Page 36 of Revere

“We aren’t talking about my paper anymore, are we?”

Smart girl.

“No.” I lean forward, resting my forearms on the desk.

“It’s not that simple,” she grumbles.

That much, I believe, and I want to know what caused this. What hurt her so deeply that she can’t see what she’s capable of when she lets herself be free.

“It can be simple if you want it to be,” I assure her. “What do you want from this summer, Patience?”

“From the program?”

“Are your goals with the program the only reason you came to LA?”

Her gaze darts off. “No.”

“Then you answered your own question.”

She toys with her sleeves. Long sleeves in the middle of summer. It’s rare she shows skin, and while I thought nothing of it at first, I’m starting to think there’s more to it than her being modest.

After a long pause, she finally looks at me again. “I want to prove myself.”

“To who?”

“My parents.”

My teeth grit just thinking about her asshole father. “That’s all?”

“No.” She bites her lower lip.

“Who else?”

“Myself.” She sounds less sure about that answer, even if I sense we’re finally getting to the truth.

“What do you need to prove to yourself?” I lean back in my chair, appreciating that her gaze skims over me at that. “That you can pass this program?”

She shakes her head. “That I can make my own decisions.”

Interesting.

Just when I think I have her figured out, she spins things around.

“I have no doubt you’re capable of anything you want.” It’s rare that I mean it, but with Patience Lancaster’s fire, I don’t have a doubt in my mind she could run the world if she wanted.

Her gaze drops to the floor. “We can’t be talking like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like we did on the plane.”

“Why not?”

She looks up at me. “Because you were just some guy to me back then.”

“What am I now?”

“My professor. My mentor.” Annoyance bleeds in her tone. “Someone I look up to.”