The Man She Should Have Married. Patricia Kay

mother, in particular, disliked her daughter-in-law intensely and criticized her constantly: she wasn’t raising their granddaughter to the standards of a Britton; she plopped the child in day care instead of allowing Vivienne to hire a nanny and have Thea raised in her grandparents’ home under proper guidance and supervision; and worst of all, Vivienne considered Olivia to be one of the major reasons Mark was killed—because, in Vivienne’s view—Olivia wasn’t the wife he needed and kept him distracted and worried about his family instead of focusing on his job as a Black Hawk pilot. Unsaid was her bitter disappointment that the son she had imagined doing great things after fulfilling his service to his country, the son she’d envisioned going up the political ladder to high office, possibly the highest office, was gone forever. Olivia had been, and still was, a convenient scapegoat.

      Matt’s father was more tolerant than his wife and might have been okay with Olivia’s entrance into the Britton family, but Vivienne ruled in the elder Brittons’ home, and it was always easier for her husband to keep the peace and just go along. Actually, if Matt were being really honest with himself, he’d admit he’d long known his father was weak. That as long as he was able to live his privileged life, he didn’t seem to care how that life was obtained or maintained.

      Olivia finally withdrew from Matt’s embrace and raised her tear-stained face to look at him. Her soft brown eyes met his. “I’m so glad you’re here. I—I thought about calling you, but in all the confu—”

      “It’s okay. I know. C’mon, let’s go sit down.” He gestured to a nearby bench. When she hesitated, glancing back at the security tent, he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll let them know you’re right here. If they want you, they’ll come out and get you.”

      For the next hour, both Matt and her cousin Eve tried to keep Olivia calm as people came and went, as the security team and the police department officers combined their efforts and the search parties combed the nearby grounds and questioned dozens of people.

      Olivia eventually just looked numb. Her eyes clouded with worry and fear, she kept biting her bottom lip and twisting her hands. She couldn’t sit still, and every ten minutes or so she’d jump up and start pacing again. Or her phone would ring and she’d either talk or she’d say, “I can’t talk! I have to keep the line clear in case...” Then her voice would trail off and she’d have to sit down again.

      Matt and Eve, whom he’d met several times—and liked very much—exchanged a lot of concerned looks. He knew what Eve was thinking, because he was thinking it, too. The longer it took the searchers to find Thea, the more likely it was the outcome of the searching wouldn’t be good. His own fear felt like a huge weight in his chest, and it was all he could do to keep that fear from showing.

      Olivia needed him...and Eve...to be strong.

      He thought about calling his parents, but he didn’t. The last thing Olivia needed was for his mother to come charging over to the festival with her accusations and criticisms.

      But after more than two hours had gone by, and one by one the search teams reported in with no success, Matt knew he could no longer delay notifying his parents. He waited until Olivia was busy with Officer Nicholls, and then he walked a few feet away and placed the call.

      His mother answered. “Hello, Matthew,” she said. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

      Matt gritted his teeth at this subtle dig. She never missed a chance to let him know he wasn’t living up to her expectations. “Listen, Mom. I need to tell you something. Now, don’t get hysterical, but I’m at the festival, and... Thea is missing. The police are here, and—”

      “I see,” his mother said, interrupting. “And just how did that happen? Just exactly how did my granddaughter go missing?”

      Matt blinked. What was wrong with his mother? She didn’t sound the least bit upset, just disdainful.

      “What happened is,” he said in the most measured tone he could manage, “Olivia’s family is here celebrating her mother’s birthday, and her mother felt sick and fainted, and in all the commotion, Thea wandered off. The authorities organized search parties, but they haven’t found—”

      “Of course they haven’t found her.”

      “What the hell?” Matt said, losing his temper. “Aren’t you even upset? Your only grandchild is missing and all you can do is imply the security people, the police, aren’t doing their—”

      “Do not swear at me, Matthew,” she said, interrupting him again. “I’m not upset because Thea is here.”

      “She’s what?”

      “You heard me. She’s here. Where she should be. Safe and sound. More than I can say for when she’s in her so-called mother’s so-called care.”

      If his mother had been physically in his presence, Matt knew he might have choked her, he was that angry. “And just how did she happen to be there? Did someone find her and bring her to you?”

      “I found her. I was at the festival myself, earlier, and I saw her wandering all alone, that family of her mother’s nowhere to be seen, so I did what any grandmother would do. I scooped her up and I brought her home. She’s even now upstairs playing happily in the nursery. In fact, I can hear her talking. I think she’s on Buddy Boy.” Buddy Boy was the name of the rocking horse that had been in Vivienne’s family since she was a child. “You know how she loves Buddy Boy and how she talks to him, just like her father did when he was a boy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get back—”

      “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Matt said, doing his own interrupting now. His heart was once again hammering, but not in fear this time. He felt murderous rage, mixed with disbelief. How could his mother be so downright cruel? He was appalled by Vivienne’s behavior and the way she had so callously disregarded the fear and worry Olivia and her family were feeling. Hell, that he’d been feeling! And all those people who had been searching for hours. The police, the security people...it all boggled his mind.

      He disconnected the call and strode to where Olivia was still talking to Tom Nicholls. “Call off the search party,” he told Tom. “Thea’s been found. She’s at my mother’s.”

      Ignoring Nicholls’s startled expression and the inevitable questions, Matt took Olivia’s arm and said, “C’mon, let’s go get her. I’ll explain everything on the way.”

      Eve, who had heard the exchange, met Matt’s eyes. She looked stunned, but didn’t say anything.

      “She’ll call you, or I will, after we get Thea,” he said. “Tell the others.”

      Eve nodded and Matt knew she’d take care of things there.

      “Where’d you park?” Olivia asked, her face beginning to portray her conflicting emotions. Matt still found it hard to believe his mother had done this unspeakable thing. To take Thea home and never call Olivia to tell her where Thea was defied every standard of decent behavior. He’d always known how manipulative and controlling his mother was—and how insensitive to the feelings of others when they interfered with what she wanted—but he’d never imagined she was actually heartless and devoid of compassion for a fellow human being.

      “On Waterside,” he said. “This way.” Grabbing Olivia’s hand, he led her through the crowd and together, they hurried to where his BMW was parked. He hit his remote, the doors unlocked, and Olivia was in the passenger seat before he could even think of helping her. In minutes, they were on their way.

      As he drove, he quickly told her a sanitized version of his conversation with his mother. From the way Olivia’s throat worked, he knew what she must be feeling, yet all she said was, “I don’t really care why your mother did what she did...or what she said. I’m just thankful Thea is okay. And I just want to get her and take her home.”

      “I know.” But he also knew when she’d had time to really think about this, Olivia would feel differently. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up forbidding his mother