Chapter 19 The Hook

So, Ellie had just hung up the phone and was about to dive headfirst into a pity party when her cousin hit her up with a shopping invite.
Now, even though they were cousins and their names were practically twinsies, they didn't really hang out much.

They were both married after all, juggling families, jobs, and their own squads. They'd only really catch up during birthdays or holidays. So, Ellie was kinda scratching her head over why her cousin suddenly wanted to hit the mall.

"Hey, sis, what's up with the sudden shopping spree?" Ellie shot a glance at Allie, who was gripping the steering wheel like it owed her money, and dropped her gaze a bit.

"Oh, no biggie. We were just heading out and thought you got the day off, so we called you." Allie said, all casual-like.

"..."

Really? Just that? Ellie couldn't help but think back to that dude on the bus. She hadn't seen him since, but something about her cousin's invite felt... off. Like maybe it had something to do with him.

Ellie stayed quiet for a bit, lost in thought, until Allie broke the silence. "Ellie?"

"Uh... I dunno, I'm not really feeling it," Ellie mumbled, hesitating.
"But why don't you wanna go out? Staying home all day is a total snooze fest. Plus, I got something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I'll spill the tea when you come out. I'm on my way to scoop you up now. Later!" Allie hung up before Ellie could even get a word in.

Linda, sitting in the driver's seat, was pretty pleased with Allie's force. She drummed her dark red nails on the steering wheel and turned to Allie with a grin.

"Ready to go pick her up?"

"Yep."

"Where's she live?" Linda asked, playing dumb as she started the car.

After Allie rattled off the address, she casually threw in, "By the way, isn't your cousin hitched?"

"Yeah, she's been married for six years now." Allie tucked her phone back into her bag.

"So why was she flying solo at the baby's one-month bash?" Linda rolled her eyes.

"Her hubby's like a ghost, never around. I've only seen him a handful of times... Oh, and he kinda looks like Mr. Richardson, but not as hot."

The second mentioning Isaac's name, Allie's eyes practically sparkled with infatuation. The real reason she wanted Ellie out today was to rope her into joining their Latin dance class.
Because Allie had heard from Linda that Isaac might not have been killing it at work this month, and she'd already hit up all her other friends. She was running out of options. Ignoring Allie's comments about Isaac's looks, Linda played it cool. "Hardly ever around?"

"Yeah, except for their second year of marriage during New Year, and maybe the year before last or something, when we had a family dinner. That's about it."

"Wow, that's pretty extreme. Does her hubby not vibe with your family or what?"

"Who knows? He's always saying he's swamped with work at the Cultural Bureau, but come on, how busy can that be? Just an office gig where you sip tea all day."

"Yeah, what's so hectic about the Cultural Bureau..." Linda agreed, fishing for more deets.

Meanwhile, Ellie was kinda over it but sighed and went to change her clothes. A few minutes later, her phone buzzed again. It was Allie, saying she was already downstairs.

Ellie grabbed her bag and headed out. She spotted the silver-grey car her cousin had used to pick her up from the restaurant before. The window was down, and Allie was waving at her.
Ellie walked over and hopped into the car, giving a nod and a smile to the woman in the driver's seat who turned to look at her. The woman nodded back politely and smiled before starting the car. "So, where to?"

"Let's hit the pedestrian street."

As soon as Ellie heard the pedestrian street, she remembered the new building that wasn't too far from there.

"Alright," the woman replied, reversing the car to pull out.

Ellie wasn't saying much, and the silence was getting a bit awkward. Allie smiled and decided to break the ice with a formal intro.

"Oh, by the way, this is Linda. She's a year older than me, so she's your elder," Allie said with a grin.

"Please don't be so formal, call me Linda. " Linda added with a smile.

Allie chuckled, and Ellie's lips curved into a small smile too. The tension seemed to ease up a bit, so Ellie decided to get straight to the point.

"Linda, you mentioned on the phone that you needed to talk to me. What's up?"

"Oh... haha, actually, I wanted to recommend something to you!"

"..." Recommend Latin dance?

"Remember the day I told you I joined a Latin dance training class?"

"Yeah, I remember." Sure enough.

"Well, let me tell you..."