Page 147 of It's Not PMS, It's You
I grabbed a yellow sticky note and pen from Gary’s desk.
Leaning over, I wrote two words on it.
I QUIT!
I handed the note to Gary.
He read it and shook his head. “Please. Don’t do this. Think about what you’re throwing away.”
“That’s just it, Gary. Ihavethought about it. And I’m not throwing away anything that’s worth keeping.” I walked toward the door.
“Ruth . . .”
I stopped at the door and swung around.
Gary blew out a breath. “It looks like you’ve made up your mind.”
I nodded. “I have.”
He took a step toward me. “You’re the best damn partner this firm has ever had—I want you to know that. You’ll be an asset to any company who’s lucky enough to have you, but keep in mind that the door is always open if you change your mind.”
I nodded, smiling. “Thank you, Gary. I appreciate that very much.”
I turned and walked out the door, knowing I would never return.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Three Days Later . . .
RUTH
I smiled at Judy as we finished our fish sandwiches on a bench in the middle of the Oceanside Fishing Pier, marveling at how she was a completely different woman. I had told her in the airport that we both needed to get a life, and she hadn’t wasted any time.
At least one of us succeeded.
Honestly, I was happy for her, but I couldn’t help being jealous at the same time. Judy’s social calendar was completely full. The woman had new boundless energy and spunk for an eighty-year-old. We talked about getting together again next week, but there was one big problem. She couldn’t seem to fit me into her busy schedule.
On the other hand, my schedule was wide open after quitting my job.
I had no regrets for making things right with Mathors Aerospace. They walked away from the deal with Stansfeld and jumped at the chance to work with me after I had offered my consulting services at no charge to help turn around their company. The plan was to apply the exact strategy that was shot down by Mason and rejected by Gary during the board meeting.
I had no doubts that it would work, and they even offered me 50,000 shares if my ideas came to fruition, which I had no doubt they would.
But it wasn’t about what I was getting out of the deal. It was a matter of principle and doing the right thing for Jay and Mathors Aerospace. I’d essentially tossed ten years of hard work in the trash dumpster, but the truth was, I knew I could easily find another job.
What I couldn’t find was another Nick.
Could I really blame him for not returning my phone calls? It was obvious that he wanted nothing more to do with me. I just wished that he would forgive me.
Judy wiped her mouth with her napkin and scrolled through the calendar on her phone. “Yeah, Tuesday is not going to work for me either. I’ve got bingo from nine to eleven, then lunch with Penelope, my new friend from the Mira Mesa Senior Center. After my afternoon nap, I’ve got a ukulele lesson, and an early dinner with Samuel, who teaches the computer class on Saturday mornings.”
I smiled. “You met a man?”
Judy blushed. “Not justanyman. A younger man!”
“How much younger is he?”
She leaned closer and whispered, “He’s seventy-five.”
