Caufield's girl

Chapter Twenty-One

We get back to the Caufield house around three p.m. On our way back, we stopped at one of the local diners. Cole made me try the special Madison sliders, and hell, they were so good. Hardly anybody was there, so we could enjoy ourselves uninterrupted, which I was thankful for. It was peaceful and cozy. Just like Madison itself. It was really nice. It could never compare to Montreal, but I liked it a lot. It has grown on me since we arrived.

As we reached the Caufield house, I could spot another car in the driveway. I assume it's Cole's brother along with his girlfriend. We walked inside, and we could already smell Thanksgiving in the atmosphere. I immediately became familiar with the scent of baking turkey that hung in the air of the hallway. We hung our coats onto the hangers in the hallway and walked straight to the kitchen, where everybody else was, and by the look of it, the dinner was in full preparation.

"Oh, there you are." Kelly says that as soon as she notices us, every pair of eyes in the kitchen stares at us immediately. "Hey brother, how's it going?!" Cole's brother immediately walks up to him and greets him. "What's up, bro?" Cole pats him on the back with a genuine smile. It was nice to see this brotherly reunion. I guess we don't have a chance to see each other very often. Will these two exchange a few words? Caroline walks up to me. "Hey, you must be the one and only Sophia. It was great to finally meet you! I'm Caroline." She says this with a smile as the gorgeous blonde girl gives me a friendly hug. "Pleasure to meet you, girl; you're gorgeous." I say genuinely, she was so beautiful. "Ah girl, all you." She replies humbly, as I can see Brock walking up to me.

"The big brother, am I right?" I say as I shake his hand. "That's right, and the taller one indeed. I'm Brock." He jokes, and I already like this guy. Now we can both tease Cole; what a delight! "I'm Sophia. It's a pleasure to meet you. And I can probably also tell the funnier one as well." I add up to the joke just to tease Cole a bit more. "Absolutely, pleasure's all mine." He smiles widely. "Seriously?" Cole just shakes his head, chuckling. "But you all know that length doesn't matter. It's always about the quality; it's statistically proven." He defends himself with this ambiguous statement. "Whatever you say, Cole." Caroline shakes her head, chuckling, and we all burst into laughter. "What's so funny, guys?" Mr. Caufield inquires, because thankfully he didn't hear what was said a few moments ago. "Nothing dad. Nothing." Brock responds, trying so hard not to laugh. "Ah, kids. Always some secrets... unbelievable." Paul just shakes his head with a half smile, clearly not satisfied with our behavior.

After we cool off a bit, everyone heads back to the kitchen counter to prepare the dishes they've been preparing until we showed up. Caroline is working on her pumpkin pie, Mr. Caufield is making the roast, Brock is mixing the gravy, and Kelly is just running around the place making sure everything is perfect, but mainly she is keeping an eye on that enormous turkey in the oven. I really wanted to feel useful and help with something. "Is there something you need help with? I'd love to help." I offer. "Oh no, I think we're good. We've got everything—oh shoot, everything except the mashed potatoes." Kelly says as he scans the kitchen and realizes something's not right. "I'll do it, if that's okay." I suggest. "If you insist, darling." She replies gladly. I don't hesitate and immediately get to work. In the meantime, Cole goes outside to fetch some wood and sets fire to the fireplace.

After I'm done in the kitchen, I go upstairs and start to get ready along with Cole. I assume probably everyone else goes and does the same, so we can be ready just in time for dinner at 7 p.m. I take a quick shower, put on light makeup, and pull my hair into a claw clip. I put on a light blue blouse and black, elegant trousers. Cole puts on one of his white shirts and black, elegant suit pants just to mark the occasion. We had to look presentable. When we were ready, we walked down to the kitchen.

"Wow, this looks amazing." I say this when I see all the food on the dining table. This is a proper feast, indeed. Kelly was already in the kitchen, setting the table and giving it the final touches, so everything would look absolutely perfect. She's done an incredible job. It doesn't take long until Mr. Caufield appears as well, and Brock and Caroline walk down the stairs just right after. The dinner will begin.