“I just couldn’t see myself working in a NASA lab.” Allie shook her head. “Talk about boring. I’m so glad I picked this internship instead of that one. It’s a lot harder, though.” She smiled ruefully. “Physics is so easy. But, you know, I wanted the challenge.”

“Oh,” Jules said. “Challenge. Right.”

“Yeah. Hey,” Allie added, “is it okay if I run to the ladies’ room?”

“S-sure,” Jules said.

She and Simon stared after Allie as she hurried away.

After a moment, he said, “Did I just dream that?”

“I have no idea,” Jules replied, “but I think you better get her to draw you that diagram.”

* * *

“Physics?” Vivian asked in disbelief.

“Astrophysics,” Jules clarified as she put their plates in the dishwasher. “She told me about the senior research project she’s planning for next semester. I think I understood every fifth word.”

“And yet she mixed up Shiseido and Shu Uemura this morning.” Vivian shook her head. “It’s been a strange week.”

“It’s only Monday.”

“Don’t depress me. Speaking of surreal things…” Vivian hesitated. “Something came in the mail.” She nodded at a small cardboard tube sitting open on the kitchen island. “I decided to have it shipped. Have a look.”

Curiouser and curiouser. Whatever that was, it was something Vivian hadn’t wanted Jules to ship on her behalf. Another birthday present?

But when Jules reached into the tube and felt a thin roll of paper beneath her fingertips, she knew.

Sure enough, she unrolled the paper to reveal the ultrasound photo. “Oh wow!”

Vivian shrugged. “I thought about it and realized, What else am I ever going to have that’s like that?”

“Makes sense.” Jules nodded down toward Vivian’s abdomen, currently concealed by the table but also still barely showing a bump. “Is it starting to feel real?”

“It’s felt real since I saw that pregnancy test result. But I haven’t really thought of it as a child until now. I don’t know if that sounds logical. I’ve been busy,” Vivian added, sounding defensive.

“Oh, I know.” Jules looked back at the ultrasound photo and couldn’t help tracing her fingertip over the white outline of the tiny fetus. “How do you feel about it being a girl?”

“I feel the odds were fifty-fifty.” Vivian pursed her lips. “But I feel more confident about raising a daughter without a man around than I would a son. Maybe you’re not supposed to admit that kind of thing anymore.”

“Makes sense to me, especially if you’ve never done this before.” She returned to the table and sat down beside Vivian, taking her hand. “Have you been thinking about names?”

Vivian sounded oddly reluctant when she said, “Occasionally. I haven’t spent much time on it yet.”