That day, Yvonne didn’t go straight home. She usually did when she got off work. Instead, she went to
Stella and asked if she would like to go shopping. Stella thought about it for a while and accepted
Yvonne’s invitation. She had just got off the phone with Roger, who told her that he was going to a
party with his classmates that evening. Since they were starting a new life in a new city, Stella thought
it would be a good idea to make new friends, and she agreed to go out with Yvonne.
“My husband invited some guests to dinner this evening,” Yvonne told Stella, “and I really don’t have
anything to wear! Will you help me choose something nice?”
“Sure,” replied Stella.
“But I must warn you that my fashion sense is pretty lousy!”
It had been ages since Stella was as relaxed as this when she and Yvonne spent time together. It even
helped Stella forget all her pain and heartaches, even if only temporarily. They had so much fun that
day that Yvonne was reluctant to part ways when it was time to go home.
Indeed, she had discovered that she was very fond of Stella.
“Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner, Ella?”
“But your husband is having guests over this evening!” replied Stella. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me
to barge in, would it?”
“He has his guests over, and I have my guest over! It’s our house, after all, not just his!”
“Besides,” Yvonne added, resolute, “It’s been so long since I last invited any of my girlfriends home for
dinner! You’re my friend now, so let’s have dinner together this evening, okay? I don’t really have any
friends here, so…”
After Yvonne put it in such a way, Stella found it hard to refuse her. She sent Roger a short text and
told him she wouldn’t be home for dinner. The two women then went on to shop for a little longer.
“My husband’s here to pick us up,” Yvonne announced after checking her phone. “He’s waiting for us in
the car nearby.” Yvonne then led Stella there in a hurry to a car that was waiting for them in the parking
lot behind the mall. A black car, it looked classy and expensive but not in a flashy way.
Stella froze in her tracks. She began to have some reservations. She remembered seeing the exact
brand in Weston’s garage, although she’d forgotten what it was called. But as soon as they turned up in
the parking lot, the driver of that car stepped out and walked towards Yvonne.
“Madam,” he greeted.
“Put these in the trunk,” she ordered as she handed her bags to him before taking Stella’s hand and
leading her into the car,
There was already another man sitting inside. He glanced outside when he heard the two women
approaching before frowning disapprovingly when Yvonne clumsily scrambled into the car.
“Be careful,” he reminded her brusquely. “Don’t hit your head again.”
Yvonne pretended not to hear him, leading Stella by the hand to sit beside her. The car was more than
spacious, enough to fit the three with room to spare. Once they were settled in, Yvonne began
introducing her husband to Stella. “This is my husband, Lucas Quirk,” she stated. “He’s a doctor.”.
“Nice to meet you,” Stella nodded politely. “I’m Ella Steele. I’m a dance teacher, and I work with
Yvonne.”
Lucas gave a few polite words in reply, then went back to looking at his tablet. Stella thought he
seemed a little distant and aloof, although he was nowhere near as standoff -ish as Weston Ford.
Instead, Lucas gives off a sense of upright decorum, despite being not that friendly or approachable.
Yvonne frequently talked about her husband with Stella. In fact, he was among one of her favorite
topics. According to what she heard from Yvonne, Lucas was a stern, old-fashioned man. But now that
she had seen him herself, she found him much younger than expected, besides looking rather
intelligent and attractive.
Lucas and Yvonne certainly made a handsome pair. There was an atmosphere of undeniable intimacy
between these two, the kind that showed that they trusted and perfectly understood each other without
the need to say much.
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