinner. Order in. Cook. He’d be alive today.”

“Mike didn’t die because of a stupid horoscope.”

“Don’t you believe in astrology? I thought you did.”

“Not like this .” Courtney’s expression softened. “Look, I believe there’s a lot of things we don’t understand. I believe in God, and He does work in mysterious ways. I know it’s a cliché, but I believe it.”

Julia had gone to church when her mother was alive, but not since. She’d lost her religion on her tenth birthday.

“Everything happens for a reason. Another cliché, but it’s true.”

Julia couldn’t imagine the reason God would take Mike in such a horrible way.

Courtney frowned. “Jules, you look tired. How are you sleeping?”

“I’m okay.” Julia glanced at herself on the screen. She used to be cute, but she’d lost weight and her face was too thin. Her blue eyes had dark circles underneath, and there was a reason her dirty blonde hair looked dirty.

“You’re out of pajamas. Good for you.”

“Right?” Julia had on a house sweater and yoga pants that could use a laundering, but the washer-dryer was in the basement, which creeped her out these days.

“Anything new on Mike’s case?”

“Not yet.”

“You can’t be okay in the apartment with all his stuff.”

“I like his stuff.” Julia loved Mike’s stuff.

His headset and gaming console sat beside the monitor.

His puffy coat and backpack hung by the door.

His ChapStick tubes rolled on the kitchen counter.

Most of their kisses had been Classic Spearmint.

Last Thanksgiving, she bought him Pumpkin Pie flavor, which he didn’t like.

What, no turkey flavor?

Courtney was saying, “Let me help you pack it up. I can make a quick trip to Philly. We can put it in storage.”

“No, thanks.” Julia couldn’t bear the thought of storing Mike. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, but I worry about you.” Courtney cocked her head. “Did you think about moving to Chicago? You could be near me. There’s nothing keeping you in Philly.”

Julia knew it was true. Most of their friends were Mike’s. He was the extrovert, not her. “I live here. We picked this apartment together.”

“Come on, we’d love to have you. We could hang like we used to.”

Julia cringed. They’d been a foursome at school, not a threesome. “You’re never home anyway.”

“What are you going to do for Christmas?”

Julia didn’t want to go there. “Could we get back to the horoscope? I mean, it predicted his murder.”

“Let me see for myself.” Courtney started typing on her laptop. “Okay, I’m on StrongSign. Oh look, a pop-up. It says I can ask the stars a free question.”

“So, ask.”

“Okay. When’s my fucking flight?”