Page 64 of Lime Tree Hill

“Twenty minutes, max.” He stopped what he was doing. “Are you okay? You look shattered.”

“I’m fine. I’ll just get changed.”

Tayla shut the door to her room and sat on the edge of the bed, her face in her hands.Shit!Hayden, Anna, and their baby boy were playing happy families in Norman’s cottage. And she couldn’t do a thing about it. How dare he taint Norman’s sacred space by turning up uninvited! What was the man thinking?

Of course, she knew the answer. He hadn’t gotten over her leaving the way she had. Now he was here to prove his controlling point. Protect his pride.

Back in the kitchen, she made a beeline for the fridge. “Would you like a beer?” she asked Mitch as she opened it.

“Yeah, why not. Rough day?”

In no mood to talk, Tayla passed him a Heineken then grabbed a glass and poured herself a wine. “Not the best.” She took a gulp. Then another. “Yours?”

The afternoon was bleak as Tayla drove from the hospital to the orchard the following day. Before her trip to Auckland, blue-sky days had lingered from late summer into early autumn, something she’d almost taken for granted. But as she traveled along the Eastern Pacific Highway, misted sheets of rain hugged the horizon, and her mood darkened along with the sky.

Hayden invaded her thoughts. Questions, theories, and possible solutions jostled for position in her mind until she felt sick to her stomach. Should she go see him, text, or wait for him to make contact? Because one thing was clear. His visit wasn’t some random coincidence. He would have meticulously planned it, and he’d know exactly what he was doing. Letting her stew in her anxiety until he was ready to make his move.

As she approached the packing shed, her eyes narrowed at the sight of Hayden talking to Ned. Even with his back to her, Tayla knew it was him. She could tell by his stance.

She parked in her usual place, and as she opened the door and stepped out, Hayden turned, his smile warm as always, and his expression just as bright as the last time she saw him. He was casually dressed. Jeans: black. Boots: brown. Shirt: blue.

Taking a sharp breath, she walked toward them.

“Here she is,” Ned said warmly, as if Hayden was a long-lost friend paying a visit. “I was just telling Hayden you’d be home any minute. I’ll leave you two to catch up.”

“Thanks, Ned.” Tayla pulled her bag onto her shoulder and watched Ned walk away. She turned but didn’t meet Hayden’s gaze. “You’d better come inside.”

He followed her up the stairs without a word. It wasn’t untilshe’d closed the door that she addressed him again. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“We needed a break. Your cozy cottage was available.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And anyway, how else was I supposed to see you?”

“You’re not. That’s the whole point of a breakup. We’re done. No further contact necessary.”

Hayden closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The gesture was so familiar, and yet, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him do it. “Yes, I got that memo. Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”

“I don’t want you here, understand?”

He sighed. Paced a few steps back and forth. Stopped. “Look, I’m sorry I hurt you, I truly am. But I still love you, Tayla. You know I do.”

“You don’t treat the people you love the way you treated me. That’s not love. That’s?—”

“So you punish me by hooking up with some random farmer you’ve only known five minutes? Where did you find each other? On some country dating app? Did you swipe right and end up in a dead-end orchard? What the hell do you talk about? Oranges and lemons? Because this stunt has lemon written all over it.”

She twisted her wedding ring around her finger. “You’re in a relationship and have a new baby. What do you want me to say?”

“That you’ll come home. Anna and I, we’ve always had a strong physical connection. But intellectually, we’re poles apart. She’s nothing like you. We don’t talk books and philosophies and art, we…”

“Fuck?”

Hayden stared at her, his expression one of shock. “See, that’s what I mean. Six months ago, the f-bomb wouldn’t have left your lips. You meet this country hick, and you’re all over it. You’ve swapped brains for brawn? And I bet you’re not the only woman he’sfucking, so why choose him over me?”

Tayla pulled out a chair from the dining table and sat. “You made that choice, not me.”

“Don’t make me out to be the villain in all this. Do you honestly think this step backward is the right direction for you? What about your dreams?”

“My dreams are just fine.”

“Are they? So, tell me this, have you invested in property? Started your thesis? Learned to surf?”

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