Page 100 of Lime Tree Hill

As she stood at the kitchen island, the insanely large clock ticking away the minutes, she spied a rubber ball of Edward’s under the dining table and let her bravado slip. She thought of his chubby, squat body and those pleading, nut-brown eyes, and knew she would miss him terribly. But then, she’d miss many things about this life she’d once scorned. Her husband. Her lover. Her friend.

Earlier in the day, the office of Shand Shand and Harrow had called to say Simon Harrow wanted to see her.I’ll get my lawyer to sort it out.She’d made an appointment for Thursday.

Later, Tim called to suggest they catch a movie, but Tayla couldn’t stomach acting the part of ‘everything’s okay.’ She’d been there, done that a thousand times, in a thousand different ways.

Life would be okay again, but first, she needed time to do its thing. Her energy levels had plummeted, and without Mitch, her days suddenly held no purpose.

Welcome to the final lesson of love—that of the lovesick teenager.

Full circle right there.

Tayla entered his office and tugged the loft key off her key ring then placed it on his desk. When she walked down the stairs andpulled the door shut behind her, it was all she could do to get in her car and drive away.

In the days that followed, Tayla’s plans to keep busy fell flat. She made it to work and home again, but apart from that, she could hardly bother to eat and shower. Even yoga took a back seat to her malaise.

That weekend, she opened her Facebook to see Mitch tagged in a post. She scanned the pictures from the boys’ night out in Queenstown before they headed to the Milford Track. There were only a handful, but in the first, a grinning Mitch had his arm around some girl, and in the next, she was kissing him on the cheek with hashtags to match:#oldfriends #freedom #finderskeepers.

Tayla sat with her eyes glued to the screen. It seemed Mitch was celebrating his #liberationin style.

Tim:Where are you?

Tayla:At Mum and Dad’s. They’re in Auckland visiting the grandkids.

Tim:Why aren’t you at the orchard?

Tayla:I have no idea. I’m confused.

Tim:You want company?

Tayla:Yes please.

Tim:Shall I bring wine or chocolate?

Tayla:Both.

43

THE SCENTED GARDEN

Tayla loved the scented garden.She’d taken Norman there once, on a rare day when he’d agreed to leave the house. They’d stayed just long enough for her to read a few chapters ofRebeccawhile he basked in the early summer sunshine. It was the last time Norman ever left the orchard.

She sat on the bench and checked her watch. Twelve twenty-five. Arriving early was a habit she’d mastered young after missing the school bus twice in one week. And as she watched full waves dump onto the shore, Tayla had no idea why she’d agreed to come.

However, the reason was obvious. The brown envelope and its contents. Tayla wanted answers and thought Prue might know something. She’d pored over those prints until she couldn’t bear to look at them anymore. Speculated. Rationalized. They lingered on her nightstand while she slept, and lay fanned out over the breakfast bar as she sipped her morning coffee. It seemed herhusbandhad more than one way to teach her the final lesson.

“Hi.” Prue’s greeting startled her. “Thanks so much for coming. I thought you might say no after what happened when we met.”

Tayla glanced at her before turning her focus to the shoreline, asudden breeze blowing wisps of hair across her face. “What’s on your mind?”

“Mitch.”

No shit.

“Also, I wanted to apologize for what happened at CeCe’s party. I was hammered, but that’s no excuse.”

Prue was right. Alcohol was no excuse, but Tayla had agreed to the meeting; the least she could do was allow Prue to speak her mind.

“You know I stayed with him while you were away?” Prue said.

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