Page 55 of His Best Friend's Baby

‘It sounds perfect. Such a great idea,’ said Elsa. ‘And it would be a fab recipe to share with our mums and bubs group.’

‘Sure, I’d be happy to share.’ Polly was surprised to realise that she could actually make a useful contribution to a mother’s group. That was rather cool, wasn’t it?

She was about to comment along these lines when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Quickly, she retrieved it, and was relieved to see that Seth was the caller.

‘How’s it going?’ he asked.

‘Rather well, I think.’ Polly wondered if she sounded as surprised about this as she felt. ‘How about you? Are you far away?’

‘Back in town and heading home now.’

‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’

‘Anything else you need while I’m near the shops?’

Polly tried to think fast and then gnawed at her lip, feeling all kinds of helpless. She was quite sure an experienced party hostess could suggest a long list of vital necessities that she’d overlooked. She considered asking Elsa for suggestions, but quickly decided that Seth didn’t need any further delays. They would just have to manage with what they had. ‘I don’t think so, thanks.’

‘See you soon then,’ Seth said and just hearing those words flooded Polly with such unbelievable happiness, she hugged the phone to her chest.

Too late she realised that Elsa was watching her.

And of course Polly blushed.

But Elsa merely smiled and winked, and then paid studious attention to a platter of variously coloured pieces of melon threaded onto sticks.

*

Seth couldn’t quitebelieve how uplifted he felt when he walked into his house and found a party in full swing. A happy party, hosted by Polly. It was so good to find not only Polly and Summer, but his friends there with their families, all of them chatting, laughing or calling to kids. It was like a dream come true.

Except that Polly was wearing a pink-and-white outfit so stunning it made Seth wish he could steal her away and have her all to himself.

Polly’s warm greeting was very pleasant compensation, however, until Seth remembered only just in time that he was covered in mud and grease and shouldn’t be hugged.

‘I need a quick shower and clean clothes,’ he warned her. ‘Won’t be long.’

But under the hot, streaming shower, the thought that seized Seth by the throat was the potential fragility of this perfect weekend. Was it too good to be true? Was he getting ahead of himself in hoping that Polly might have progressed past the ‘no strings’ road bump? Could he bear to wait until all these folk had gone home before he found out?

Showered and changed into fresh jeans and a loose cotton shirt, he came into the kitchen to find Polly assembling a stack of small plates and forks. She smiled at him. ‘Feeling better?’

‘Much fresher, thanks.’

‘I need to put the cakes out soon,’ she said. ‘And then the kids can watch the DVD that Elsa brought.’

‘Right. Great idea. Do you need a hand?’

‘Well, the cakes are still in the fridge.’

Seth was thinking fast on his feet. Their friends were out on the deck, still quite happily chatting. He’d seen Nick out there with a group of little kids, thrashing a paper unicorn with a plastic baseball bat. And right now he could see Ruth, with Summer on her lap, playing some kind of clapping game. The cakes were still safely in the fridge, not outside attracting flies. And Polly was here.

They were alone.

Time to seize the day.

Chapter Eighteen

When Seth didn’tmove to the fridge, but remained standing in the middle of the kitchen, Polly felt a strange stirring inside, a quickening of her pulse. She wanted to tell him that it was okay, she’d been handling this afternoon just fine, and he needn’t look so worried.

‘The fridge, Seth?’ she prompted.

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