A Reason to Give Thanks
Chapter 3 by Julia
For disclaimers, notes, and authors, see part one.
*
"We're ready to start eating?"
"Almost," replied Donna.
"Good, because you're about to taste pumpkin soup the way it was meant to be."
"'The way it was meant to be' where, exactly? In a Gap commercial?" Ainsley asked from across the room, earning a glare from Sam.
"You laugh now, but as soon as you taste this you will be converted."
"Oh, yes. I'm sure your soup will just melt away my free will. I'll be off to join the Democratic Party tomorrow."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Sam smiled, backing into the kitchen to finish the preparation of his piece de resistance as Ainsley continued to help Donna set the table.
"Those two are really…" commented Danny to Josh discretely.
"You're telling me," he agreed, watching Ainsley try not to look like she was watching Sam. She was not having much success.
Josh also noticed that Danny's gaze wandered frequently to CJ in the living room. Invariably, his distraction was accompanied by Donna gesturing harshly at Josh, he assumed to remind him to apologize to Danny.
Josh decided to pull Danny aside and get it over with. "Look," he started. "I'm really sorry if this is uncomfortable, or anything."
"I'm sorry?"
"Having dinner with someone who, you know, you almost had a thing with."
"A thing?"
"Yeah, you know… a thing."
"Josh, don't worry about it. I'm glad you still consider me a good enough friend to invite—wait. Did CJ say something?"
"No?"
"CJ's still talking about me? Well, this is interesting."
"I did not say that."
"You implied it."
"No. And if anyone asks, I'll deny it."
"Afraid for your safety?"
"Yes," Josh answered seriously.
"Damn," came a sudden curse from the kitchen, interrupting the conversations. "Uh, Josh?" Sam poked his head out of the kitchen. "I seem to have lost some of my supplies. Where's your saffron?" Ainsley raised her eyebrow and gave the others in the room a questioning look.
"I don't have any."
"Yes you do. It's in the spice rack in the left-hand cupboard above the stove behind all the poultry seasoning."
"That's really quite freakish," Sam commented as everyone in the room continued to look at Donna, including Josh, who seemed somewhat surprised that she knew that.
"Spend much time over here?" CJ joked.
"Would you prefer I let Josh do Thanksgiving on his own?" countered Donna.
"Hey! I am doing Thanksgiving."
"Josh, you stuffed the turkey. And you whined the whole time," Donna mentioned as they sat down around the table.
"Poultry guts, Donna."
"It's called the giblets. You use it to make the gravy."
"No. Under no circumstance will I eat anything that was not on the Pilgrim's table."
"They did eat giblet gravy," Danny pointed out helpfully.
"Well, still… it's organ meat."
"Don't worry. I made you some nice packaged gravy."
"Powdered gravy? The next thing you'll say is that you've got canned cranberry sauce," Ainsley said with a distasteful look on her face.
"What's wrong with that?"
"No wonder Donna knows your kitchen better than you do."
"Can we eat now?" CJ asked.
"I'm ready," said Donna. "I think we're just waiting on Sam."
As if on cue, Sam came into the dining room. With a grand gesture he set the container on the table. Everyone took their seats and Ainsley began ladling out her soup.
"This is excellent," Danny observed.
"Try mine. Believe me, it's amazing," Sam insisted, hurrying to fill Josh's bowl before Ainsley could get to him
Josh took a spoonful of Sam's soup, his eyes widening. CJ choked back a laugh as Josh tried to swallow it.
"What the hell is in this?"
"Pumpkin."
"That smells different than Ainsley's," observed Danny.
"It's probably the saffron."
Ainsley laughed. "What made you think that would work?"
"Kellie said that's the way Wolfgang Puck makes it."
"Who's Kellie?"
Sam mumbled something quietly.
"I'm sorry? We couldn't hear you."
"She's the spice technician at the gourmet shop." As Ainsley's snorted, he asked, "How do you know that's not the way it's supposed to be made?"
"Saffron is very expensive," she mused. "Kellie the sales girl convinced you to buy the largest container they had, didn't she?"
"Buying in bulk is more economical," Sam said sullenly.
"Here, Josh. Try some of mine," Ainsley offered.
"No thanks. I'm fine." He pushed the bowl over in front of Sam, who still seemed perplexed at how his soup could have gone so horribly wrong.
"Maybe it just needs some more--"
"No," said Josh, shaking his head insistently.
Undaunted, Sam picked up the bowl of soup and headed back into the kitchen. The conversation at the table had barely gotten started again when they all heard a loud crash, followed by a small "oops."
"And this is why I never do holidays at my house," muttered Josh, reaching over for some of the other hors d'oeuvres, when Dona reached over and grabbed his wrist.
"Don't," she whispered.
"What?"
"You don't want to eat that."
"Why not? I like seafood."
"Those aren't seafood."
"What are they then?"
"Cow testicles," CJ interrupted with barely contained laughter. Josh dropped the food like it had suddenly become electrified, as everyone else laughed.
Finally Sam came out of the kitchen, sporting a nasty stain down the front of his shirt. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing left to be done for my soup. What's so funny?"
"We just told Josh what the Rocky Mountain oysters he was eating actually were," Danny piped up, at which point Ainsley mumbled "They're really good if you give them a chance."
"Oh. You probably shouldn't do that. Organ meat has so much cholesterol."
"Can we just get to the normal food?" Josh asked.
"We're still eating our soup, Josh."
"Great," Josh muttered settling down in his chair for what he predicted would be a long meal.
*
To be continued in part four