I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason Read Online Free PDF Page A

Mother.”
    â€œI didn’t mean it that way, honey.”
    â€œI have a hard time buying that right now,” she said, in a tone so like my own it gave me chills.
    â€œLook, all I mean to say is, this is you and Vincent. I know how much you love him. That doesn’t happen every day. You can’t just give it up.”
    â€œI already have. That’s why I’m here. I’ve made up my mind.”
    The door opened. Zoe, who was seven, was holding a squirmy baby August in her arms.
    â€œMommy’s finished the cake she’s been working on. Do you want to see it?” she asked shyly.
    â€œNo, sweetie, not right now,” I said.
    â€œYes, right now,” Annie said, grabbing the baby from Zoe just as he was about to do a face-plant on the hall carpet.
    â€œThis conversation isn’t over,” I insisted as we followed Zoe back to the kitchen.
    â€œSo, what do you think?” Lael asked, her blue eyes opened wide.
    Poised on a card table in front of the fridge was a six-tieredwedding cake. It looked like a cascading waterfall. Each tier was covered in the thinnest layer of soft blue marzipan rippled with rings of powdered sugar, as if raindrops had fallen onto the surface. There was a large water lily on each tier, the pastillage petals lightly sprinkled with pink dusting powder. At the base of the waterfall, on either side of the royal icing splashes of water, were piles of rock candy pebbles, tinted grayish blue. At the very top of the cake were two sugar-paste dragonflies so delicate you could make out the veins on their wings.
    â€œExquisite,” I said.
    â€œAmazing,” Annie offered.
    Zoe looked proud.
    Even baby August gurgled with pleasure.
    â€œBut Annie and I have to finish something right now,” I said.
    â€œNot now. I’m going to lie down.”
    â€œWell, let’s go back home. You can lie down there.”
    â€œI’m staying here, Mom, and please don’t make a fuss about it.”
    â€œWhat, and getting marriage counseling from Lael?” I blurted out. “I don’t think that’s very sensible.”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” Lael shot back.
    â€œOh, I don’t mean anything, you know that. It’s just that you’re not exactly in a position to say much, considering you’ve never bothered getting married.”
    Lael held her tongue as I should have, especially considering the kids were standing right there. Slamming her pastry bag on the counter, she turned to stomp out of the room. The baby’s pacifier fell out of his mouth at precisely that moment. He started to howl.
    â€œI’ll get it,” I said, feeling contrite. Lael tried to beat me to it, and we collided. Zoe went to help us but slipped on some spilled silver sugar beads. Lael and I both reached for her, but not soon enough. Trying to steady herself, Zoe grabbed on to the flimsy card table, which tipped. As if in slow motion, the cake crashed to the floor.
    Zoe gasped.
    Tommy murmured, “Oh, man…”
    Annie shot me a dagger look.
    I didn’t dare speak.
    Even the baby was silent. Not a peep.
    â€œOh, calm down, everyone,” Lael said with her usual aplomb. “It was just a trial run. The wedding’s not for two whole weeks.”

4
    T he next morning I woke at dawn. I was in a funk. My daughter was ruining her life and I had a date with a convicted murderer. Perhaps it was time for a run. People keep telling me exercise is beneficial. It gets the something flowing. Pheromones? Adrenaline? Something.
    I pulled on my ratty blue leggings and a Testament T-shirt Annie had given me featuring the star of the show, the lion-hearted Fleet Commander Gow. My sneakers, however, were nowhere to be found. I thought they might be in the car, so I traipsed across the sopping wet lawn and soaked my socks, only to remember that I had taken them off at my desk the day before yesterday.
    I tromped back