Page 15 of Forbidden Professor

Luca got up. “I’ll leave you two to talk, but don’t let him drive.”

Wow! He was just going to leave me here inebriated.

“Is this him?” the friend asked. “I’m Ava. Heard a lot about you tonight. Hurt her and you die.”

Ava had a big smile on her face and then winked. “Here’s your drink, sweetie. I’m going to dance.”

Isla took the seat next to me at the bar. As mad as I was, her presence calmed me a bit. She had always had that effect on me.

“Do you have your phone? I texted you a bit ago.” She said.

“It’s on silent in my pocket. Luca talked me into coming out for a drink. You know, on the count of me being the loser. Figured I could blow off some steam.”

The truth was, right now, I was a complete failure. My heart was broken for everything I worked so hard for, but I shouldn’t be mad at her. She was just doing her job.

“Are you mad at me? I’m sorry.” She rested her hand on mine. “I didn’t know they were going to cut it for longer.”

“Would that have swayed your decision?”

“If you want me to be honest, no. My professional career means a lot to me. Companies count on me for my expertise and I can’t let personal feelings cloud my judgement. You wouldn’t expect me to, would you?”

I shook my head. “Never. It still hurts though.”

“What do you say we get out of here and go back to my place? This isn’t your scene.”

She was right. Why was I here in the first place? I should have said no to Luca. Being angry in a bar wasn’t the best decision.

“Sure. I can’t drive though. You wanna drive my car?”

She took my keys and then my hand. “Of course, let’s get out of here.”

Isla

He was very drunk and stumbling as we got out of the car and treaded toward my place. I’ve never seen him this way. In college, he didn’t drink. I couldn’t blame him after the day he’s had, but at least if he was here with me, he was safe from harm. Ava might get upset with me for leaving her at the bar, but she would get over it. Especially after all the talk about not letting Easton walk away without giving him a second chance. As much as I had in my life, I was still lonely. The companionship was lacking and then in walked him. It had to be a sign.

I pulled out my key and unlocked my door and got him to the couch. “Here’s the remote. I’ll grab you a bottle of water and some aspirin.”

He might not be thinking clearly tonight, but we still needed to talk. I couldn’t put it off anymore.

“Here you go.”

He took the aspirin and put in his mouth and then chugged the water. “Much better than all that liquor. I don’t understand why people drink that all the time. It tastes like crap.”

I laughed. “So, can we talk? I know you angry, but we need to figure out what we are going to do about us. We both deserve some answers.”

“I have a question for you, actually. Do you find it odd that Paul pulled my project due to low funds but is throwing some big Christmas party?”

“Depends. How long has the company been doing Christmas parties?”

“Never. This is the first year.”

“That’s a little odd, yes. Why would they start that this year? Especially after cutting your project?”

Paul was a jackass. That was clear from my interaction with him, but maybe I needed to dig a little deeper. There was no reason to pull funding for Parkinson’s to throw a company party. Matter of fact, I doubt the Board of Directors would ever approve something like that. A party doesn’t make them any money.

“I feel like there is something more going on. As soon as I found out, my stomach turned. Would you help me? You are the expert with money things.”

“Do you happen to know any of the Board of Directors? If not, I am sure I could find out. This should be something brought up to them. Maybe he made the decision without their approval.”

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