Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,72
come over Joseph Maddox face, confirming her suspicions that from a certain angle someone could see up Portia’s dress.
A chill crept up her spine as Portia’s sharp green eyes swept over her in a calculating assessment. “Charming. Such a lovely dress. Did you get it from one of those cute little boutiques we passed on our way through town? They look so rustic and charming.”
Mel pasted on a smile she’d perfected when she and Caine first started dating. She used it as armor against women like Portia, women who only saw designer labels and model-like features. “Actually, Caine got it for me. He’s good friends with the designer and he asked her to make a dress for me as a surprise.”
“A designer? Caine, sugar, since when do you know a fashion designer?” Portia’s voice, full of Southern twang sounded brittle with tension.
“I’ve known her since I was a teenager. Tessa Styles. She’s the only one I trusted to make a dress pretty enough for my girl,” Caine said, pressing a kiss to Mel’s forehead.
Portia’s lips pursed in a mix between a pout and a sneer. “It must be nice for you to have such generous friends, Melanie. I understand that doctors can’t afford much when they’re first starting off.”
“Yes, the Carrs have never had much,” Olivia added. “Gage was always driving you around during high school, wasn’t he, Melody?”
Charming. It took Mel a minute to adjust. She’d forgotten how euphemistically insulting Caine’s mother could be. She took a deep breath, remembering not to feed the trolls. “He did for a while, but that’s because I was too young to drive. I skipped a few grades.”
“Still, Caine’s such a sweetheart for getting you an expensive designer dress like that.” Portia’s lips curled up in what Mel thought was meant to be a smile. “He was always spoiling me when we first started going out. I think I still have that Harry Winston necklace he gave me for our three-month anniversary. It’s so nice to have a man who can pick out jewelry.”
Caine gave Mel a reassuring squeeze before speaking. “If memory serves, you picked that necklace out and insisted I buy it for you, Portia. Gaudy diamonds are not something I’d pick out. Elegant, but understated has always been more my taste.”
Thankfully, a man in a chef’s coat came into the living room and announced that dinner was served. Keeping a firm grip on her hand, Caine led Mel into dinner, seating her as far from his mother as possible. Unfortunately, that left poor Gage sitting between Portia and Olivia.
Mel tried to recall a more awkward family dinner, but she came up blank. They were only through the salad course and already she was praying for it to end. A steak knife couldn’t cut through the tension in Caine’s dining room. Her mind drifted back to the last meal they’d shared in here, searching for a happy thought. Yeah, that was a good memory. Good food, conversation that led to great sex. So different from the awkwardness and years of resentment festering between the Maddoxes tonight. Caine and Gage sat stoic and silent. Joe Maddox ate without much concern, although she saw him shift back and forth uncomfortably on occasion. Portia picked at her plate, but Mel was pretty sure she never saw a morsel of food enter her siren red lips.
“So, Melody. My sources tell me that you’re having a bit of trouble settling in as the town doctor,” Olivia said.
How did she do that? Mel wondered. Keep her tone so cool and neutral as she went on the offensive? That took some serious talent. It certainly explained why every other rich matron in town feared her. Unless you looked past the cool smile and the measured words, you’d never know the woman had the heart of a snake.
“It was a bit of a rough start, but I think I’ve found my feet. Just took a little patience and hard work.” A concept the Maddox queen knew very little about. From what Mel knew of local lore, Olivia’s parents were wealthy socialites from Houston. Olivia had ensnared Joe Maddox while he visited the family brokering a business deal. Apparently, they’d found it easier to reach an agreement at the altar rather than in the boardroom.
“Work. Yes. Does your family still own that charming little bakery in town?” Olivia’s smile could have turned the lobster bisque in her bowl to an ice cube. Mel bit her tongue, fighting not to remind