He provided his email address and office phone. Harvard had come through.

  Grinning ear-to-ear, Caitlyn navigated to Chloe’s work email to send Ruth the information. Then she stopped. Ruth didn’t know Chloe had a twin—so how could she explain it?

  She opened a draft window and slowly typed her message, backspacing and tweaking her wording until she settled on an explanation.

  Hi, Jonathan,

  My older sister sent me your contact information. Thank you so much for responding to her request. Here at Pulaski College, we have a promising student who has been blocked from receiving financial aid due to unique circumstances in his home country, and we’re hoping you can direct us to someone in your organization who can help. I’m CC’ing my boss, Ruth Holloway, who will send more information.

  Sincerely,

  Chloe Taylor

  There. She’d managed to avoid mentioning Harvard or her real name. And Caitlyn had been born first, so technically, the email wasn’t a lie.

  Well, except for the signature.

  * * *

  The clock had barely moved a millimeter since Caitlyn last checked. She had hoped the new contact at the Department of Education might make the day more interesting, but instead, she was trapped in a long, monotonous afternoon. While Ruth had responded to thank “Chloe” for Jonathan’s contact information, Caitlyn had no idea if they’d communicated. In fact, she’d barely seen Ruth, who had been in meetings for most of the afternoon.

  The doors to the suite swung open, and a man with a grumpy expression marched in. His thinning, brown hair and prominent jowls triggered Caitlyn’s memory.

  Steve Stubbons. Caitlyn recognized him from the photos Chloe had shown her. Steve was a professor of something she couldn’t recall and the president of the faculty council.

  “She ready?” Steve asked.

  Would it kill you to say hello? Or tell me what you’re talking about? “One moment, please.” Caitlyn checked Ruth’s calendar. There was a meeting with Steve called Scheduling concerns.

  “I’ll let her know you’re here.” Caitlyn picked up her phone and dialed Ruth’s extension.

  “Yes?” Ruth sounded tired.

  “Hi. Steve Stubbons is here.”

  There was a pause. “Please tell him I’ll be a few minutes.” Her voice was tight.

  “Sure thing.” Caitlyn hung up. “She’s not quite ready.”

  “Figures.” Steve sat on the edge of a chair, hunching forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. After about a minute, he stood and paced the waiting area, muttering under his breath.

  While she pretended to focus on her computer screen, Caitlyn watched out of the corner of her eye. Something about Steve gave her the creeps. He appeared angry about a meeting that hadn’t even started.

  After a couple of minutes, Ruth emerged. “Hello, Dr. Stubbons.”

  He puffed out his lower lip. “You’re late.”

  Caitlyn glanced at her phone. It was one whole minute past the hour.

  Ruth narrowed her eyes. “Good afternoon to you too.”

  Steve stalked past Caitlyn’s desk into the office.

  Before she followed, Ruth shot Caitlyn a grim look. Then she entered the office and closed the door behind her.

  Ick. Caitlyn tried to recall what Chloe had said about Steve. Not much, just that he was likely to appear in the office from time to time. There had been no mention of the hostility coming off him in waves or the fact that Ruth appeared to dread spending time with him.

  Soon, raised voices sounded through the wall. Caitlyn couldn’t make out most of the words, but the contempt in Steve’s voice was palpable.

  Ruth argued with him. Her tone was firm, but she kept her volume in check—to Caitlyn’s frustration. She wanted to know what Ruth was saying.

  Steve’s voice grew louder as he scolded Ruth. Something about “into the ground” and “fucked it up.” He sounded like an abusive parent.

  Caitlyn clenched her fingers until her nails dug into her palms. Who does he think he is? He had no right to yell at Ruth. Whatever his complaint, nothing justified this behavior.

  I should go in there. She could make up some reason—a phone call, a question. Any excuse to get between Steve and Ruth. As the argument escalated, the urge to intervene became overwhelming.

  Where were these protective instincts coming from? Ruth was an adult and the president of the college, more than capable of looking after herself.

  Caitlyn started to get up, then sat back down. Just stay out of it. Ruth doesn’t need you to save her.

  “Your days are numbered,” Steve said. Every word was loud and clear.

  That’s it. Caitlyn jumped up. I’m going in there.

  * * *

  “I don’t respond to threats,” Ruth snapped. She crossed her arms, refusing to get up from the conference table despite Steve’s efforts to goad her into a standing confrontation.

  Steve loomed over Ruth’s chair and jabbed the air with his finger. “It’s not a threat. I’m telling you what will happen.”

  The door burst open, causing them both to jump.

  Chloe walked in. “Excuse me.”

  Steve whirled around.

  “I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Chloe said, “but someone is on the phone from the governor’s office. He said it’s urgent.”

  Ruth pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her pulse was racing from the argument, and now she had to speak to the governor? “Oh—okay. I’d better take it, then.” Security threats swirled in her mind. Terrorism? A tornado?

  Steve turned back to Ruth with flared nostrils. “Are you kicking me out?”

  “I need you to wait outside while I take this call.” Ruth stood. “It could be confidential.”

  Chloe held the door for Steve, who trudged back into the lobby.

  Ruth took deep breaths, attempting to compose herself as she reached her desk and picked up the phone. “Ruth Holloway.” A dial tone sounded in her ear. She looked down, and none of the call lights were on.

  The door clicked shut, but Chloe was still in the office.

  “Nobody’s on the line.” Had the governor given up on her already? It had only been a minute.

  “I know. Nobody called.” Chloe shifted from one foot to the other with a guilty expression.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I just thought—well, I thought someone should interrupt. He was screaming at you.”

  Ruth stared in disbelief. Chloe had come to rescue her? “I can take care of myself.”

  “Oh, I know.” Chloe wrung her hands. “I know you can. It was an impulsive decision, I guess. I’m sorry if I overreacted.” Beneath the fake eyelashes, her eyes shone with concern.

  Chloe was worried about me. A warm feeling spread through Ruth’s chest. “Perhaps it was for the best. I can’t say I’m sorry for a break from the spittle flying in my face.” She took a long sip from her water bottle.

  “Would you like me to get rid of him?” Chloe gestured toward the lobby.

  The thought of being done with Steve for the day was too appealing to resist. “Yes, tell him we’ll have to reschedule. And then please come back in here for a minute.” Ruth sank into her chair at the conference table.

  Chloe opened the door and poked her head out. “Dr. Holloway must attend to a pressing matter, so she won’t be able to finish your meeting. Please send any further thoughts over email.” Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door closed.

  Imagining Steve’s reaction to the cold dismissal brought Ruth cheer. “Have a seat.” She gestured at the chair to her left.

  Chloe walked over and sat gingerly in her tight, pink skirt, which parted along the side to reveal a stretch of her tan thigh.

  She’s so lovely. The thought bubbled up unbidden, and Ruth shook her head to banish it. God, I need to get a grip. The stress was getting to her.

  Chloe shifted and tugged on the fabric. The outfit clung to her like a costume. While Chloe’s wardrobe had once seemed appropriate for her personality—if not for the office—Ruth had come to see a different side of her in recent days, one that suggested the flashy clothes were part of an act. A fun persona to hide her serious, self-conscious side from the world.

  “I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Chloe smoothed the skirt.

  “It’s okay. Steve can be…”

  “An asshole?”

  The blunt language took Ruth by surprise. “While that’s not what I was going to say, it is apt.”

  “He’s horrible.” Chloe scrunched her face in disgust. “I couldn’t believe how he spoke to you.”

  “Really? You’re still surprised? I know you’ve heard Steve pitch tantrums in here before.”

  “That’s what I meant,” Chloe said quickly. “It seemed worse than the other times. I heard him say your days are numbered.”

  “Yes, he did use that cliché. But he wasn’t threatening my life, just my job. He said he’d have the faculty vote ‘no confidence’ in me and that the board would fire me after that.” Ruth’s blood pressure climbed again.

  Chloe’s chin rose sharply. “Why would they vote no confidence?”

  Ruth rolled her eyes. “Oh, take your pick. I’m spying on them because I’ve asked them to take attendance. I canceled summer classes with fewer than five students enrolled. I won’t make a bunch of new full-time hires that we can’t afford. And in this case, he’s angry that I won’t approve him teaching overload in the fall.”

  “Overload?” Chloe looked perplexed.

  “It’s when faculty teach extra courses—more than their contracts require—and get paid an obscene rate for it. But we don’t have the budget. If I approved everything the faculty want, Pulaski would go bankrupt. Hell, we might go bankrupt anyway.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “I know enrollment is down, but is it that bad?”

  “Yes—and it’s not just us. A lot of liberal-arts colleges are struggling. We don’t have a Rolodex of wealthy donors like universities with business schools, and we can only raise tuition so much without compromising access—or saddling the students with debt they could never repay. That’s why I work so hard on recruitment and keeping students in school. Our survival depends on it. But people like Steve won’t face reality. He thinks throwing more money at instruction will solve everything.” The recitation of the college’s problems, combined with the heat, was suffocating. Ruth shrugged out of her blazer.

  Chloe frowned at her lap, appearing deep in thought. “It’s one thing to… I mean, even if he thinks instruction should be prioritized—which I can understand—he shouldn’t get to come in here and bully you like that. You’re the president. You’re his boss.”

  A dry laugh escaped Ruth’s throat. “That’s not how he sees it. Steve Stubbons has tenure, not to mention faculty support. There’s nothing I can do to him—not really. Meanwhile, if the faculty vote no confidence, there’s a good chance the board will decide I’m not worth the headache.” It was strange to confide in Chloe the day after Ruth had freaked out upon finding her sharing cookies with faculty at the colloquium. But whatever her relationships with other faculty, Chloe’s actions had proved that she had little regard for Steve.

  “I suppose I can see why he feels invulnerable,” Chloe said, “but nobody should have to deal with behavior like that. Are you sure you can’t file a complaint or something?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Ruth could only imagine the hell Steve would raise if she involved Human Resources.

  “Well, it’s up to you. But maybe next time you meet with him, I can stay in the room. You can say that you want me to take notes. Or I could interrupt every few minutes, and we could have a signal if you want me to invent another fake emergency.”

  Ruth’s heart swelled at the offer. She really cares. “That’s kind of you, Chloe. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Chloe gave her a shy smile. “I guess I should get back to my desk.”

  “Right. And I’ve got emails to answer—including one from Jonathan Tharp, by the way.” After the kerfuffle with Steve, she’d almost forgotten to thank Chloe in person. “I sent him the details about Amari’s case, and he promised to look into it, personally.”

  Chloe’s face lit up. “Oh wow. That’s amazing.”

  “Yes, we got lucky with him. How did your sister know Jonathan anyway?”

  The change in Chloe’s posture was stark and immediate. She sat up straight, shoulders pushed up, and curled her fingers into her palms. “They went to the same university.”

  Ruth should have let it go, given Chloe’s obvious discomfort, but curiosity won out. “What university?”

  “Harvard.” Chloe’s cheeks flushed.

  “Oh?” Ruth couldn’t hide her surprise. “Well, please be sure to thank her for me.”

  “I will.” Chloe slid off the chair and hustled to the door, perhaps hoping to flee before Ruth could ask any follow-up questions.

  “Thanks again,” Ruth called out as Chloe left.

  Ruth stared at the open door, trying to make sense of the conversation. Chloe obviously hated to talk about her older sister, but why? Did the sister’s achievements make her feel insecure? It was another piece that didn’t fit the puzzle—a puzzle that was beginning to preoccupy Ruth.

  For weeks, Ruth had barely noticed Chloe. Now that she’d started paying attention, each day brought new clues that there was far more to Chloe than she’d realized. Beneath the surface, she was thoughtful and interested in the college.

  Most surprising of all, Chloe had stepped in to help her, and she’d seemed to genuinely care about Ruth’s challenges as president. It was tempting to see Chloe as a new ally, but Ruth couldn’t afford to let her guard down—not when she still didn’t understand the enigmatic woman who sat outside her office, apparently looking out for her.

  * * *

  After work, Caitlyn walked along the footpath that wound through the small campus. The sun was high, and the air was humid, like a sticky hug.

  Behind the student services building, she happened upon an abstract sculpture fountain. Two copper chutes coiled around each other like water slides and came together near the bottom, where a gentle stream poured into the pool below. Caitlyn sat on a concrete bench in front of it.

  As she listened to the soft gurgling, she tried to make sense of the incident in Ruth’s office. Clearly, the power dynamics at the college were different from what she had first assumed. Ruth had a doctorate and a college presidency, and yet she didn’t feel empowered to hold Steve Stubbons accountable for his abusive behavior.

  If the board didn’t have Ruth’s back, nobody did. How could she govern an institution when she lacked job security, and everyone knew it?

  While Caitlyn didn’t agree with Ruth’s attitude toward faculty, she was beginning to understand it. Ruth felt personally responsible for keeping the college solvent, and to her, that meant wise spending and working to retain students. Meanwhile, the faculty wanted investment in their programs and total autonomy; no wonder they acted like enemies.

  But did it have to be this way? Surely, the faculty had an interest in boosting enrollment and retention. After all, a financial crisis would impact everyone. Why couldn’t faculty and administration work together on solutions?

  Caitlyn decided there was plenty of blame to go around. Ruth should have secured buy-in for her initiatives. If she didn’t treat the faculty like partners, she couldn’t expect cooperation. Academics were notoriously stubborn—Caitlyn had seen it in graduate school countless times. To get anything done, they had to be coddled and nudged along.

  Then again, perhaps faculty like Steve made it impossible. He obviously loathed Ruth, and he was the leader of the faculty council. Maybe Ruth was doomed to have an adversarial relationship with faculty as long as he was there.

  Caitlyn’s phone rang in her purse. She was surprised to see Chloe’s name on the screen. “Hi, what’s up?”

  “How’s it going?” Chloe sounded perky. “Is work still okay?”

  Caitlyn glanced around to ensure no one was listening. “Yes. I admit I haven’t been perfect, but no one has guessed that I’m…well, not you.”

  “Great. I’m so glad it’s going well.”

  “How is Nick?”

  A dreamy sigh filled Caitlyn’s ear. “He’s wonderful. I think he’s my soul mate.”

  That’s what she’d said about Jacqueline too. Caitlyn prayed Chloe wasn’t rushing into something before she really knew him. “Tell me about him. What’s he like?”

  “So, first of all, he’s hilarious. He makes me laugh all the time. And he’s so considerate. Like, he goes out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable.”

  “All of that sounds good.” Caitlyn hoped it wasn’t an act. Anyone could be considerate for a few days.

  “Anyway.” Chloe paused. “He asked me to stay a bit longer.”

  The phone nearly slipped from Caitlyn’s grasp. “What do you mean? How long?”

  “Um, we didn’t put an end date on it. But we want more time together, and he said I can stay as long as I want.”

  Oh no. “What about your job?” Had Caitlyn really done this for nothing?

  “I’m letting it go. It was so sweet of you to cover for me, but I can’t ask you to work there forever.”

  “I don’t mind staying longer.” The words escaped Caitlyn’s lips before she could think them through. What was she saying?

  “Seriously? I thought you’d be miserable working for Ruth.”

  “Well…” Caitlyn tried to make sense of her feelings. “Actually, I’m not. She can be difficult, but I’m beginning to understand her.”

  “I’m glad it hasn’t been horrible. But I really don’t think I’ll be back. Nick and I agreed that I could take a break from work for a while, until I find something I’m passionate about doing.”