Page 87 of Lime Tree Hill

“Fair enough. How come you didn’t mention it last night?” The coolness in his mood persisted. A side of him she wasn’t familiar with.

“Because I wasn’t expecting you home. We just talked, Mitch.”

“And yet, as soon as he calls, you’re off to Sydney.”

“To tie up loose ends. I want to bring my scooter home, and I still have a few things in my apartment.”

“Fine.” He stood and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. “Anyway, I have a meeting in town. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home.”

Tayla followed her moody husband out of his office but she didn’t wait for him to lock the door. And as she climbed the stairs to the loft, Edward two steps behind, she wondered if his reaction was simply another stage in their relationship.

That of the jealous lover.

Standing at the kitchen window, Tayla watched his truck speed down the drive and turn right onto the highway. He hadn’t even registered when she’d told him about Oliver. He’d been too busy being jealous of Hayden.

Well, he could stew all he liked. There was no point in standing on the sidelines of life, waiting for something to happen. She’d told CeCe she didn’t want to be that clingy girl, and she was determined not to be.

Later, with the lights dimmed and Mr. Edward tucked up in the office, she grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl and sat at theisland, peeling the fruit with her fingers. While she ate, yesterday’s conversation with her father played in her head as the dishwasher hummed through its cycle. They’d discussed the tale of Hayden—sordid and otherwise—and also her parents’ dire financial situation and the insulting offer Chris Stone had tabled last year as he’d tried to get his hands on Cherry Grove. When they’d said their goodbyes, her father couldn’t hold back the tears.

As soon as she heard the Hilux pull up outside, Tayla went to bed and lay there waiting, unable to get Oliver or the scene at Fig Leaf out of her mind.

Mitch showered in the other bathroom, as he often did if he thought she was asleep. By the time he tiptoed into the room, eased back the covers and slipped in beside her, she’d almost dozed off. He cradled a hand on her hip, the weight of his touch reassuring. “You’re still awake?”

“Only just.”

“I’m sorry about this afternoon.” He snuggled closer. “For being callous about your friend.”

Tayla turned. Warm tears surfaced, and she blinked them back. “He was a good guy, always happy to see you.”

His strong arms encircling her in his warmth, Mitch kissed her with tenderness. “Do you miss your Sydney life?”

No one had ever asked her that. Not even Ruby. “Sometimes. Maybe I’m just a city girl at heart.”

“Maybe you are.” His words held a note of inevitability—a resignation she couldn’t process. Would this be the point where he gave up on her?

“Dad and I had a talk last night.”

Mitch smoothed a lock of hair from her cheek, his touch gentle. “How did that go?”

“Okay. He still doesn’t want Mum to know about the orchard.” She swiped away a tear. “I felt bad not telling him about us. He just wants me to be happy, and yet, I’m deceiving him, aren’t I?”

“We both are to an extent. But our marriage is our business. What does it matter if we took an unconventional path?” He kissed her tenderly. “And I want you to be happy too, but you’re not quite there yet, are you?”

The scene at Fig Leaf flashed before her again. “I honestly don’t know.”

39

NEW SOUTH WALES

Springtime wasTayla’s favorite season, and as she waited for Ruby’s flight to land in Sydney, a pang of nostalgia for the city she’d once called home surfaced.

That aside, and despite the traffic, every day in Bondi Beach was a good day. Except, she missed Mitch. Although they talked most evenings, that unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach never went away.

Their last day together had gone well, but as they’d driven to Clifton Falls Airport, Mitch fidgeting beside her, doubt had cast its shadow. Tayla hadn’t asked him about his lunch date. Oh how she’d wanted to. But as she’d snuggled in his arms in the early hours of the morning, she hadn’t had the courage to deal with that uncertainty before she left.

And when he’d held her and kissed her without restraint in the middle of a terminal full of travelers, she’d barely kept it together.

Shifting in her chair under the harsh lights of the arrivals hall, Tayla mused over the value of independence. Mitch was right. Before her return to Sydney, it had been months since she’d spent time alone. The realities of their marriage and relocating herparents had kept her busy and focused, but now the time had come for Tayla to regroup, decide her next move, her new path.

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