Page 50 of Together at Ruby's

Nikki winced. “That’s not what we want to hear,” she replied. “The situation with Aurora Price needs to stop.”

“It does,” Liza agreed. “It’s really weighing on her, I can tell. She tries to hide it from me, but I can see the unhappiness in her eyes.”

There was a sharp knock on the door. “Come in,” Nikki said, and Liza was surprised to see Tate. There was a smile on her face that Liza took to be a good sign. However, the fact that she was at the hospital and not at work confused her.She should be in her office working with clients if everything is okay, she thought.There’s a reason why she’s here and not there.

“Hi,” Nikki said.

Striding in, she stepped up to Liza. “Good morning,” she replied and pulled Liza into her arms before giving her a kiss on the lips.

“What’s that for?” she asked when Tate pulled back. “And seriously, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Tate shook her head. “About that,” she said. “I’m actually done for the day.” Liza searched her face and noticed the stress she told Nikki about seemed to have dissipated. It looked like Tate was relaxed. She was happy.

“Okay,” Liza said. “Do you want me to take the rest of my day off? I’d rather not because I’ve missed so much work, but…”

Slipping her arm around Liza’s waist, Tate smiled. “Not necessary,” she replied. “I’ll just hang here with Nikki today.”

“I like the sound of that,” Nikki said. “Maybe I can convince you to sneak out and get me a beer and a pizza.”

Tate laughed. “I’m sure things could be arranged,” she said was a wink.

Liza narrowed her eyes. Tate was acting weird but in a good way, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it before she left. “Tate, I think I need a little more information,” Liza said. “Like how it went with Chad this morning?”

“Awful,” Tate said, with a chuckle. “It could not have gone worse.”

Completely confused, Liza furrowed her brow. “Then why are you in such a good mood?”

“Because,” Tate answered with a shrug, “I finally did what I should’ve done a long time ago.”

Liza felt her chest tighten with anxiety as she contemplated what Tate meant. “And that is?”

“Yeah,” Nikki said. “Don’t leave us in suspense. Tell us the good news.”

Tate beamed. “I finally quit.”

Scared half to death,but unable to stop smiling, Tate watched Liza’s face. Several emotions seemed to flash through her eyes as she processed what Tate told her. The news was massive and would change both their lives significantly.It’s probably something I should’ve talked over with her first,Tate thought.But at the moment, I just acted. No matter how much it might make things difficult for us for a while, I know it was the right decision. Suddenly, Liza gave Tate a hug, and it felt amazing to be in her woman’s arms. She held her tight, and they stood for a minute, holding each other.

When Liza pulled back, there were tears in her eyes, but Tate couldn’t tell what they were from. “Babe, you’re crying,” Tate said. “Does this upset you that much?”

Liza wiped her eyes and smiled. “No, well, yes, but no. It’s just so sudden,” Liza said. “But I believe you when you say it’s the right decision, and so I support you.”

“It was what I had to do,” Tate said, and it was true. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that quitting was her only option. “I realize this is scary, but I also know we are strong if we stick together. Everything will turn out all right.”

Liza touched Tate’s face and nodded. “That is the truth.”

“I think it’s great news,” Nikki said. “You’re too good for that place anyway.”

Take chuckled. “I think you may be right.”

“So, what happened with Chad that you quit your job?” Liza asked. “Was it that bad?”

“It was,” Tate replied. “When I barged into his office, I was shocked to see Aurora Price was already there. Covering her ass.”

“That woman is incredible,” Liza growled. “Evil.”

“But she’s smart,” Tate added. “She had already started spinning her web of lies with Chad before I even got there.”

“He believed her?” Liza asked. “Even though you had proof?”

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