“I’ll fly in on the red eye tomorrow,” Anna said. “I’ll be there as early as I can get.”
“Thank you, Anna,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it,” she replied. “That’s what best friends do for one another.”
After my call, when I stepped out into the hall, I saw Julian instructing Alice to brush her teeth. She was already in her pajamas, getting ready for bedtime.
“Just in time,” he said, spotting me. I walked closer. “Everything go well with Anna.”
“She’ll be here in the morning,” I said.
“Great,” Julian replied. He spoke smoothly, matter-of-factly, like he had known all this time what Anna would say. Maybe she and I were predictable that way. Friends like us would never leave the other hanging if they were in need.
When Alice came out of the bathroom, teeth freshly brushed, Julian and
