Page 99 of Lime Tree Hill
The top one set the scene. It was of Mitch, walking along thebeach with a woman—if Tayla wasn’t mistaken, the woman from Fig Leaf. In the next frame, he rested his hand on her shoulder, and the next, they smiled at one another over coffee. As she flicked through the pile, each photo told the same story.
One of deceit.
She studied the prints again, frowning at the look on Mitch’s face as he interacted with the woman as if they were more than friends. She turned them over, but there was no date stamp or any other information.
Tayla sat back in her chair, her thoughts in overdrive until a phone alert startled her. She stuffed the pictures back into the envelope and pressed the Messenger icon.
Hi. This is Prue Preston, Mitch’s friend. I’ll be in Clifton Falls on Wednesday next week and was wondering if we could catch up. I’d rather not come to the orchard. There’s a seat on the boardwalk in front of the Scented Garden. Shall we say around 12:30?
Tayla reread the message. What could Prue possibly want to talk about? How much she loved Mitch and wanted him back? Prue had made her feelings perfectly clear the night of CeCe’s party and had been blatantly unkind about it.
Hesitant, Tayla held her phone in a tight grip until another message popped up.
Please be there. It’s important.
What on earth?
She moved to the living room, curled up on the sofa and stared into space. At some point, she’d pack a few things and drive into town, stay at her parents’ place as Mitch had advised. But for now, she just sat. Existed.
Tayla moped through the day without accomplishing anything.When her text alert chimed just on dusk, she considered ignoring it, but then her dad’s face flashed through her mind. What if her mother needed her? She picked up her phone from the coffee table and unlocked it.
Mitch:Bumpy flight into Queenstown. Missing you already. You were beautiful this morning. I can’t stop thinking about you…us. Anyway, we’re off out for dinner. Call you tomorrow xx
Great!
With her thoughts in turmoil, it was two days before Tayla had the energy to haul a suitcase from the top shelf of the closet and pack her things. The room looked the same as the day she moved in, but so much had changed since then. Smiles, tears, moments of connection, and now…disconnection.
She’d spent those two days in consultation with her inner self. The jacket and panties she could rationalize, even the photographs—because when she’d studied them again with an open mind, the intimacy between Mitch and the woman wasn’t necessarily sexual. But his phone call with Luka had become an all-consuming weight on her chest that she just couldn’t budge.
And the more Tayla tried to dislodge that weight, the more stupid and naïve she felt. She’d trusted him and had done so completely.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Tayla replied to Prue with a confirmation of day and time, then second-guessed her motives, her reasoning.
True to his word, Mitch had called just like he said he would, and as the world spun around her, they’d spoken of the mundane—Mr. Edward, the orchard, the restaurant where he’d eaten dinner—as if he had no secrets and she had no doubts.
Tayla left Lime Tree Hill for Clifton Falls on the edge of dusk, but as she drove the Eastern Pacific Highway, nothing about the journey inspired her. Not the stillness of the ocean, nor the rolling hillsides bathed in the shadows of sunset, not even the apple trees bursting with maturing fruit that dotted the route. By the time she reached Seaview Road, one thought drowned out all others.
She still hadn’t learned to surf.
The guest room at her parents’ place was tiny, with just enough space for a double bed, nightstand, and a tub chair. And as she opened the window against the stale air, she felt confined. Suffocated. Rejected.
Even so, their condo felt more like home now. Family photos hung on the walls, and vibrant pieces of art enlivened the otherwise bland decor. She wished her parents were here. Her love of solitude seemed to have waned of late.
Tayla pulled a loaf of bread from the freezer and put two slices into the toaster. The only peanut butter in the pantry was the smooth type laced with sugar that her father loved, but it would have to do.
She slathered it onto the toast and had just taken a bite when her phone lit up with a text.
Mitch:Boarding the boat at Te Anau Downs in the morning. Cooler today. How are you and Edward?
She took another bite of her toast and moved to the dining table, unsure whether she should reply. Her fingers hesitant on the keypad, she typed her response.
Tayla:Fine. Moved into Mum and Dad’s for now.Edward’s with Ned. He’s his usual unaffected self. Edward, I mean, not Ned.
Mitch:That’s good. Have a peaceful sleep without me. Miss you. So much xx
Tayla stared at his message. How long would it take to sleep peacefully without him? Days? Weeks? Months? And what did ‘that’s good’ mean?
The following day, Tayla returned to the orchard, and after a brief visit to Maggie and Ned’s to see Mr. Edward, she cleaned the loft from top to bottom, removing all traces of her presence.
