Page 36 of His Best Friend's Baby

‘He’s a good friend,’ Polly told her for the umpteenth time. ‘I thought I got it through to you, Seth made it very clear that he was only being so kind and generous because of our long-term friendship.’

‘And you were okay with that?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You were happy that he’s not interested in any more than friendship?’

‘Of course.’

Polly hoped she sounded convincing, but the face Celia pulled suggested that she wasn’t buying it.

‘He’s not gay, is he?’

‘No, Celia, Seth’s had oodles of girlfriends.’

‘But… no one special?’

Polly shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t interrogated him about his dating history. But he’s still not married or engaged, as far as I know. I guess he just hasn’t found the right person for a long-term commitment.’

‘Or maybe he did find her, but she wouldn’t play nice?’

Polly let out a huff of frustration. ‘If you’re pointing the finger at me, please, give me a break. When I was in Wirralong, I couldn’t have ‘played’ as you call it, even if I’d wanted to. I’d just had a baby, remember?’

‘That’s true.’ Celia’s teasing smile became gentler now. ‘Those months are behind you now, though, aren’t they?’

Polly was not prepared to buy any further into this ridiculous discussion, and luckily her phone buzzed just then. ‘Oh, that’s the pizza delivery guy.’

She hoped she didn’t sound excessively grateful for this excuse to escape, but she was determined, on her return, to steer her friend’s attention in a completely different direction.

A couple of minutes later she was back, bearing a pizza that smelled incredible. She set the box on the coffee table, along with small plates and paper napkins.

As Polly lifted the lid and offered Celia the first delicious slice, she asked, ‘Might you be free to babysit on Thursday night? And if I go on this date, do you think I need a new hair style?’

Chapter Eleven

By the timeSeth finished his deck, winter was almost over and spring was just around the corner. The nights were still cold, though, and on the evening he chose for his housewarming party, the air was crisp, the sky cloudless and dazzling with crystal-bright stars.

The deck, which now flowed out from his main living area, was a pleasing combo of timber slabs and stone, with a barbecue at one end and a fire pit set in a central, paved recess. This evening, as Seth welcomed his mates and their wives to his house for the very first time, the fire pit’s logs were glowing, warm and inviting.

Unsurprisingly, a tour of the house was expected by those who hadn’t already seen it, and Seth was showered with enthusiastic compliments, which he did his best to downplay.

‘As you can see, I haven’t really furnished the living area yet. And there’s no way I could have done any of this without Nick and Scotty’s help.’

‘Yeah, like you needed our help for all of about five minutes,’ said Nick.

‘And then you went ahead and did your own thing anyway,’ added Scotty with a grin.

Seth gave a smiling nod. ‘And by some kind of miracle, I’ve managed to pass all the building inspections.’

‘Of course, you have, mate. You’re a bloody genius.’

‘And our women can’t stop raving about this place,’ chipped in Jack Hargreaves. ‘They’re practically orgasmic, Seth. I reckon you’re going to have females lining up to date you. You’re set to make a killing.’

While Seth appreciated the implied compliments, and he responded with an appropriate grin, he wasn’t keen to embark on a conversation that he might have to wriggle his way out of. To this end, he kept himself busy playing host, pouring wine and handing out beers and then turning his attention to the barbecue.

Soon steak and onions were sizzling, along with capsicum and corn, but no matter how hard Seth tried to deflect the comments and advice about the fairer sex, they kept coming.

Things only got worse mid-evening, when the women, who’d kindly brought desserts, retired to the kitchen to get their offerings ready. Even Nick Lange seized this chance to have his say.

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