The Case of the Stained Stilettos by Smith Melissa J.L

Author:Smith, Melissa J.L [Last, First name]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-77180-463-9
Publisher: Iguana Books
Published: 2020-11-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 39

Dana squeezes Mark by the arm as she spies Sal at the bar and waves to him. “Mark, darling, be a dear and get Mommy one of those delicious concoctions that Sal is brewing.”

Mark looks around and notices that the caterers already are starting to clear away the salad plates. “I have a better idea, Mom. Why don’t we try the salads before they move onto the next course? Neither you nor Susana have eaten anything all day.”

“Not true,” says Dana. “I don’t know about Susana, but I had a huge lunch. I’m fine. I’ll eat when Blaine gets here.”

Mark leans down and whispers near Dana’s ear. “Mom, I hate having to point this out, but you’ve been drinking a fair bit, and lunch was six hours ago. You need to dilute the effect of all those martinis…”

Dana shoots him a look of mild annoyance and says, “Oh my goodness, Mark, dear … don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you.”

Beth is serving the main course at Dana’s table while Sal tends bar. She leaves the uneaten salads on Dana’s table since no one has sat down there yet.

“Look, Mom. Beth left salad and dinner plates for us on the table. May we please go eat? I’m starving,” says Mark.

Dana turns toward the driveway and scans the valet area. She searches the faces in the crowd and answers Mark, half-heartedly.

“I’ll eat, dear, I will. I’d prefer to wait for Blaine. He’s not back. I would have thought he would be here by now.”

Mark mutters angrily, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not lucky enough for Blaine to lose his way home forever.”

Dana, still distracted, turns to Mark and says, “What, dear? I didn’t hear you.”

Susana frowns at Dana and squints toward the driveway, looking for Blaine’s car. Annoyed by Dana’s non-stop drinking, Susana turns to Mark and asks for pain pills.

Loudly, Susana tells Dana, “Mark was saying that he was going in the house to find something for my headache. Weren’t you, Mark? Getting me some pain pills?”

Mark takes Dana and Susana each by an arm and tries to steer them to their seats. “Why don’t you eat something, Susana? Your headache is from starvation.”

“We can’t all be like you and Dana and eat anything we want,” Susan complains. “One dinner roll and my dress will burst.”

“I’ll buy you a new dress. Now we are going to eat, even if I have to hold you down and force-feed you,” Mark says, vehemently, as he starts to physically maneuvers them toward their seats.

Wesley drops by the Luce table with a coffee pot but is so stunned by Carmella’s mere presence that he never pours any. Helen and Lucienne giggle silently as Wesley waves the pot but forgets to pour.

Mark finally manages to get Dana and Susana to the dais and sits between them, hoping to reduce the chance of fisticuffs.

Wesley brings coffee for Mark, Dana and Susana. Susana puts artificial sweetener in her coffee and stirs it repeatedly. Dana loads her own coffee cup with sugar, and Mark adds only cream.

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