Page 68 of My Forbidden Billionaire
She wraps her long and soft arms around my neck, and I can smell a hint of lavender on her skin. I feel as if I’ve fallen into a dream. She kisses my cheek, sending shivers down my spine.
“I didn’t even know there was a restaurant here,” she says, looking around.
“It’s private. Only for members.”
“Ah … so, it’s a billionaire thing?”
“It’s a Wall Street thing, actually. But I suppose you do need to have a certain income to be able to dine here,” I say, agreeing with her.
“I missed you,” she says softly, looking into my eyes.
I feel my heart skip a beat. “I missed you too, Jo,” I reply, my eyes fixed on hers.
We take a seat across from each other and I pour her a glass of red wine. We sip in silence for a moment, until she breaks the quiet.
“I’m sorry for asking you to meet me on such short notice,” she says, her eyes flickering with nervousness.
“Don’t be sorry,” I reply, taking her hand in mine. “I’m just glad that you felt comfortable enough to reach out to me.”
She looks at me, her eyes searching mine. “My job’s in jeopardy, Jacob,” she says, her voice shaking slightly. “I don’t know what to do.”
I can see the fear etched deep on her face. My heart aches for her. “Tell me what happened,” I ask, trying to soothe her.
She takes a deep breath and begins to explain the entire situation with Ms. Abadie in detail, sharing everything that’s happened between them since her very first day at Jameson Juniper Hall. I listen intently, feeling my anger boil inside at the thought of someone trying to hurt Josephine.
“And today was the day I finally broke. I just … snapped. It was like an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t even control the words that came out of my mouth...” her voice trails off.
I feel a sense of protectiveness wash over me as I look at her. “Given the way she’s been bullying you for months on end, I don’t blame you for standing up for yourself,” I say, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “In fact, I’m proud of you for it.”
“But ... now it really feels like my job is on the line,” she says, her eyes filling with tears. “And if I get fired my parents are going to be right about me.”
I reach over and wipe away her tears with my thumb, gazing into her eyes. “You know that’s not true, Jo.”
“But I’ll have failed...”
“You haven’t failed at anything,” I say firmly. “You’re an amazing teacher. Your students, including Clem, think the world of you. And I think the world of you too.”
She looks at me with tear stained cheeks, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips. “Thank you, Jacob. You always know just what to say.”
“I’m just telling the truth.” I smile at her. “But Jo, I promise you, I’m going to do everything in my power to not let that happen.”
“I appreciate that Jacob but considering the way they came down on me over wearing the color blue, it’s hard to imagine—”
“Wait, it was Ms. Abadie who came down on you about the dress code, right?” I interject.
“Right, she said it was against the rules to wear blue. But conveniently, she was the one who forgot to send me the rules in advance.” She sighs.
“So how were you supposed to know it was a rule, then?”
“Well, that’s just it, Jacob. Stephanie told me on the first day of school that Ms. Abadie intentionally sabotages teachers. She was convinced Ms. Abadie forgot to send me the rules on purpose. I mean, shoot, if it weren’t for Stephanie, I never would have even received the rule book...”
“Wait ... do you mean to tell me Ms. Abadie never sent you the rule book? Even after she scolded you over the dress code?”
“No ... she didn’t. I just have the hard copy Stephanie gave me on the first day as a favor. But ... what are you getting at?”
“So, you didn’t have to sign any sort of contract or acknowledgement that you received the rule book and agree to abide by them?”
“No, Jacob, I didn’t,” she says, realization slowly dawning on her face.