Luis grabbed him again and kissed him on the lips. “Well, I still love you anyway. And I'm glad you're here.” Whenever Luis showed any signs of affection toward Gage, Gage didn't seem to know how to react. And when Luis kissed him, especially on the lips, Gage's cheeks always flushed. Even though they were identical twins, they were complete opposites. Luis wasn't afraid to show affection; he wasn't afraid to kiss his brother, hold his brother in his arms, and tell him he loved him. But Gage was more like Jase when it came to showing emotion, especially in front of other people. Gage stood taller and squared his back, as if Luis had just slapped him instead of kissed him.
“Hunter begged me to get rid of the bow,” Gage said, changing the subject fast. “He said you wouldn't let him take the bow off Camp's head all day, so I figured it was my duty to give the poor dog back his dignity.” He glanced down at Camp. “Right, buddy?”
Camp barked as if he really was thankful.
Luis tried to hug Gage again, but Gage crossed to where Isabelle was putting the sausage on a platter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He glanced down at the sausage and said, “That looks good. I'm starved. I had a killer exam this week and I'm ready for a break.”
Isabelle sent Luis another naughty glance and giggled. Evidently, Gage didn't seem to think the sausage was as obnoxious as they did, which was typical of Gage. When he saw sausage, he thought about filling his stomach.
Luis went back to setting the table. He picked up the dishes and said, “I think Camp looked so cute. In fact he looked so cute I bought him a little blue sweater at the groomer to match the bow.” He knew this would get a reaction from Gage.
Gage rolled his eyes. “Oh God, not a sweater. Please tell me you're not going to turn into one of those people who dress their dogs and cats in clothes and play dress up.”
Luis's head jerked to the side. “Camp is bald. Seriously. It's getting colder out and I have no idea how old he is. I want him to be warm and I decided it was time for a sweater. It has nothing to do with dressing him up.” It was true; it was more about Camp's health than looks. Luis had found Camp in an alley several years back, before Luis had even met Jase. He had no idea how old Camp was and he didn't want to know either. If anything happened to that dog, it would kill him.
This time Isabelle and Gage exchanged glances. Everyone knew how Luis felt about Camp, and they always appeased his emotions. “Okay,” Gage said. “The sweater is fine. But no bows in his hair. That's crossing the line.” Then he walked up to Luis and said, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Luis rubbed his brother's stomach and said, “No. Just go out and talk to Jase. We'll call you when it's time to come in. Is Cory still coming for dinner tonight?” Luis was still thinking about getting the white wine glasses on the table and he wanted to get Gage out of the kitchen so he could concentrate all the things he had to do. When it came to things like this, Luis always worked best alone. Too much help tended to confuse him and ruin his organizational patterns.
Gage nodded. “Cory should be here any minute,” he said, as he walked to the back door. “If you need anything, let me know.”
Luis glanced over his shoulder. “I will. And by the way, it's good to see you, even with that blond hair. You've been so busy with school and we've been so busy with work it feels like ages since we've been together. I miss you.”
Gage's expression softened. His cheeks turned red again and he said, “I've missed you, too.”
Isabelle lifted the platter of sausage and handed it to Gage. “Here you go,” she said with a silly giggle. “You can bring this bad boy out to Jase as long as you're on your way outside.”
When Gage was gone, Isabelle went over to the kitchen table and helped Luis with the knives. “It's really starting to feel like Thanksgiving now,” she said. Then she stopped what she was doing and put her arms around Luis. “Thanks for doing all this and working so hard to help us deal with everything that happened this past summer. If it had been up to Mary and me, we probably wouldn't have even celebrated Thanksgiving this year at all.” She sighed. “I still can't believe my son is gone.”
Luis felt a sting in his eye. He hugged Isabelle and said, “Thank you for being my family now. If it weren't for Jase and you guys, I probably wouldn't be celebrating Thanksgiving myself. And I don't know what we would have done without you this past month. I wish you'd stay with us permanently.” He knew she wouldn't, not with a new boyfriend. But he meant every word of it.
A few hours later, after they'd eaten so much they could hardly move, Luis told everyone to leave the kitchen so he could clear the table and clean everything up the way he wanted to clean it before he went to bed. When Luis went away for any length of time, he liked knowing he would be returning to a clean, organized kitchen, especially with Thanksgiving dinner looming over his head.
Gage and Cory kissed everyone goodnight and they went back to Cory's apartment a few miles away from Cider Mill Farm. They told Jase and Luis to have a safe trip and promised they'd look after Hunter and Isabelle while they were gone. Jase, Isabelle, and Hunter went into the family room to watch a little TV before bed. Camp hung around the kitchen with Luis waiting to see if Luis would accidentally drop any food while he was cleaning up. Sometimes, when no one was around, Luis dropped a piece of meat or bread on purpose. Though Camp was a tiny little thing, he'd eat anything from filet mignon to the crust on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And though Luis never let anyone else know this, he didn't see anything wrong with giving the poor little thing a snack once in a while.
When the stainless steal appliances were shining and the insides of the built-in ovens were gleaming, Luis lowered the kitchen lights and went into the dining room to set out the white wine glasses for Thanksgiving dinner. He smiled when he saw the Cinderella pumpkins in the baskets with the gourds. He pressed his palm to his chest and exhaled when he saw the way his crystal knife rests sparkled beneath the rock crystal chandelier above the table. From what he could see, the only thing left to do with the table was put out the white wine glasses. Everything else was ready to go, from the starched white linen tablecloth to the small gold-rimmed bread plates to the left of each place setting.
By the time he finished with the table, it was almost eleven o'clock. He glanced at the long table one last time before he turned off the lights and smiled. He only had to do one more thing in the kitchen and he was free to fall into bed and close his eyes. He'd heard Jase and Isabelle taking Hunter up to bed twenty minutes earlier and he'd shouted goodnight to Hunter. He knew Jase would bathe him and Isabelle would read him a story. Luis had already let Camp out for the night and Camp had gone upstairs with Hunter. Luis had even packed their bags for the short trip they were taking to the cabin earlier that morning when he'd done the laundry for the week. There was only one thing left to do, so he went into the kitchen and took care of it.