#Chapter 79: Just Being Nice

Audrey The sound of pen scratching on paper was all that filled the silence of my dorm room. With a red pen in hand, I carefully worked through the enormous stack of papers that Professor Stevens had asked me to grade. Even though it was a lot of work, it kept my mind off of other problems—mainly the matter of finding a mentor for my thesis—which was a good thing. Suddenly, the sound of a soft ping from my laptop cut through the silence. I glanced over at the screen with a sigh, expecting another rejection email or perhaps some more instructions from Professor Stevens. Instead, I felt my heart leap into my throat as soon as I saw the sender’s last name: Black. With trembling fingers, I clicked to open the message. My eyes widened as I read its contents: “Dear Miss Thatcher, I hope this email finds you well. Upon further reflection, I believe I may have been hasty in my initial assessment of your qualifications. I would like to extend an invitation for