Page 14 of His Best Friend's Baby

Polly was surprisedby how excited she felt about seeing a house that Seth had built. As he drove to the outskirts of Wirralong, she had no idea what to expect.

She was intrigued to hear that he’d built the place next to a patch of bushy scrub that ran down to the creek—such a clever setting, conveniently close to town and yet offering a rural outlook. It seemed Seth had taken his time on the project, balancing the hours on the building site with his business as a mechanic. And although he wasn’t a professional builder, she could sense that he was proud of all that he’d achieved.

Even with this knowledge, though, Polly hadn’t expected his house to be so unbelievably gorgeous. From the first moment she saw it, her jaw dropped as if a hinge had broken, and she doubted she closed her mouth during her entire inspection. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined Seth creating anything so perfect.

The external walls were clad with timber that was currently a deep reddish brown, but would, Seth informed her, weather to a silvery grey. And there were big windows everywhere, welcoming the view of the bush, while inside the house, high raked ceilings gave the living area a wonderfully spacious feel.

‘But you’re a mechanic, Seth.’ She couldn’t help stating the obvious. ‘How on earth did you learn to do all this?’

His response was a casual shrug. ‘I took a course here and there and worked with builder mates in my spare time.’

‘I didn’t think your business allowed for any spare time.’

Seth grinned. ‘I have a guy called Vince Jones working at the garage these days. He’s a very good mechanic and there’s also an apprentice, so they’ve freed me up a little. Mind you, I’ve been on this project for three years.’

Polly gave an incredulous shake of her head. ‘But there must have been so many new skills you had to learn.’

‘Sure, but I enjoyed the challenge.’

Seth had always been practical and handy, Polly remembered. ‘And here was I worrying about how you’d adapt to the new challenges of green energy and the motoring trade.’ Clearly, acquiring new skills was a breeze for him.

They went through to the kitchen. The cupboards had no doors as yet, but Seth had made the benchtops from polished concrete—Polly couldn’t imagine how he’d learned to do something so clever, but she would love to find out—and the splashbacks were tiled with natural stone. There was a massive stove with two ovens, topped by a host of gas burners, a lovely sleek refrigerator, and a walk-in pantry that was almost as big as Polly’s entire kitchenette.

And, of course, the bathroom was spacious and just as amazing as the rest—all timber and concrete and stone—and Polly loved it all, especially as it blended so beautifully with the bushland setting.

The main bedroom he showed her wasn’t finished—just a king-size mattress on the floor, really, but there was a wall of windows that looked straight into the trees and another wall that would eventually hold a massive built-in wardrobe.

As far as Polly was concerned, it was a dream home, as beautiful as any she’d seen. All she could say was ‘Wow!’ Over and over. ‘WOW, WOW, WOW!!’

‘Glad you like it,’ said Seth.

‘I can’t believe you’re so clever.’

‘Thanks.’ He smiled crookedly. ‘I’ll take that as a Polly-style, backhanded compliment.’

She wasn’t sure what he meant. She was too busy wondering about the lucky woman who was going to share all this with him. ‘Is your girlfriend local?’ She had to ask.

Seth frowned, as if he didn’t quite understand the question.

‘I’m assuming there’s a woman in the wings, and she’ll live here with you.’

‘That’s still a work in progress.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I haven’t made up my mind.’

‘You’re still deciding on the right woman?’

‘More or less.’ Seth seemed rather annoyed by her questions. ‘Take a seat,’ he said. ‘And I’ll make you a cuppa.’

The only seats available were collapsible camping chairs in the lounge room and the canvas sagged so deeply when Polly lowered herself into one of these, she feared she might need a crane to help lift her out of it. But the baby was feeling extra heavy and low today and she was grateful for the chance to just sit and catch her breath and enjoy the bushland view.

*

From the kitchen,Seth called, ‘Do you take milk and sugar in your tea?’

When there was no answer from Polly, he frowned. Had she nodded off? Looking through the kitchen doorway to the lounge room, he could see a back view of her sitting in her chair. She had wound her dark hair into a knot on top of her head, but fine tendrils had already escaped. She seemed to be sitting quite straight, so she mustn’t be asleep. ‘Polly?’ Seth called a little more loudly.

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