Page 70 of Lime Tree Hill

She’d once seen herself in the same vein—articulate and self-contained—and with a determination to make the most of her freedom, Tayla had wanted for nothing. She’d shopped, eaten, and breathed city life. Traveled to Bali for yoga retreats, gone to concerts and stage shows, lived the dream.

Life had been full, but when she’d let the mask slip, empty all the same.

Self-assuredness aside, she’d wanted a romantic relationship for years. Longed to marry and have children, to lie in bed on a Sunday morning in the arms of her man after a wild night of heady pleasure.

And when her Sydney girlfriends had complained that most men had one-track minds, she understood. She thought about sex too. A lot. Longed for it, marveled at the concept. After all, sex was arguably the strongest instinct known to mankind. And when you’re denied something, you crave it more. Much like being on a crash diet.

Hayden had called in that morning to drop off the key, full of apologies and solutions. He and Anna had it all planned out. Tayla just had to play her part. Toe the line.

Hell no to that!

Her heart had raced as he’d tried to kiss her goodbye. Not with excitement but alarm. When she’d pushed him away, he’d thrown his hands in the air and stormed off. She’d rarely seen him sulk, but when she had, he’d done it well.

Now Mitch had set her free before they’d had a chance to visit his marriage with benefits suggestion. Set himself free as well, she suspected. Not that she blamed him. Tim always said that it can take six months to get over a bad breakup. If you hadn’t moved on in six months, it was time to stop the pity party and see a shrink. As usual, Tim was right. And while Tayla hadn’t reach thatmilestone yet, she’d moped around long enough, dragging her baggage behind her.

But when the dust settled, she knew her feelings would still be the same. She didn’t want Hayden and Anna and a stepchild. She wanted Mitch.

Hello, freedom, you old bastard of a friend.

31

QUIET REFLECTION

Two daysafter Hayden and Anna’s departure, Tayla took the river track to Cherry Grove for a stroll around her mother’s garden before sunset. With the sale finalized and the tenants not yet in residence, it gave her time to let go. When she reached the house, pruned rose bushes and lavender trimmed into tight balls ready for spring greeted her. That was how Mitch operated—everything done with an efficiencyTayla had never mastered.

Sitting on the steps of the veranda, she recalled the many nights she’d lain awake in her room, wishing for a boyfriend, her imagination running sexually wild. Fueled by stories from her sisters and peers, she’d dreamed of nights where stolen kisses and hushed tones would lead to messy, passionate sex in the back seat of some boy’s borrowed family car.

But her dreams remained just that. Figments of her overactive imagination. Because for Tayla, no boy ever showed an interest. By the time she’d met Hayden, she’d resigned herself to a life of what her Great-aunt Annie had referred to as spinsterhood. That barren existence so earnestly portrayed in historical novels and movies. It was either that or submit herself to the pick-me-at-any-cost scenario. Where sex was offered to and by jerks with no thought or feeling—until the booze wore off.

When Tayla met Mitch in Norman’s sunroom in her eighteenth year, she hadn’t realized he was ‘the boy’—the grandson who’d come and gone like a proverbial ghost from Norman’s life. A man in his early twenties, he’d seemed so unavailable then. With his height and bulk and inquisitive eyes, he was as handsome as any man she’d ever met. She’d babbled on about groceries and library books and insisted there must be some mistake when Ken told her Norman had passed. But Mitch had remained silent as he’d looked upon her with pity.

Or had he simply shared her pain? After all, he’d lost his grandfather that weekend. A grandfather he seemingly loathed and loved in equal measure.

And now they were married—albeit a marriage of convenience. Mitch had suggested they become lovers without ties or commitment. Lovers without love. And while she’d imagined being with him in those times of quiet reflection, she’d never in a heartbeat considered he might reciprocate the notion.

Later, she climbed the stairs to the loft and slipped into the bathroom for a shower, leaving him to work undisturbed in his office. As the water soothed her skin, the billboard flashed through her mind. It wasn’t there any longer, replaced two days earlier by a new BMW advert. She missed it. Missed his smile even more than those perfect abs.And the longer they stayed together, the more she’d liked the comfort of Mitch watching over her as she drove toward Lime Tree Hill after work.

She imagined having sex with him. Was he a lights-on or a lights-off kind of guy? Would he take care of her needs or simply use her as an outlet for his frustrations? Had he been with anyone else since they’d eloped? Would sex with him be a moment of tenderness or a time of regret? Questions flooded her thoughts until she had to shut them off along with the water.

As she walked back into the kitchen for a glass of juice, he called to her.

When she popped her head around his office door, he sat forward in his chair and steepled his hands in front of him. “You okay?” It reminded her of their wedding day, when he’d demonstrated his caring side with such thoughtfulness. A side she’d seen more and more of since then.

“Fine. I just needed a walk. I had a call from Mum earlier. They’re coming home this weekend. It will be strange seeing them crammed into their new place.”

“Yeah, but their move couldn’t have come at a better time. Imagine if they still had the orchard. Barry wouldn’t have coped with that.”

“You’re right, but it’s still the end of an era.”

“Do you miss the house?”

“Yes, a lot, actually. It was always so full of life. Lots of noise—everyone talking at once sometimes.”

“I appreciate what you did…the sacrifices you made so I could buy the orchard.”

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Thank you. But we both made sacrifices, didn’t we?”

Mitch stood and walked toward her, offering a soft smile. He took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. “I guess we did.”

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