Page 25 of Together at Ruby's

“He said as soon as possible,” Jen said. “Crazy, right?”

“Wow,” Tate said completely taken aback by the news. She looked at Nikki. “Now I understand why you said you didn’t know what to make of it. Do you know if it will stay a gym?

Nikki and Jen both shook their heads. “Mr. Rizzo wouldn’t confirm that,” Jen said.

“Which means anything is possible,” Nikki inserted.

Staring at the floor, Tate tried to process the new information. “It could be horrible,” Tate said after a moment. The thought her gym, that she loved so much, would be sold to a stranger upset her. Mr. Rizzo was a great guy and kept the place clean, if not particularly modern.What will I do if they sell it?she wondered.There’s no other gym in the area I am even interested in.

Nikki hummed. “You know,” she said with a tilt of her head. “If it’s for sale maybe you and I could buy it.”

Tate blinked as she let the thought roll over in her head. The idea of owning the gym would be a dream come true, but she knew it was only a fantasy. “That would be amazing,” Jen added. “You two would be great owners.”

Starting to shake her head, Tate knew the idea was impossible. She hadn’t worked a decade to build a career and be on the threshold of fulfilling all her dreams only to throw it all away. Especially for something that was such a huge risk. “I’m sorry,” Tate replied. “But that’s not for me.”

For a second, it seemed Nikki was going to argue, but then the woman sighed. “Understood.”

“Please keep me posted,” Tate said, and Jen and Nikki nodded.

“I’ll be sure to keep my ear to the ground,” Nikki said with a sly smile. Tate snorted a laugh. She knew her friend would keep her ear to something at least.

She started for the door. “I have to get moving, or I’ll be late meeting Allie,” she said near the exit. “I’ll talk to you later, Nikki.”

The tall blonde gave her a wave, and then Tate was out the door walking through the parking lot to her car. Getting in, she tossed her bag into the passenger seat. The news about the gym was more upsetting than she realized, and suddenly she wanted to talk to Liza about it. Tell her of her concerns. If anyone understood how much that place meant to Tate, it would be Liza.Even though she’s mad at me, she thought.I think she would care.Digging through her bag, she couldn’t find her phone. Trying not to panic, Tate looked again and then could only hope she had left it at home and hadn’t missed any important calls.

As Liza drovein the direction of the gym where Tate always worked out, she used the Bluetooth in her car to call the woman again. It rang four times and then went to voicemail only causing Liza’s frustration to mount. “Tate,” Liza said trying to keep her voice even. “I’m starting to get worried. Please don’t do this to us. Call me. Now.” She hung up. For some reason Tate was not answering her texts or phone calls. Worst of all though, she wasn’t replying to the voicemails Liza left her. After her heartfelt message that morning, she expected a different response. At least something, even if Tate said she wasn’t ready to talk. With no idea where Tate was, Liza could only hope she would find her at the gym.And I’m not going to think about her being with anyone anywhere else,she thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach.I just can’t believe she would do that to us.

Turning the corner, she pulled into the parking lot behind the gym. Unfortunately, Tate’s car was not there, but she still wanted to check. Sometimes the woman would run to the gym from their house. As she went in the back door, she immediately saw Nikki standing alone drinking a smoothie at the counter. When Nikki looked over at the sound, her eyes met Liza’s. For a second there was a flicker of something Liza couldn’t quite recognize.Almost like she’s not very happy to see me, Liza thought as she crossed the gym.But why would that be?

“Well hey, Liza,” Nikki said. “Fancy meeting you here. You look great, but not exactly ready to workout. What brings you to the gym?”

Liza stopped and put her hands on her hips. “I think you know why I’m here,” she said. “I’m looking for Tate.”

“Tate?” Nikki said as if they weren’t best friends and was puzzled by the question.

Liza narrowed her eyes. “Yes, Tate. I think you’ve met.” For some reason Nikki looked suspicious. As if she somehow knew where Tate was but didn’t want to say.

“Right,” Nikki said, plastering on her killer smile. “Did you call her? She’s probably at work.”

“Nice try, but I just came from there,” Liza said. “She’s not in today. Amazingly, she took the day off.”

Nikki frowned. “Wow. You went there? Why?” The question had a hint of something odd to it. There was clearly something going on, and Liza could tell their friend Nikki knew what it was.

“Nikki,” Liza said. “I need you level with me. Do you know why Tate didn’t go to work today?

“Uhm,” Nikki hesitated. “Sorry, but I can’t answer that.”

Shocked by the answer, Liza shook her head. “You can’t answer that?” she asked. “Why the hell not?”

With a sigh, Nikki glanced away. “Let’s just say I have some privileged information I am not at the liberty to share.”

Liza nearly stomped her foot in frustration. “I don’t like stuff being done behind my back,” she said. “This is your last chance to tell me. Where is Tate?”

Moving closer, Nikki gently put her hands on Liza’s shoulders. “Liza,” she said. “I love you like a sister. You and Tate are both very important to me. But some things I can’t get in the middle of, and this is one of them.”

Arrivingat the deli to meet Allie, Tate felt a mixture of emotions. Thankfully, she had found her phone at home but when she started listening to the voicemails, her heart broke. The first message from Liza had been hopeful and full of promise, but as the morning progressed, they quickly went downhill. After her sweet voicemail, Liza apparently began looking for her, and Tate, without her phone, missed all the calls and texts. For some reason that she couldn’t understand, Liza had even gone to the firm looking for her. That was highly unusual, and Liza never visited without setting something up in advance.So why did she do it? she wondered. The timing could not have been worse.And now she’s suspicious as hell.

As she entered the restaurant, she didn’t know quite what to do about Liza, but saw Allie waiting for her at a table. Hopefully, her friend would have advice. “Hi,” Tate said taking a seat. “Sorry if I’m late.”

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