Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,73

Olivia that her family had been in the town just as long as the Maddox clan and a hell of a lot longer than she’d ever been in town.

“They do,” Caine interjected. “In fact, Mel’s brother’s in charge of it. He trained up in New York under some of the best pastry chefs in the world.”

That shut his mother up. But only for a minute. “It’s so nice to see local children coming back and contributing to the community. We were so proud when Caine graduated first in his class from Harvard Law.”

“Well, when we were at Brown together, he always did his best.” She smiled at Caine, who took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Joe Maddox looked at least a little impressed. "I didn't realize you and Caine were at Brown together. You were there for pre-med?"

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“I didn't realize your family could afford to send you to an Ivy League school. I didn’t know there was such a fortune in carbohydrates."

Portia pretended to sip her soup, a vapid smile dimpling her cheeks. “I’m sure you must have met so many eligible men there. I’m surprised you didn’t snap one of them up.”

Mel didn't miss a beat. She'd handled worse from the hypercompetitive girls at med school and the socialites at Brown. She was proud of her family and of her accomplishments. Olivia and Portia might try to disparage many parts of her life, but they couldn’t succeed in this. "I went there on a full academic scholarship. I was really too busy to meet too many guys while I was at Brown, except for Caine’s friends. He dragged me to so many parties, but I always thought he was the best of the bunch."

“So nice that you had a friend,” Olivia said. “I’m sure it made things so much easier for you.”

“Yes. It must have been a different lifestyle than you’re used to. So nice of Caine to take you under his wing,” Portia chimed in.

Mel shot a side glance at Caine and he gave her a nod of encouragement. “Actually, it was bit more than him just being a good friend. Didn’t he ever tell you, Portia? We dated back in college.”

That got a jaw drop out of both Portia and Olivia. Joe even looked mildly interested.

“Is this true, Caine?” Olivia bit out.

Caine laced his fingers through Mel’s as the waiters removed one course and replaced it with another. “We were pretty serious. I was ready to propose, but Mel wanted to take some time apart so she could finish school and make sure she wanted to come back to Unknown.”

Mel liked the glossed over version of their past Caine presented, but Portia swelled up like a blowfish.

“Then what was I, Caine? Some brief affair?” she demanded.

“What else did you think you were?” Gage said dryly. “He and Mel have been friends for years. Anyone who’s known them has known they’d end up together. Love from friendship will always trump a marriage made from money.”

Bless him. He'd defended her and her brain every day through high school. Good to see that hadn't stopped now. Living in Unknown, everyone knew Olivia Maddox's only friends were the women who fell into line and followed her every whim without question. Portia was obviously cut from the same bolt of cloth.

Having a brain of her own and no family fortune supposedly meant Mel was unworthy. Olivia treated her mother the same way. Every time they’d bring the boys home, Emma would do her best to be polite, like the good Southern lady that she was, and Olivia would always look at her like she was dirt on a pair of white Louboutins. A teacher was too low to be tolerated in the hallowed halls of Fortune Hill.

“I must say, Melody, you’re quite a change of pace for our son.” Olivia’s smile took on a venomous edge, ignoring her younger son as usual. “Why, I never expected him to date someone so bookish. All of his other girlfriends preferred to help with charities or work in their family businesses. I believe there was a model or two tossed into the mix. I always expected him to marry Portia. She was born to be a politician's wife."

Mel almost winced at that. Trust Olivia to home in on one of Mel’s main doubts about their relationship. She darted glance at Caine, to see how he was reacting. His expression didn’t change, just the same steady resolve and fiercely protective light that had