Page 3 of Lime Tree Hill

Behind the PA stood one of the Whitman girls, but Mitch wasn’t sure if it was Lisa, Ruby, or Tayla. The only one he’d had much to do with was Tayla, and that was before she went touniversity. She hadn’t spoken to him since. Not that he could blame her after he’d accused her of stealing.

According to her mother, she now lived in Sydney. And as he spent most holidays in Tulloch Point with his parents, he rarely saw any of the Whitman siblings.

The men stood to greet her. “Please come in,” Simon said. “I’m so sorry to hear about your father. Is he doing okay?”

“Thanks for asking. He’s slowly regaining his strength.”

Simon looked at Mitch. “You two have met?”

“We have.” She offered no pleasantries, not even a smile. “Mitch.”

He reached out, shocked at the chill of her skin as they shook hands. With the same hazel eyes as her mother, she looked like an older Tayla, but everything about her was chalk to Tayla’s cheese. This Ms. Whitman held herself with a confidence Tayla had never possessed. He thought back to when he’d last seen her, before she’d left for AUT. At that stage, she’d been in full goth mode, with a pixie cut, purple Doc Martens, and a blood-red ring in her nose. Black, on black, on cherry black. Maybe the woman in front of him was Lisa.

“Hi, it’s nice to see you again,” he said with a smile.

Ignoring his polite greeting, she sat in the offered chair, crossed one long leg over the other, and swung her stiletto-clad foot. Wearing a taupe blazer over a white top and black skinny jeans, she looked casually chic but aloof. With her long slender neck, delicate hands, and full lips, Mitch found it hard to take his eyes off her.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Her tone of superiority caught him off guard. But then, what had he expected?

“I’m afraid we’ve struck a glitch,” Simon said.

“So I gather, but our lawyer was light on the details. What sort of glitch are we talking about? Moving the settlement date?”

Mitch shot Simon a sideways glance. He might as well getstraight to the point. “Unfortunately, I’m unable to settle at this stage.”

She stared at him, looking dazed. “I don’t understand. You’ve paid the deposit. And my parents have already purchased a property in a retirement complex.”

Now it was Simon’s turn to speak. “They’ve bought elsewhere? Before settlement?”

“I advised them against it, but my father’s made some rash decisions lately. If you can’t settle on time, they may lose everything.”

“I’m sure the bank will supply bridging finance if they need it,” Simon offered.

“Not now that Dad’s unable to work. And what about the deposit?”

“Under the terms of the agreement,” Simon continued, “Mitch will forfeit his deposit. That should help in the interim.”

Ms. Whitman kept her gaze on Simon, her dismissal of Mitch clear. “I spoke with their accountant this morning. Cherry Grove is heavily mortgaged. Before the sale, the bank was threatening foreclosure.” She turned to Mitch and looked him straight in the eye. “How could you do this to them?”

“I’m sorry. Jean and Barry have been good neighbors. I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“Expect it to happen? Didn’t you crunch your numbers before scribbling your name on the dotted line?”

The hairs lifted on the back of Mitch’s neck. The woman could pack a verbal punch, that’s for sure.

“Look, Tayla, we’re trying to do our best here,” Simon said.

Mitch stared in disbelief at the woman sitting in the adjacent chair. Tayla? Surely Simon had made a mistake. But she didn’t contradict him.

“Excuse me if I sound cynical,” she countered. “But I fail to see what your bestis at the moment.”

“We’re willing to do whatever we can to help, but unfortunately,Mitch is right. His offer for Cherry Grove was genuine at the time, however, there will be no settlement in the foreseeable future.”

“So, what do you suggest I tell my father?”

“I’ll tell him,” Mitch offered. He’d planned to talk to Barry and Jean anyway, but Barry’s ill health had changed everything.

“No, you won’t,” she snapped. “You’ve done enough damage. And, as I hold enduring power of attorney, I insist this conversation be treated as confidential. I don’t want to worry my parents until Ruby and I have considered our options.”

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