The girl most likely to…

by Susan Donovan

  Hang on, BettyAnn. Riley focused his eyes on hers, seeing how she struggled to stay with him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Please.

  Just tell me where I can find them.

  She said something. He couldn't hear it. The anxiety ripped through him.

  Again, BettyAnn. Please /say it again./ Yes, Riley remembered what she'd said. He stared at Matt, standing there on the sidewalk with that stupid grin on his face, and he humored him by reciting the exact words yet one more time: BettyAnn said,?Patterson in California.'

  Matt shook his head, his smile widening. Not /exactly./ No?

  Nope.

  Then what did she say? No more of this bullshit, Matt. What's going on?

  Matt put his hand on Riley's shoulder. BettyAnn Cavanaugh said, ?Patterson /and/ California.' It's an intersection in a working-class section of Baltimore.

  Riley's mouth fell open.

  Kat and Aidan lived at 456 California Avenue until 1994, in a row house smack across the street from Patterson Park, in Highlandtown. She wasn't using her real last nameshe took on the name of the woman she stayed with.

  Riley stared at his brother for a long, silent moment, as the events of the last year of his life raced through his brain. BettyAnn's news. The wedding. The breakup. The private detective. The three-month leave of absence he took to find Kat and his son. Oregon, Texas, South Dakota, and a dozen more states that were all a blur to him now. Every single moment of that year was lived knowing he had a child he might never find.

  And his son had been a five-hour drive away.

  Did you hear what I said, Bro?

  Riley nodded, awash in the randomness of it all, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So he did a little of both.

  It was impossible to sleep in this place. How was a man supposed to recover from having a balloon shoved into his groin if he couldn't get a decent night's rest?

  Virgil lay awake in the hospital room, a sickening yellow night-light casting its glow on all the odd shapes around him. Somehow, being alone in the hospital felt a hell of a lot lonelier than being alone at home.

  At least at home, there were no nurses giving a play-by-play on how it was a shame he had no visitors or flowers.

  Even his old bat of a sister hadn't bothered to come see him. She had called and spoken to the Chinese doctor, so at least it appeared she cared whether he lived or died. But Rita might have done that only for show.

  Riley Bohland had stopped by, but that was probably required because he was Virgil's doctor. All Bohland wanted to know was whether Virgil had heard from Kat.

  He had no idea what was going on with those two, but her showing up had obviously fucked with Bohland's head.

  Virgil didn't know what to do with himself, trapped in here like a lab rat. He tried to read the paper but couldn't stay focused. He tried to watch TV, but it put his neck at an uncomfortable angle. And since sleeping was out of the question, that left him a lot of time to think.

  He could see how having two heart attacks might make a man reevaluate things. It's unsettling when you almost die. Fortunately, there wasn't a damn thing he regretted about the way he'd lived his life.

  But he couldn't stop thinking about BettyAnn and the secret she could have told Bohland. Virgil hadn't laid a hand on his wife in twenty years, so it couldn't have been that. It was something to do with Kat, no doubt, because BettyAnn never forgot that the two of them were sweethearts once. The whole business bothered Virgil.

  BettyAnn used to try to hide the fact that she'd been crying about Kat, but other than that, the woman lived an open book. Virgil told her how much money to spend at the IGA, and she'd show him the receipt to prove that's exactly how much she spent. He told her what clothes to wear and what hairstyle to choose, and that's how she dressed and styled her hair. He told her who she could and could not associate with, and that's what she did.

  She was a simple woman who needed his guidance to stay happy and peaceful. She'd long ago proven she couldn't handle freedom, so Virgil gave her the structure she craved. The idea that there would be anything in her head that he hadn't put there left him uneasy. BettyAnn was his plaything, his doll baby.

  So how come his doll baby had something to tell Bohland just before she died? How come she specifically asked that it never be revealed to her husband, her king?

  For the first time in twenty years, Virgil wanted a drink. It was no coincidence that the craving had returned the moment Kat did.

  Madeline studied the low-cut, fur-trimmed neckline of Carrie's wedding dress and realized three things simultaneouslythat it was not the same gown she had last year, that it really was stunning, and that Madeline never should have passed on those lies to Kat, because at some point in the very recent past, Carrie Mathis had become crazier than a hoot owl.

  Too much cleavage? Carrie cupped her satin-supported breasts and sashayed her way to the kitchen sink and back to the table. I'm pursuing an understated, sexy look, you know? Smokingly hot, but in a Grace Kelly sort of way.

  Carrie swished until the white satin train swept around her feet. I want Riley's eyes to absolutely bug out of his head when he sees this!

  Madeline nodded, not sure what to say, thinking that Carrie would have no problem getting Riley's eyes to bug out because he'd get one look at the woman he'd told to get lost a year ago, all dolled up in her wedding dress, ready for a secret wedding where he was expected to be the groom, and his eyes would bug out just fine. Madeline became vaguely aware of the nausea creeping into her belly.

  Hey, Carrie?

  Hmm? She was petting the strip of white fur at her wrist.

  Have you told anyone else about the wedding?

  Carrie's head snapped to attention and she flashed an over-the-top smile at Madeline. Carrie was gorgeous, with dark brown eyes and gleaming brunette hair, a flawless olive complexion, and that smilethat Miss Universe kind of smile that seemed to suck the energy from a room and shoot it back out like lightning. Madeline remembered how she'd actually felt nervous the first time Carrie checked into Cherry Hill, like she was meeting a daytime TV star or something. Then it hit hershe'd seen the woman on TV a thousand times, doing those public-health announcements for the State of West Virginia, and she'd actually been silly enough to ask for her autograph. Boy, did that seem stupid now.

  Does it matter who I've told? Carrie continued to smile but raised a single eyebrow in challenge.

  It's just that… well… most brides have some kind of guarantee that there'll be an actual groom before they get into the nuts and bolts of the wedding. You know, like buying a dress.

  Carrie sniffed, tossing her hair. I'm not most brides.

  True enough. Madeline squirmed in the kitchen chair, trying to find a delicate way to talk some sense into her. I'm only saying that What /are/ you saying, Maddie? Carrie scooped up the yards of satin and sat down in the kitchen chair across from Madeline. She folded her hands in her lap and lowered the wattage of her smile. Are you questioning whether I know what I'm doing? Do you think for one minute that I don't have every contingency covered?

  Madeline blinked, feeling the sheen of perspiration beginning to form on her brow and under her arms. There was something unsettling about the lilt of Carrie's voice and the way her smile just hung there, unrelated to anything pleasant or funny. Madeline was nervous again, and it wasn't because Carrie was beautiful. It was because she was just plain weird.

  But Riley said he didn't want to marry you.

  Because of a personal emergency, not because his feelings had changed for me.

  Madeline swallowed hard, knowing that she'd have to continue carefully.

  You tried for months to get him to reschedule and he wouldn't do it, remember?

  Carrie glared at her.

  I remember you telling me that while Riley was out of town you called him every night, sobbing, and e-mailed him several times a day. He broke up with you, saying you were obsessive and irrational, remember?

  Carrie scowled.

&
nbsp; So, let's look at this realisticallynot only did Riley not want to marry you; he didn't even want to date you anymore. I think you need to accept that, and move on.

  You are so very, very mistaken. Carrie crossed her arms under her breasts, showing more cleavage than Grace Kelly ever did. Riley simply put our relationship /on hold,/ Maddie. That's all. And I am only utilizing the laws of attractionI'm attracting good into my life by preparing for it, making room for it, opening my arms to receive it, and what is good for me is marrying Riley Bohland.

  Madeline's left eye started to twitch.

  Riley is most definitely responding. He's warming up, moving a little closer to me every day.

  You really think so?

  Carrie grinned sweetly. I know so. I spent time with him just today, as a matter of fact. We had a wonderful talk.

  With a nod, Madeline got up and took her teacup to the sink, turning away from Carrie to gather her thoughts, and her only thought was, /This woman is fuckin' nuts./ Maybe she should tell someone. How about Matt?

  Was Carrie weird enough that Madeline should alert the authorities? What could they charge Carrie with? Assault with a deadly wedding? Aggravated positive thinking?

  Madeline rinsed the china cup under the faucet, letting her thoughts swirl around with the water. Maybe she was just overreacting. Everyone was a little crazy in their own way. After all, half the town had told her she was insane to buy this old place and turn it into a B and B. And look at it now! Maybe it was none of her business what delusions Carrie operated under.

  Madeline turned off the water and shook her head. She knew she'd made it her business the moment she allowed Carrie to manipulate her with the promise of conference bookings. She'd made it her business the second she told Kat just enough garbage to make her run out of town.

  Besides, was it even possible to overreact these days? Madeline wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, thinking of the average night of network newssuicide bombings and schoolroom shootings, a killing spree here and a paranoid rampage there. Private delusions didn't always stay private.

  Sometimes they exploded all over the place, changing history.

  Madeline turned around and gasped. Carrie was right up against her. How had she moved without making a sound, especially draped in all that fabric?

  I didn't mean to scare you, Carrie whispered.

  Oh. Sure. No problem. Madeline braced herself on the edge of the sink and leaned back to gain a few inches of distance from Carrie.

  It's not wise to pass judgment without all the facts, Madeline. Carrie said this as sweetly and as patiently as if she were showing a child how to use a salad fork. As your friend, I'm just giving you that bit of advice.

  Madeline tried to produce a smile; all the while her heart was thudding in her chest. Thanks.

  You were not privy to the events that led up to the wedding's cancellation.

  OK. She tried to move a little to the left without Carrie noticing. It didn't work.

  Carrie's eyes flashed. Since you brought all this up, how about we just stay put and finish this conversation?

  Madeline nodded, mentally calculating how many steps it would take before she could lunge for the kitchen wall phone.

  You see, that girlthat Kat Cavanaughshe is responsible for all this. She must have heard that Riley was about to marry me, and she used her poor dying mother to pass on the rumor about a baby, just in time to ruin everything.

  Madeline jolted to attention, her focus moving from 911 to the word baby. What baby?

  Carrie laughed. Oh, she claims that Riley fathered a child back in high school, a child no one has ever seen or met. She timed the rumor for maximum devastation, just in time to stop the wedding. She was jealous, no doubt. Carrie shook her head in disgust. Thenthis is the most despicable partthat woman led Riley on a wild-goose chase all over the country to find this alleged child. She did it to distract him, take his attention off of me, and ruin my life.

  A baby?

  So she claims.

  Did he find it?

  Of course not. There /is/ no baby. That's my whole pointaren't you paying attention? Carrie sighed with impatience. Remember when Riley told everyone he was taking a leave to care for a relative out west?

  That was a liehe was out searching for the non-existent child!

  Madeline hadn't heard anything this juicy since 1999, when Ralph down at the Sunoco had sent away for that mail-order bride who broke out in hives when she met him and cried for two weeks straight until he agreed to ship her back to Romania.

  So this is why Kat Cavanaugh came back herewithout a child, you'll have noticedjust in time to ruin my plans for the second time!

  Madeline tried to shake off the confusion. Riley got Kat pregnant? But Kat said they hadn't seen each other since sophomore year, before she disappeared. But that would make perfect sense! Kat was pregnant when she left town! Oh, this was just too delicious! This made way too much sense!

  You have no right to judge me. Carrie's gaze drifted past Madeline's face to the window over the sink, where it seemed to settle in unfocused peace. You don't know how much I love Riley and how I only have his best interests at heart. You don't know that I am only doing my job as his woman. I am taking care of him, don't you see?

  Carrie refocused on Madeline, cheerful again. And when he realizes everything I've done all this time to protect him, he won't want to wait another day for me to be his bride! And here I'll be…

  She stepped away from Madeline, beaming now, gesturing to her gown like a game-show hostess. I'll have everything arranged! And, of course, you'll be a bridesmaid.

  I will?

  I've ordered you a gorgeous red velvet gown with a flattering empire waist. I had to guess at the sizesixteen?

  Madeline felt her eyes go big.

  Now do you understand all this, Maddie?

  She gave a weak nod, sort of understanding.

  So just relax. Carrie gave Madeline's shoulder a friendly squeeze. I'm not crazy. I'm just very, very efficient.

  Riley pulled on a light jacket, took the cordless phone and a cold beer out to the front porch, and chose the sturdiest of the old wooden rockers for his purposes. Loretta plopped down at his feet.

  Listen up, girl, he said to the hound, pointing the phone in her direction. This is just about the most important conversation I've ever had in my life, so keep the play-by-play to a minimum decibel level, if you please. /Aaahrooomfff,/ she said.

  Riley set the beer on the porch floor and studied the wallet-sized photo of his son. In just two days, he'd handled the picture so often it had taken on the gloss of age. He flipped it over and stared at the phone numbers in Kat's handwriting. It was a small comfort, but he had to admit he was relieved to at least know where both Kat and Aidan were, and that they were both safe, even if she wouldn't answer his calls. As things stood, this thin scrap of paper was the only proof he had that Kat's visit had been real and not just the best fucking dream he'd had in twenty years.

  He punched in the area code and paused, still not certain which of the numbers he should try firstthe dorm phone or the cell phone? Probably the cell. All the students at Mountain Laurel had cell phones plastered to the sides of their heads all day, every day, and he figured it couldn't be much different for the kids at Johns Hopkins. He hit the numbers quickly and waited for the ring.

  He got a busy signal.

  Riley disconnected and had begun to dial the other number when his phone rang. He blinked twice in disbelief, because Aidan's cell number had just flashed on the caller ID. He was nearly breathless when he answered. Hello, this is Riley Bohland.

  The line stayed silent for an instant before a deep voice said, Uh, this is going to sound totally strange…

  Hello, Aidan.

  Or not.

  A goofy smile spread all over Riley's face and he let out a laugh. It was all he could do. After all this time, his boy was on the other end of the line! And he sounded grown-up and strong. Funny. Smart. He sounded /real./
I just called you, Aidan. Your line was busy.

  Because I was calling you, I guess.

  Yes.

  Wow. Look, I just wanted to introduce myself. I, uh, this is pretty awkward, but I don't have any freakin' idea what to call you: Dr.

  Bohland? Riley? /Dad?/ I mean, that just sounds totally surreal coming out of my mouthI've never used that word in my life.

  Riley closed his eyes and took a deep breath, saying a silent prayer of thanks for his boy's ner vous rambling. It gave Riley a chance to savor the timbre of Aidan's voice and the rhythm of his words. It was the sound of pure joy pouring down on him, and Riley let a tear roll down his cheek without wiping it away.

  You can call me anything you like, Aidan. It's fine if you're not ready to think of me as your father. There's a lot to figure out between usa lot to get used to.

  Cool, Aidan said. Then he went quiet again.

  Cool, Riley said, smiling.

  Uh, look. The thing is, my mom told me about you just today, at lunch. I never knew you existed until a few hours ago. It was kind of a shock, if you know what I'm saying.

  Riley adjusted himself in the chair, uncrossing and recrossing his legs, rocking back and forth to relieve the tension. Whatever he did, he didn't want to push too hard, make Aidan angry, or make him regret what he'd learned that day. It was the same kind of shock for me. I didn't know you existed until last year.

  Mom told me.

  It took a lot of courage for you to call, Aidan. And I thank you. Riley began to relax, believing they were off to a solid start. I'm glad you're willing to talk.

  Aidan sounded surprised. Of course I'm willing. I'm your kid, I guess.

  You sure are, Riley said, shaking his head in amazement. You have no idea how obvious it is. I saw your picture.

  You did? Which one?

  Your mom gave me your senior class photo.