Page 54 of His Best Friend's Baby

Of course, Seth had no choice but to kiss her back, pulling her closer against him and taking his own sweet time. And kissing Polly was so exactly what he needed right now, he was sorely tempted to forget about Cameron James’s phone call.

Until Polly smiled up at him. ‘You’re such a hero, Seth.’

He almost laughed. ‘Driving a tow truck is hardly heroic.’

‘I’m sure those poor people who’ve rolled their car might disagree.’

He kissed her again. ‘Sorry. This kinda spoils your party plans.’

‘How long do you think the job might take?’

He gave a shrug. ‘Hard to say. It depends, but I reckon it’ll be at least a couple of hours.’

Polly nodded. ‘It’s only one-thirty now and our guests aren’t coming till four.’

‘Well, I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise I’ll be back by then.’

‘Would it matter if we started without you?’

‘Course not.’ But Seth couldn’t hold back a grin. Was this really Polly, suddenly so relaxed? ‘It’ll mean you’d be getting everything ready on your own, though.’

‘I’ve lived on my own for quite a while now.’

‘That’s true.’

‘And really, there’s not much to do. It’s just a matter of whipping cream for Summer’s smash cake and then cutting the melons and threading them onto sticks. And I’m sure I can find plates and glasses and anything else we might need.’

Placing her hands in the centre of his chest, she gave him a gentle push. ‘Let me finish making that sandwich for you, while you get changed into your overalls.’

Seth resisted the temptation to tell her that she would make a great little wife. But Polly had no compunction about telling him that she rather fancied a man in overalls.

Damn it, this was so the wrong moment to be called away on a job. Seth had to make do with another kiss before he left.

*

Seth still wasn’tback by the time the first guests arrived. Their names were Scotty and Kandy and Polly had only met them briefly earlier in the day. But apparently Scotty was one of the builders who had helped Seth on his house project, and he and Kandy had a cute baby boy, just nine months old.

They were full of sympathy when they heard about Seth’s call-out. And Kandy made a big fuss over Summer in her special party dress, a sweet cotton floral with a big pink bow on the front.

Polly was wearing pink today as well, to tone in with her little girl’s outfit, and with her own hair stripe. She didn’t normally go in for such feminine colours, but the outfit had been Celia’s suggestion, and Polly trusted her friend’s taste. And today she did feel surprisingly comfortable in her sleeveless pink top and white jeans. Like a genuine, country-style mum.

But was she getting carried away? Starting to dream impossible dreams? Not that she had time to worry about her future with Seth when there were more guests arriving, including the Langes and the Hargreaves.

The newcomers all seemed familiar with Seth’s house, as if they’d already enjoyed several parties here. So they were soon settling on the deck, finding chairs and happily chatting. Nick Lange quickly appointed himself as barman, managing the ice bucket, popping corks, or handing out beers. Meanwhile, Scotty was keeping Summer and another toddler amused with clever tricks with his hands.

Too late, Polly realised that while she’d planned food for the children, she hadn’t really thought about how they might be entertained, but luckily Elsa came to her rescue.

‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Elsa said. ‘But I bought a piñata. Kids always have so much fun whacking at them and I thought you might be able to hang it in one of the lower tree branches? And I also bought a DVD. It’ll calm the kids down after the fun and give the adults a little breathing space.’

‘Oh, Elsa!’ Polly couldn’t resist hugging her. ‘You’re a lifesaver. I have so much to learn about managing kids.’

Elsa laughed. ‘It’s a road we all have to travel.’

‘At least I thought to make two cakes—one for the littlies and another for the adults.’

‘Now, that’s very clever of you.’ Elsa was clearly impressed.

‘I wanted a cake for Summer with no sugar. I didn’t want her to have her first sugar crash on her birthday and I found the recipe on the internet. It’s really simple, made with egg whites, cake flour, cream of tartar and pure vanilla. And then topped with whipped cream and berries.’

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