Page 2 of Lime Tree Hill

Hayden:Please pick up!!! This has gone on long enough.

Hayden:You have no idea what I’ve been going through this past couple of weeks. Where the hell are you?

Hayden:Sweetheart don’t do this. You’re better than that.

Tayla switched it to silent. There’d be no more texts to Hayden. She’d made that decision in the departure lounge at Sydney Airport. Blocking his number would be her next step, but she couldn’t deal with that finality right now. How long would it be before he stopped texting her? Before she accepted he was no longer hers. Before she’d packed away her feelings, hiding them from view.

She brought up her contacts and hit Ruby’s number, hoping her sister would answer.

“Hi there. How does it feel to be home?” Ruby asked.

Lonely.“A bit strange to be honest. Like time’s standing still. Also, we may have a problem.”

“Really? What?”

“The lawyer called me while I was waiting for my flight. He couldn’t get hold of Dad, and I’m next on the list, apparently. There’s a hitch with the sale. They’ve summoned me to a meeting on Monday.”

“Is it serious?”

“I’m not sure. You know what Ian Christie’s like. He mumblesaway, and I have no idea what he’s saying most of the time. Anyway, I’ll call you once I know more. But let’s keep this under wraps for a bit. I don’t want Mum and Dad to worry.”

“Good idea. Do you think Mitch will be at the meeting?”

“I hope not. He’s the last person I want to see.”

“Really? I saw him at Christmas. I swear that man gets hotter every year.”

As the billboard flashed through her mind, Tayla couldn’t help but smile at the mental image of a half-naked Mitchel Harrington. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Don’t try to BS me. Didn’t you have a massive crush on him once?”

“As if.” Tayla suspected her denial carried little weight. “And if I did, it lasted all of five minutes. The guy accused me of ripping Norman off, remember? He even threatened to call the police.”

“I know, but he’s still as sexy as chocolate cheesecake.” Ruby chuckled. “Time to let it go, Tayla Tilly.”

Tayla smiled at her sister’s use of her childhood nickname. “Yep. Just one of the many things on my self-improvement bucket list,Ruby Tuesday.”

“Anyway, I should get to bed. The girls will be up for breakfast before I know it.”

“Goodnight. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Tayla ended the call and looked around the room. The photos on the walls, net curtains floating softly in the breeze, and the tiny TV her parents watched every night. How could she pack it all away without their guidance? And how would her mother cope with her father? Her dad, once fit, strong, and proud, now struggled to make conversation, even with those he loved most. And in the two weeks Tayla had sat at his bedside, she’d pondered the frailty of life, love, and commitment until her thoughts were as stripped bare as her ring finger.

2

THE HITCH

Mitchel Harrington pridedhimself on being a man of his word. Having to go back on said word tied his stomach in knots. Pulling out of the Cherry Grove deal was bad enough, but after Barry’s heart attack, telling him and his wife would be one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

Simon Harrow stood as Mitch entered his office. He smoothed his hand over his tie and offered Mitch a chair. “You ready for this?”

“Not even close. Norman’s probably looking down on me right now with a huge I-told-you-so grin on his face.”

“Crap happens, but we’re supposed to walk around it, not through it. Still no movement from your great-uncle?”

“Nope. I thought he might reconsider, but he’s not the type to indulge whims. His words, not mine.”

While they waited for the Whitman Family Trust representative to arrive, Mitch and Simon talked business until his lawyer’s PA knocked and opened the door. “Ms. Whitman’s here.”

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