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When I'm paged to the board room later that afternoon, I can only assume it's because I snapped at someone a little too hard. But what else am I supposed to do? Last night's whole episode is embarrassing enough without everyone constantly asking me what I did to myself.
What didshedo to me…That's the real question here.
I make my way up the elevator and into the boardroom where I've been summoned. I'm surprised to round the corner and seeeveryonesitting there, waiting for me.
Sturgill sits at the head of the table of course, as the owner, co-founder, and leading investor of Bardot. Dr. Ford Anderson, co-founder and advisor to my department, sits at his left. Dr. Hudson Gray is to his right, which doesn't make any sense to me at all.What the hell is he doing here?He's not even on the board. Then of course there's fucking Brett Adler, who I hate seeing on a good day.
"Have a seat, Dr. Ashford," Sturgill waves towards the empty seat at the opposite end of the table from him.
Sitting there plants me directly across from all four of them, which only adds to this feeling that I'm being ambushed. By what, I just don't know yet.
I nod to each of them as I take my seat, barely managing to mask my impatience. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," I remark sarcastically. "May I ask what brings all of us here today? More specifically, what bringsmehere today? I have a lot of work to do."
"A lot to catch up on?" Sturgill asks. "I heard you never made it back here yesterday after your interview with that reporter. How did that go by the way?"
"Ah, yes. The interview. Well…it seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding. That reporter…Curie, was it? She thought she was getting a sit-down with the head of neurology for UCLA. She didn't seem to have much interest in talking to me once she realized her mistake. She was a little embarrassed by it, I think."
His brow furrows in confusion, but there seem to be more important matters at hand. "Perhaps we can go over that in more detail another time," he says, waving it off. "We called you in here today because there's something quite serious we have to discuss." He turns to Hudson with an expectant stare.
Hudson doesn't look too thrilled about having the torch passed to him, but he takes a moment to gather his words and presses on anyway. "Right. Well, Ashford, as you know…I'm leading the hiring committee until we have a new medical director in place. You're also aware that we have an open Head of Research position we've been trying to fill recently…one that I recall you had some pretty strong feelings about. Really just about one candidate in particular. Is that right?"
I realize that, for some reason, everyone is staring at me like I've just been caught in some sort of trap. "You're not spilling any secrets," I reply cluelessly. "Everyone in this room knows I did not approve of Dr. Vanessa Lopez for that role. Get to the point."
"It seems what everyone in this room isnotaware of are the real reasons behind your opinions about her," Hudson continues, his tone growing more unforgiving. "Dr. Lopez got in touch with us yesterday evening and informed us that she feels us turning her down for the position was discrimination."
"Discrimination?" I laugh incredulously. "Oh, that's rich."
But no one else is laughing. They can't seriously believe this shit…Can they?
"Is it true?" Dr. Anderson asks.
"That she's been discriminated against?" I scoff. "Is it discrimination to not hire someone who's underqualified for the job?"
"That you and Dr. Lopez were romantically involved in the past," he states plainly.
All of them lean in and stare back at me hard, like I'm bacteria under a microscope. I can't help but shift in my seat, squirming from the unwanted attention.
"That's my personal life," I defend. "And it's ancient history."
They all groan and sink back in their seats, instantly deflated by my poor excuses.
Sturgill's face turns red as he stands and starts to pace the front of the room. "It stopped being personal the minute she applied for a job and you bashed her qualifications, trying to prevent us from hiring her," he fumes. "You should have told us about your history with this woman."
"What about the rest of her claim?" Hudson presses. "She says she dumped you back in the day, and that's why you didn't want her to get this job. Because you're still bitter about it."
I roll my eyes. "Come on, guys. You know me, and you know that's bull shit. Like I care if a woman ends things with me? If anything, it saves me the trouble. Besides, there wasn't even enough of a thing between us to officially end. It was just a stupid college fling and it fizzled out."
The lies burn in my throat, and I'm suddenly desperate for a glass of water. Under any other circumstances, those would be available around the table. But I see now there must not have been any time for that. They were all in crisis mode.
"Well, you've made your bed," Sturgill huffs. "Now you'll have to lay in it."
"Are you going to fire me?" I bark in disbelief.
"No. But I am going to hire Dr. Lopez," he fires back. "We have no choice. We can't risk a lawsuit. I strongly advise that you call her personally to tell her the good news, just so we're one hundred percent clear that there are no hard feelings and that you will handle everything with her from this moment forward with the utmost professionalism."
6
Joshua
