Page 62 of Echoes of Us
"Thomas," her mother chided gently.The exchange was so natural, so practiced - the kind of comfortable banter built over decades.Looking at them now, you'd never know there had been a time when they'd barely spoken over dinner.
"The whole department's brilliant," Ashley said, focusing on spreading butter on her bread."Dale's just...patient.Good at explaining things."
"Like your father with his students," her mother said, that familiar note of pride in her voice.
"How's the garden coming along?"Ashley asked, desperate to shift the conversation."Those new roses look beautiful."
"Ah, you noticed!"Her father brightened."Finally figured out the soil composition they need.Though your mother's the one with the real green thumb."
"I just water them," her mother demurred, but her smile was genuine."Your father's the one who spent hours researching different varieties."
Ashley watched them share a look across the table - soft, knowing, built on something deeper than their old wounds.Whatever had broken between them had healed into this: quiet pride in each other's small victories, gentle teasing, and a love that chose to stay.
"Actually," she found herself saying, "I've been meaning to ask you both something."
Her mother's hands stilled on her wine glass."Of course, sweetheart."
"How do you..."Ashley swallowed hard, pushing her food around her plate."How do you know when something's worth fixing?When it's broken, but maybe not...irreparably?"
The silence that followed felt heavy.Her father set down his fork, and for a moment, she saw him clearly - not just as her dad, but as a man who had once faced an impossible choice.
"Sometimes," he said carefully, "the breaking isn't the important part.It's what you choose to build from the pieces."
Her mother's hand found his on the table, an unconscious gesture Ashley had seen a thousand times but never really understood until now."And sometimes," her mother added softly, "what you build ends up stronger than what you started with."
Ashley stared at their joined hands."But how do you know?If it's worth the risk?"
"Oh, sweetheart."Her mother's voice held years of hard-won wisdom."You don't.That's what makes it a choice worth making."
* * *
The email arrivedon a Thursday afternoon, its aftermath rippling through the physics department like a stone dropped in still water.Ashley heard about it first as whispers between Professor Chen and Dr.Thompson outside the lab - fragments about Cole Westwood and a strongly-worded response to concerns about his readiness for the master's program.
"Fourteen pages," Dr.Thompson muttered, shaking his head."Complete with annotated research proposals and letters of recommendation."
"Well," Professor Chen's lips twitched."No one can say the boy lacks motivation when properly challenged."
Ashley kept her head down, pretending to focus on the data sheets spread across her workstation.Across the lab, Dale's hands stilled over his equipment, his back straightening almost imperceptibly.
The professors moved on, their voices fading down the hallway, but the tension in the lab remained.Ashley could feel Dale's eyes on her, studying her with that careful perception she'd come to know so well.
"Interesting," he said finally, his voice carrying across the quiet lab."I hadn't heard the department had concerns about Cole's readiness."
Heat crept up her neck."Really?"
"Really."He set down his tools with precise movements."Especially since his internship in Geneva has been exceptional.Almost like..."He turned to face her fully, and she caught the moment understanding dawned in his eyes."Almost like someone wanted him to prove himself."
Ashley's fingers found the edge of her data sheets, twisting the paper."Dale-"
"You did this."It wasn't a question."You found a way to bring him back."
"I just talked to Ezra," she said quietly."The rest was..."She gestured vaguely at the email printout on Professor Chen's abandoned desk."Well, pure Cole."
Dale crossed the lab slowly, his expression unreadable.For a moment, Ashley thought he might be angry - she had manipulated his brother, after all.But when he reached her workstation, his smile was soft, genuine in a way she hadn't seen in weeks.
"Thank you," he said simply.
Those two words broke something between them - some final barrier of hurt and misunderstanding that had lingered since that night at his apartment.Ashley felt tears prick her eyes.
