Perry was grateful that the ambience in Carlos's Restaurant provided a darkened room. It allowed him to move through it without being seen by Della or her aunt. He requested the booth next to theirs, and slipping into it unseen, quietly ordered the first thing he saw on the menu. Then he turned his full attention to the conversation at the booth next to his.

"Isn't this nice, Della?" Elena Street was saying. "It's one of my favorite places to dine whenever I come to Los Angeles."

"Yes, it is," the younger woman agreed. "But I do confess to feeling a little guilty about leaving all that work behind. I suppose I will go in early to finish it -"

"Don't," her aunt immediately interrupted, in a tone which booked no opposition. "Don't you work as hard as you can from nine in the morning to twelve noon, and again from one in the afternoon until five o'clock in the evening?"

"Yes, but oftentimes there is more work than can be done during-"

"That's your employer's problem. Let him hire another secretary if one is not enough."

"Aunt," Della said, hesitantly, "you have been insisting that I not work one single second more than absolutely necessary since you arrived, and I have a feeling that it did not accidentally slip your mind that Mr. Mason tried to get in touch with me on Saturday morning. Now, may I ask why you are suddenly so opposed to me doing my job?"

This is perfect, Perry Mason thought at the next table. I could not have phrased the most pressing question better myself. He listened intently for the answer.

Her aunt sighed, took a deep breath, and gave her a sad smile.

"Because it breaks my heart to see you making the same mistake which I made."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My dear child, I was a young woman once too. A young, educated, pretty woman. I was so proud to find a job at a prominent accounting firm as a bookkeeper. And I tried to be a good employee and successful, and so I was always ready to help, to take on those projects which no one else wanted, and agreed to stay late every time I was asked. I took pride in my work, and for a long time, my life seemed to be full of meaning. Until one day, I looked into the mirror and realized that I was an older woman, my beauty faded, my chance of establishing a family of my own gone. And all I had to show for it were a few meticulously kept books in my company's archives."

"I'm so sorry for you, Aunt. I never knew that you felt this way."

"Well, I am not one to walk around announcing my folly to the rest of the world. Della," she leaned forward with a pleading look, "I beg you, don't follow in my footsteps. You had so many dreams when you were a schoolgirl – you wanted to get married, have a large family, host delightful parties, and write short stories and have them published in magazines. What happened to them?"

"They've been…put on hold," Della admitted ruefully.

"Exactly."

"You are right, Aunt. One of these days I will start working towards them again."

"No time like the present. Della," Elena Street said in a business-like voice. "Do you remember that white house on Market Boulevard in our hometown?"

"That quaint one with the green shutters?" Della inquired with interest.

"The very one. I remember very vividly that living there was one of your dreams, too, once. It is for sale, and very reasonably priced, too. Buy it, Della. You could move in and be within twenty minutes of your parents, half-an-hour of me, and your brother's children would have their favorite aunt within a five-minute walk of their house. They are growing up so quickly, Della, and they miss you so much."

"That does sound tempting."

At the next table, Perry froze. Della could not possibly…be contemplating a move back to South Dakota, could she?

"It gets better. Mrs. Rodstaff, the head librarian at the public library, is retiring by the end of the summer. I spoke to a friend of mine who sits on the board of trustees, and he assured me that all you have to do to get the job is to apply. Ten AM to four PM, Monday through Friday. Weekends and evenings are all yours. Perhaps the pay won't be as good as what you have now, but you will have less expenses than you have in Los Angeles."

"Naturally."

"And with all the businesses moving into the area, the town is full of well-educated bachelors: accountants, insurance brokers. I invited a few of them over to dinner, and they noticed your picture on the fireplace mantle and straightaway inquired who you were and whether you would be visiting soon. Let's just say that they had a dreamy look in their eyes. If you move there, you can have your pick of the lot. Think of it, Della. In a year you could have a whole new life!"

Perry Mason's hands convulsively gripped his dinner napkin until his knuckles went white. The mere mention of other men looking at Della caused jealousy to flame up inside his heart!

Della hesitated. Unbeknownst to her aunt, she had, for the past several months, been thinking about making a move…making a change…trying to get out of the plateau which her life seemed to have stagnated on for the past several years. Unlike her aunt, she did not mind the long hours at the law firm so much – but there were many things she did mind. She was tired of pining for Perry. She had had enough of watching grateful female clients shower him with kisses, while she, the woman who organized his office and most of his life, had to hope that her fingers would accidentally brush his as she handed him a stack of legal documents. For several years, she had hoped that his easygoing manner around her might blossom into love, but nothing had changed. He had not given her any reason to believe that he saw her as anything but a trustworthy secretary. Thus, she leaned forward and said,

"Do you have the phone number for the real estate agent who is selling the house?"

"Yes, I do." Aunt Elena opened her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper and passed it to Della. Smiling broadly, she said, "You are making a good decision, Della. How long do you think it will be before you can move out of Los Angeles?"

"My contract says that I have to give a two-week notice."

"Then give it tomorrow. And I will change my bus tickets and stay for the next fortnight, and help you pack. We can travel together, and you can stay at my place until you get settled. How does that sound?"

To Perry, it sounded dreadful. But Della said,

"It sounds wonderful. Thank you, Aunt."

The two women asked for the check and paid for their meal and left the restaurant, never noticing the man who was trembling from emotion at the next booth.

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