The Taste of Mr. Davenport by Jessica Ingro Page B

up every second of it. After several moments he sat her on her feet and turned to Claire. Awkward tension hung in the air as she and Elise stared silently at one another.
    “Hi, Elise,” Claire spoke first. Even though her heart was in her throat, the words came out confident and smooth—just the way she had hoped they would.
    Elise blinked at her old friend for several seconds before throwing her arms around Claire’s shoulders and hugging her tightly. Time had given Elise some perspective on the situation with her friend and her father. She was still hurt and confused by their secrecy, but she knew now that if Claire made her dad happy, she couldn’t stand in the way. Only time would tell if they were meant to be—Elise couldn’t be the judge and jury for that. All she could do was wish them well. Surprisingly enough, her mom was the one that beat that into her head over the past couple of years.
    Claire sniffled as Elise rocked their bodies back and forth. She hadn’t known what to expect upon seeing Elise after all that time. Even though Elise had said she was fine with their relationship and Carter had flown out alone to visit her, Claire herself hadn’t come face to face with Elise until now. Some small part of her thought Elise would still be the cold, bitter bitch she had been when everything first happened, so she was thrilled to realize it was just the opposite.
    Pulling back, Elise smiled warmly before addressing both Claire and her father. “Why don’t you guys come inside? I made apple pie and there’s coffee on.”
    “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?” Carter teased as they followed her into the house.
    Elise laughed at that. “Bobby’s mom has been giving me baking lessons. No worry though, I’m still a horrible cook. We order out almost every night.”
    Claire took in the quaintness of Elise’s small house. It was everything the two of them had talked about having once they settled down after college.
    Her eyes fell on a wedding picture of Elise and Bobby. They were both smiling and standing in front of an Elvis impersonator. Even with the cheesy background, it was beautiful.
    Carter had been out of town when Elise and Bobby impulsively decided to scrap the large wedding they were planning and elope. Claire had gotten the email asking her to attend, but didn’t feel right going without Carter after everything that had happened. Now she regretted missing it.
    Then again, Elise hadn’t been there when Claire and Carter were married on a beach in Fiji. That too had been spur of the moment while traveling for Carter’s work. Her parents hadn’t even attended seeing as they were still very much lukewarm about their son-in-law.
    After everyone sampled the pie and sipped their coffee, Claire began to fidget anxiously as Elise talked about Bobby’s job as a sportscaster for the local radio station. Carter placed his hand over hers on the table, squeezing gently to calm her. She cast him a warm smile and settled, knowing she had no reason to be nervous any longer. She trusted Carter to handle this well.
    “We have some news to share,” Carter announced when there was a break in the conversation.
    “Oh?” Elise asked, setting her cup down on the table. Her eyes shifted between Claire and Carter as she waited for him to continue.
    “Yes.” Carter picked up Claire’s hand and kissed it tenderly. Holding it to his chest he looked deep into Claire’s eyes while telling his daughter, “We’re having a baby.”
    Elise’s gasp caused them both to look over at her. Her hand was covering her mouth and tears were building in her eyes, ready to spill over the sides.
    Carter cursed. Elise’s stricken expression never changed, and Claire was now crying softly at his side. He felt like a man torn with no idea what to do. He hadn’t expected this to go so poorly; no man is truly good at dealing with a crying woman—let alone two.
    “I should go.” Claire’s chair scraped along