Page 94 of Lime Tree Hill

“Wow.” Panting for breath, Tayla stayed in his lap, her hands braced on his thighs. “That was… What actually was that?”

He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled. “Best make up sex ever. Holy shit!”

41

ARMS OF STEEL

When Tayla arrivedhome from work the following Wednesday, she found Valentina in the laundry room doing the ironing. She popped her head around the door. “You’re here late. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I have exams soon, so I’m trying to juggle my workload.”

“I can take over the cleaning if you want.”

Valentina stopped mid-press, stood the iron on its heel and frowned. “I need this job. I’m saving for my sewing machine, remember?”

“I’m not suggesting you leave, just take a few days off. We’ll still pay you. Think of it as a bonus.”

“Thanks, but has Mitch ever told you the story of how he hired me?”

Apart from the odd time, Mitch didn’t often discuss his staff with Tayla. “I’m not sure.”

“I was fifteen. Young, stupid. He caught me stealing oranges from the trees by the highway. Mum was sick with the flu. We had no money, hardly any food in the house, and I thought no onewould miss them. I was scared stiff, but instead of telling Mum, he offered me a job. Now I get all the oranges I want, but I earn them.”

Tayla studied the beautiful wild child in front of her, marveling at such pride and dedication in one so young. “I never knew that.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve learned my lesson, and I’m thankful for this job.”

“And we appreciate all you do for us.”

Valentina grabbed another pillow slip from the pile and smoothed it onto the board. “I don’t always get it right, but I try. Dad left when I was little…jumped the ditch to Australia. My relationship with Mitch is important to me.”

Tayla nodded. She’d already worked that one out and suspected the feeling was mutual. “I understand. Right, I’d better get changed and hit the river track. Mitch is teaching me to surf, so I have to stay fit.”

“Good luck with that.” Valentina chuckled. “He sometimes coaches my rugby team. He’s deadly behind that smile.”

“Yep. I got that vibe the other day.”

When Tayla walked into the bedroom, a pile of freshly pressed clothes sat on the chair. While putting them away, she found a cotton jacket and a blood-red G-string that didn’t belong to her. Thinking they must be CeCe’s, she returned to the laundry room and placed the folded jacket and panties on top of the washing machine. “These were in my pile.”

Valentina looked up from her ironing. “They’re not yours?”

Tayla shook her head. “No, not mine. Maybe CeCe’s.”

“Or they might be Prue’s from when she stayed while you were in Sydney.”

Rational thoughts vanished as Tayla processed Valentina’s words. She watched the iron glide over the cotton, steam rising off the board with a hiss. When she did manage to form a reply, she had trouble executing it. Seconds passed in silence.

“I’ll give them to CeCe when she’s here next. She can pass them on if they’re not hers.”

Valentina looked at Tayla, her eyes wide with alarm. “He didn’t tell you, did he?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, but she stayed all the time before you guys were married, even a couple of times after they’d finished. She’s a sales rep and travels a lot. Please don’t tell Mitch I told you. He always says”—she made a gruff-looking face and lowered her tone—“discretion in all things, Valentina.”

I wonder why?It was a cynical thought, one that normally wouldn’t have entered Tayla’s head. Who was this jealous person inside of her? “It’s okay. Mitch doesn’t need to ask my permission to have houseguests.”

Valentina hesitated. “I didn’t like Prue much at first.” She folded a pillow slip and placed it on the counter before reaching for another. “She’s such a drama queen, and they argued a lot. Yells like a fishwife, as Mum would say. But she was always kind to me. It was Mitch she was horrible to. Not that I saw them together often, but she’d roll her eyes at stuff he said. I hate that, don’t you?”

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