Page 24 of Together at Ruby's

Nikki let out a long whistle. “And the proposal?” Nikki asked. “What’s happening there?”

“I’m not sure,” Tate answered, knowing that was the one hole in her plan. “I think I’ll just wait for the right opportunity.”

Nikki ran faster as they closed in on their finish. “Well, that’s fantastic news,” she said. “I know this will all the work out for you two. You’re meant for each other.”

Tate matched Nikki’s pace. “Thanks,” she said. “That means a lot.”

Holding up a finger, Nikki showed that she wasn’t finished. “But that leads us to the second question.”

At that, Tate felt a churn of anxiety in her stomach because she knew where her friend was going next. “How are things at work with Aurora Price you mean?”

“Yes, exactly,” Nikki said. Tate stared at the monitor on the treadmill and saw they were quickly closing in on the last lap.

Thinking of Aurora, she was ready to be done running so she could throw the weights around and let out a little aggression. “Things haven’t changed,” Tate answered. “Actually, if anything, they got worse.”

Reluctantly, she recounted what happened in the bathroom. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Nikki said. “This is crazy. We have to come up with a plan.”

“I agree,” Tate said. “But she’s sly and doesn’t do anything obvious when people are around. It’s only when we’re alone.” She let out a growl of frustration. “Even though I try to avoid situations, she seems to track me down.”

Nikki was quiet as she slowed the belt on the treadmill. “I wonder if that’s why she left Chicago,” her friend finally said. “Because of something like this.”

Tate raised her eyebrows. “That could be entirely possible,” she said. “Maybe we should look into that.”

“Oh, I will definitely look into it,” Nikki said as she stopped. “If there’s something to find, I’ll find it.”

Glowingfrom her visit home and dressed in a green skirt and a cream, sleeveless summer blouse she knew Tate liked, Liza drove her Subaru downtown. As always, parking near Tate’s office was tricky, but as luck would have it, she found a space along the curb near the building’s front doors. Taking it as a good sign, she parked and headed for the entrance. Although Liza had hoped to hear back by now, she hadn’t tried to call Tate since that morning.Maybe another call would’ve been a good idea considering I am about to drop in on the woman out of the blue, she thought.But I think this will be fun.Of course, Liza had no idea if Tate was in meetings or would even be available, but she crossed her fingers. She would simply hope her timing was right, and she could keep the element of surprise. More than anything though, she wanted to see the look on Tate’s face when Liza came whisking into her office, all smiles and her heart happy.

Walking through the revolving door and into the lobby, her good day continued as she reached the elevators right as the car arrived. After a pair of men in serious business attire stepped out, she slipped in and pressed the button to go to Tate’s floor.She’s going to be so surprised, Liza thought with a smile.But I want her to know I couldn’t wait to see her.Humming along with the elevator music, she waited for the empty elevator to climb the multiple flights to Tate’s floor.

With her excitement mounting, Liza quickly navigated her way to the executive assistant’s desk outside Tate’s closed office door. Feeling a little disappointed when she saw Tate was likely in a meeting since the door was closed, she bit her lip. “Hi,” Liza said. “Sorry to bother you, but is Tate in a meeting?”

The woman glanced up from her computer terminal. “Oh, hi Liza,” the young woman said. “I’m surprised to see you here today.”

Finding the response unusual, Liza tilted her head. “And why is that?”

The assistant blinked as if realizing something might not be quite right. “Well, Tate took the day off,” she said after a beat. “She sent an email early this morning.”

Not sure she heard the woman correctly, Liza stepped closer. “What did you say?”

“I’m sorry, Liza, I don’t mean to get in the middle of anything, but Tate isn’t here,” the assistant said. Shocked, Liza simply stared.Took the day off?Liza wondered.When is the last time she has done that? And why did she do it today?Suddenly, Liza’s bright day turned darker. Tate had not answered her phone earlier and had not called back after the voicemail Liza left her. Tate wasn’t at work.So, where the hell is she?

“Thank you,” Liza said backing away. “I seem to have made a mistake.”

18

After an excellent workout, Tate was ready to go home and take a hot shower. As she walked out of the locker room with her bag, she noticed Nikki was still there. She was in the middle of a conversation with the pretty blonde who worked the smoothie bar. Always friendly, Tate liked her, but from the looks of things, the blonde was very into Nikki’s muscles. Tate shook her head.Leave it to Nikki to always find someone pretty to talk to, she thought as she walked closer.But then, nobody can help but like her.Looking over as Tate joined them, Nikki had a very serious look on her face. “What’s up?” Tate asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of it,” Nikki said. “But Jen here has just let me in on a little bit of a secret.”

Tate raised her eyebrows. “Is this a kind of secret I should know about?”

Her comment got a grin from Nikki, even though her eyes still looked serious. “This concerns you quite a bit,” she said. “All of us actually.”

“So, what is it?” Tate asked, shifting her bag from one shoulder to the other.

“The gym is up for sale,” Jen blurted, clearly unable to keep it a secret any longer. “It hasn’t been posted anywhere, but we had a team meeting this morning, and Mr. Rizzo told us. He is selling the gym.”

Tate’s eyes widened. “What? When?” she asked, not liking the sound of what she heard.

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