Page 10 of Together at Ruby's

“So, talk to me,” Rey said, clearly not ready to let her earlier question drop. “Is something wrong between you and Tate?”

The question was a good one, and Liza wasn’t sure how to answer it.Is her not getting promoted really Tate’s fault?she thought, biting her lip.Or am I being entirely unfair?Liza sighed. “Unfortunately, yes,” she answered. “There sort of is.” Then, after a sip of the hot drink, she filled her friend in on the events of the night before including Tate not getting the promotion and then storming out. “And the worst thing, in my mind, is the fact that I don’t think she will propose to me now.”

“I see,” Rey said, gently. “And I know that’s important to you.”

“More so every day,” Liza said. “With my birthday coming it’s all I can think about. My damn ticking clock.”

Rey reached across the table and touched Liza’s arm. “I know Tate loves you,” she said. “I know she wants to make you happy.”

Feeling the sting of tears at her friend’s honest words, Liza sighed. “I know too,” she said. “But sometimes I worry we just don’t want the same thing.”

Conflicted,Tate paused in the doorway of the office that should have been hers. She had legitimate work to do so she could say no, however, it was hard to resist an opportunity to learn more about Aurora Price.Maybe find out why she left Chicago, Tate thought.And why she ended up here in the job I wanted. “All right,” Tate said. “But I only have a few minutes.”

Aurora smiled. “Totally understand,” she said. “I know you are busy woman.” Although Tate couldn’t be sure, Aurora didn’t come across as completely sincere in her comment, and Tate felt her neck grow warm.Was this the reason why I didn’t get the promotion?she wondered.Because they don’t think I work hard enough? Or is she just trying to get under my skin for some reason?Not sure how to comment, Tate didn’t respond as she stepped into the office and started for the chair.

Before she went far, Aurora held up a hand to pause her. “Why don’t you close the door,” she said with a half-smile on her face that made Tate pause. Things felt odd, but she shook it off.What harm is there in shutting the door?she wondered and after a beat, she did as a woman asked. “Perfect. Thank you. I don’t want us to be interrupted.”

Still not sure what game Aurora was playing, Tate nodded as she sat in the chair. “No problem,” she said and waited to see what the woman would say next.

Aurora leaned back in her expensive leather executive’s chair. “So, tell me how long you’ve been working here.”

Tate hesitated.Does she truly not know anything about my history with the firm? she wondered.Could she truly not know that she bumped me out of my promotion?Tate’s mind ran through all the possibilities.Maybe I really have totally misjudged her.“I started here as an intern,” Tate said. “In my last year of college. They hired me once I graduated, and I’ve been working for them ever since.”

“I see,” Aurora said steepling her fingers. “That is a lot of dedication. No wonder you were allowed to handle such big clients.”

The way Aurora said the wordallowedmade Tate bristle. “Yes, I suppose so,” Tate said, keeping her tone cool. “Their assets have grown over forty percent since I started working with them.” She sat up straighter. “I consider them more than just clients but actually friends.”

“Friends? Interesting,” Aurora said, tilting her head as if to appraise Tate more closely. “Do you have a lot of friends, Tate?”

“Some,” Tate answered not sure where the conversation was going. For a moment the comment hung in the air. Finally, Aurora leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk looking Tate in the eye. For moment, Tate could not help but see how beautiful the woman was.Seductive, Tate thought.That’s a better word.

Slowly, a smile lit up the woman’s face. “So perhaps we could be friends,” Aurora said. It wasn’t a question, and in a tone that almost bordered on…Sultry?No, I imagined that. I am reading something weird into this. Aren’t I?Tate wondered.What the hell is going on here?

A little bewildered, but not willing to be intimidated, Tate did not break the woman’s gaze. “Well, anything is possible I suppose,” she said. “But if we are going to know each other better, maybe you can explain why you left Chicago and how you ended up in Portland?”

The smile on Aurora’s face vanished and her eyes narrowed. “That’s a rather direct thing to ask,” Aurora said, clearly not liking the turn of the tables. “And interesting that you know I used to live in Chicago.”

Tate shrugged. “I won’t lie,” she said. “When you arrived here so unexpectedly, I googled you.”

An awkward moment passed before Aurora nodded slowly. “I see,” she said. “But I think you’re right, this is not a good time to chat since we are both so busy.” When the woman picked up a document from the desktop and focused on it, Tate realized she was dismissed.

Clenching her jaw, Tate stood. “I agree,” she said and strode to the door.

As she opened it, Aurora called from behind her. “I hope this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” she said, and Tate glanced over her shoulder.

The half-smile was back on Aurora’s face, and Tate had no idea what to think. The woman was the VP of Mergers and Acquisitions and held considerable power. Although not directly Tate’s boss, she did have to answer to her. “Not at all,” Tate said, forcing a smile. “We can certainly be friends.”

9

As Liza wrapped up her morning at the insurance office, she was surprised to get a text from Tate. Glancing at the message, she couldn’t help but feel her heart melt a little. “Sorry for storming out last night,” the text said. “I love you.” Liza sighed. For most people the text wouldn’t be that significant, however, she knew her partner rarely sent messages during the workday. In fact, she was poor about texting a general, so the effort that had gone into her thinking of Liza and then sending a message was huge.

Quickly writing back, Liza typed, “I’m sorry too. And I love you more.” There was a long pause, and Liza was about to slip her phone back in her purse guessing Tate wouldn’t reply when she felt it vibrate in her hand.

Looking at the phone she actually laughed at the message. “No, I love you more.” and there was a smiley face with hearts for eyes. Feeling better than she had all day, Liza thought about sending another message back but hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should press her luck.

Finally, she was brave and typed out a message. “Does this mean you will be home in time for dinner tonight?”

“I will be,” Tate responded right away. “I promise.” Smiling, Liza suddenly had the idea to make something special for them to eat for dinner. Tate loved chicken Parmesan over angel hair pasta, and Liza was good at making it.

---