Margaret's perfume - something expensive and floral - wrapped around them as Ashley sank into the chair, her iced coffee sweating condensation onto the table.Up close, the older woman's resemblance to her sons was even more striking: Dale's thoughtful eyes and Cole's sharp jawline, both tempered by a feminine grace that made them somehow more severe.
"Dale tells me you're doing well in the research program."Margaret's voice carried that particular tone of old money and Ivy League education - precise consonants, measured vowels.She moved a paper aside with manicured fingers, her wedding ring catching the morning light."Though I admit, I was surprised when he mentioned your background was in behavioral science."
The unspoken question hung in the air between them.Ashley fought the urge to touch her stomach - a tell she couldn't afford right now."I've always been interested in physics."
"Have you?"Margaret's smile didn't reach her eyes."Or are you interested in physicists?"
Heat crept up Ashley's neck."Mrs.Westwood-"
"Please."Margaret held up a hand, and the gesture was so similar to Dale's that it made Ashley's chest ache."I'm not here to interrogate you about your relationship with my sons.Though I must say, you've managed to complicate things rather spectacularly."
Ashley's fingers tightened around her cup."That wasn't my intention."
"Intentions rarely matter as much as results, dear."Margaret took a deliberate sip of her coffee."Cole's summer internship in Geneva - he's talking about extending it.Permanently.Turning down his master's admission here."She set her cup down with careful precision."He didn't even tell us he was considering it.Just sent an email to the department about deferring."
Geneva.In her timeline, Cole had done the internship locally and came straight back to start his master's program.It was what had kept him close when Dale...How had she changed things so dramatically?
"I didn't know," she managed.
"No?"Margaret's eyes narrowed slightly."Interesting.He seems to tell you more than he tells us."
Ashley frowned."What do you mean?"
"Come now, Miss Carter.Let's not pretend."Margaret's voice sharpened."I've seen how he looks at you.Even at graduation, when he should have been focused on his future, his eyes kept finding you.It's the same way he used to look at those ridiculous physics problems Dale would give him - like you're something he needs to solve."
The comparison startled a laugh from Ashley."I don't think Cole sees me as a problem to solve."
"No?"Margaret leaned back, studying her with unnervingly familiar gray eyes."Then what exactly are you to my son?Because whatever happened between you two has him ready to throw away everything he's worked for."
"I'm no one," Ashley said quietly."Not anymore."
"On the contrary."Margaret's perfectly manicured nails tapped against her coffee cup."My son doesn't run away from anything.And Geneva?"She laughed softly."That's running.”
Ashley stared into her melting ice coffee, watching the cream create patterns in the darkness.The weight of everything - her mission, Cole's departure, Dale's hurt - pressed against her chest until she could barely breathe.
"Did you know," Margaret continued, her voice taking on the edge of steel, "that this is the first time since he was six that Cole's made a major decision without consulting his brother?"She paused, letting that sink in."Even when he refused to skip a grade, he talked it through with Dale first.But this?"She shook her head."He didn't tell him anything."
The revelation made Ashley's stomach twist.She'd done more than push Cole away - she'd driven a wedge between the brothers at the exact time they needed to be closest.
"The master's program starts in September," Margaret said, gathering her things with elegant efficiency."Whatever you did to my son, fix it.Because Dale..."She stopped, something flickering across her face too quickly to read."Dale needs his brother here.More than either of them realize."
She stood, smoothing her cream blazer with practiced movements."I trust you understand what I'm saying, Miss Carter?"
Ashley's voice caught in her throat."Yes."
Margaret nodded once, decisive."Good.Because while I don't particularly care for the drama you've brought into my sons' lives, I do care about their futures."She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, adding almost casually, "Both of their futures."
The emphasis wasn't lost on Ashley.As Margaret's heels clicked across the cafe floor, Ashley sat frozen, her mind racing.She had a little over a month until September.A month to fix what she'd broken, to get Cole back where he needed to be.
A month to fix the disaster she’d created.
* * *
Ashley foundEzra at a coffee shop twenty minutes off campus, the kind of overpriced artisanal place that stayed empty even during term time.The summer afternoon had chased everyone else to beaches or air-conditioned apartments, leaving only the quiet hum of espresso machines and soft indie music drifting through the space.
Sarah had given her the address with obvious reluctance."He's not going to help you, Ash.He's Cole's friend, not yours."
But Ashley had driven here anyway, desperation making her brave.Or stupid.She wasn't sure which anymore.
