Page 3 of His Best Friend's Baby

‘Wow,’ Polly said, impressed. ‘It’s hard to believe this is Wirralong.’

Seth’s response was an amused, shrugging smile. ‘If you’re looking for a hamburger, we still have the pub and the old-fashioned cafés, but I figured you’re a Melbourne woman these days. You might prefer something a bit more upmarket.’

‘I don’t mind really, but I’m certainly not complaining. This is lovely.’

Polly couldn’t help wondering, though, about the type of eating place Seth might have actually preferred. She realised she knew so very little about him now. Suddenly, being here with him in this trendy setting and pondering over a menu that boasted such varied items as ocean trout, mushroom lasagne and smoked duck breast, she had to accept that her assumptions about Seth could be as out of date as her ideas about Wirralong’s eateries. And now, her decision to proposition him seemed a tad naïve.

Annoyed with herself and somewhat embarrassed, she stared hard at the menu without really reading it.

Seth, meanwhile, went through the motions of polite conversation. ‘So, whereabouts in Melbourne do you live these days?’

Polly told him about her two-bedroom, inner-city apartment. She was proud that she’d been able to scrape together a deposit, and she was working hard to whittle down the mortgage. She’d been living there for a year now and she loved having her own space.

Seth nodded his approval. ‘And I guess you’ve travelled quite a bit. You’ve been overseas?’

‘Oh, I’ve been to America—California, mostly.’

‘Silicon Valley, I suppose. You still work in IT, don’t you?’

‘Yes. I was offered an internship in San Francisco. It was an amazing opportunity. I was really able to upgrade my skills. But then, I imagine you’d have to upgrade, too, to keep up with the green energy changes coming in the motor industry.’

‘Yeah. I’m hoping to stay ahead of the curve. Most of the mechanical skills I’ve learned from my dad will be outdated once hybrid and electric cars are the go.’

‘But the new cars will still need mechanics, won’t they?’

‘Not nearly as many as we have at the moment.’

‘Of course,’ said Polly. ‘I remember now, I read that the internal combustion engine has two thousand moving parts, while an electric car only has twenty.’

Seth looked amused. ‘You haven’t changed, have you?’

‘Haven’t I?’ Polly tried not to mind. Surely he didn’t still see her as a schoolgirl?

‘Not when it comes to technology and innovation at any rate.’ He smiled. ‘You were always a geek.’

‘True.’

‘But I’m not panicking about my industry. The change is going to take time, especially out here in the bush. Farming machinery will still need mechanics, and the new cars will still need repairs on their brakes, suspension and windscreen wipers.’ As Seth said this, he gave a shrug.

Just the same, Polly’s brain was already racing ahead, trying to imagine the different ways Seth might need to diversify in the future. But he’d always been a glass-half-full kind of guy. She was confident he’d adjust.

‘And have you travelled?’ she asked him.

‘Purely for recreation. Asia mostly. Bali, Vietnam. Oh, and closer to home, I usually go to Queensland. I love surfing and I’ve had a few trips up to the Sunshine Coast.’

‘Nice.’

They were trying, but their conversation still felt strained. Polly was used to that, though. She’d never been great at small talk. Mind you, she could vividly remember the easy nonstop chatter she and Seth had shared in their youth.

Luckily, the waiter came then and they could distract themselves with making menu choices.

‘Would you like wine?’ Seth asked Polly.

Yes, she definitely needed wine to help build up her courage. ‘We may as well get a bottle,’ she suggested.

He lifted an eyebrow.

‘I’m not driving,’ she explained defensively, and then, leaning closer and whispering, because the waiter seemed to know Seth, she added, ‘And this is my shout.’

---