Free Need You Now (Love in Unknown) by Taylor M. Lunsford Page B

face.”
    God, it was good to be back here with her best friend. She needed this. All of the medical books and intricate techniques she learned couldn’t match up to the fun she had being around him. They’d been apart for too long. So much had changed. It was nice to know that they could still make each other laugh.
    #
    Caine stopped at the Fortune River Cafe a week after the very unexpected, very welcome phone call from Mel to pick up a black coffee for himself and a mocha for her. No sudden moves, that was the party line right now. He’d seen Mel only in passing, but that was by choice. Better to ease into this slowly. Let her get used to having him around before he took things to a different level. Hence the coffee. Friends took friends coffee, especially when one friend had worked the night shift at the hospital the night before.
    Forgoing the golf cart, he walked through Town Square with a little spring in his step. There’d been a few hot days, but the beautiful spring weather didn’t show any sign of fading, there weren’t any disturbances in town, and he could bring Mel coffee without her freaking out. That put this day, only a few hours old, as a pretty freaking great day.
    Micah’s truck sat at the front of the bakery. Caine nodded to his friend through the window but didn’t stop in. They had plans to have poker night at Gage’s that evening. Things on the square were still quiet. The morning rush didn’t really start until eight or so, once kids were sent off to school. Making his way down the side of the building. Caine caught sight of Mel’s car. He almost dropped the coffee cups.
    The cute little blue car she’d owned since high school looked like it had spent the night in the middle of a Harlem graffiti war. One of the side mirrors hung from its cords, the mirror smashed. Florescent spray paint glinted in the early morning sun. Skank! Bitch! Get out of town! No one wants you here!
    “Shit.” He hurried up the stairs, a million different scenarios running through his head. All Caine could think about was making sure Mel was all right. He needed to see her. Hands full of coffee cups, he kicked at the door with the side of his foot. It felt like a million years before Mel came to the door, wet hair hanging around her bathrobe-clad shoulders.
    “Caine? What are you— Please tell me that coffee’s for me. I’m running late and I forgot to set the coffee pot last night.” Her smile quickly faded after he shoved the coffee into her hand and pulled her close, narrowly missing drenching them both in steaming hot liquid. “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”
    He pulled away and looked her over to make sure she was okay. “I came over to bring you coffee. I knew you had the night shift last night. But when I got here I saw— Jesus, Mel, somebody trashed your car. Scared the shit out of me. Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine.” Mel tried to move past him to survey the damage, but he blocked her. “Have you called Gage yet?”
    “No. My hands were full and I wanted to check on you first.” He paused, collecting his swirling thoughts. Who would do this to her? Seeing the hate spewed on her car, he wanted to drop the coffee cups, scoop her up, and drive until she was safely at his house where there was security cameras on all the entrances. Every protective instinct in him screamed, beating at his chest louder than the heartbeat in his ears.
    Mel reaching into his pocket, handing him his phone. “Call your brother. I’ll get dressed and then go take a look. Don’t want to give the lovely citizens of Unknown anymore to talk about than they’ll already have. Me, in my bathrobe, with the mayor? Way too much gossip for this early in the morning.”
    Rolling his eyes, Caine called Gage and watched as the streak of ratty pink bathrobe that was Mel disappeared into the bedroom. “Gage, get over to Carr’s Cakes. Now. Someone vandalized Mel’s car.”
    Not waiting for a response, he hung