Chapter 264 Meeting Gift
The car stopped at Gastronomy Royale, and Maddox pulled out gifts from the trunk.
Besides the regular gifts, Caroline pointed at a long, narrow package and asked, "What's this?"
Maddox said, "Trekking poles. Erica's parents like hiking, right? These are ultra-light carbon fiber folding ones. One pair for each of them—they'll look really cool in photos. Pretty good, huh?"
Caroline smiled without warmth.
Who gave trekking poles when meeting the girlfriend's parents for the first time!
"What's in this bag?"
Maddox said proudly, "Outdoor headlamps. They're always going out, so they'll definitely appreciate these. These headlamps cost two hundred dollars."
Caroline held down these two unconventional gifts. "Maddox, can we talk about something?"
"Go ahead."
Caroline said, "How about we save the trekking poles and headlamps for later when you know them better? Today, let's just bring the wine."
"That won't work. Everyone brings wine—there's no originality in that. These gifts show I understand their interests," Maddox insisted on bringing them. "I would've brought the snowboards too, but they're too inconvenient to carry. I had custom snowboards made for each of them."
Caroline asked, "How much?"
"Not expensive, just over 600 dollars."
Caroline's mind went blank. "Wait, my head hurts. Can you return the snowboards?"
"Definitely not, they're custom-made."
Caroline said, "600 dollars is too expensive."
"That's expensive? My competition-grade snowboard cost 1,800 dollars."
Caroline said, "I thought you were out of money?"
Maddox raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Just collected some final payments. Enough to get me back on my feet."
Caroline stood behind him. "When you meet Erica's parents in a bit, be sensible and don't mess up."
Maddox said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely handle it well."
Seeing his cheerful expression, Caroline actually felt a bit worried.
She said, "If you're unsure about anything, watch for my signals."
"Okay." Maddox looked serious. "With you here today, things will go twice as smoothly."
Caroline said, "Building a good relationship with Erica's parents will also make it easier for you to bring up marriage."
Maddox said, "I know. I'll definitely get along well with them."
Honestly, if Leopold hadn't reminded her, Caroline wouldn't really be worried, but she trusted Leopold more than Maddox.
Caroline said as they walked, "In good relationships, even silence is comfortable. In bad ones, no amount of effort feels right. Don't be careless."
Maddox smiled at Caroline. "Don't be nervous, I'll definitely do well."
Caroline asked, "Which private room?"
"Number seven, I think."
They arrived early. When they entered the private room, the others hadn't arrived yet.
Caroline looked at the gifts on the table—the trekking poles and headlamps looked both expensive and out of place.
"Maddox," Caroline decided to try persuading him one more time, "I still think giving trekking poles and stuff isn't very formal."
"You can't say that. You don't understand—people who love traveling are crazy about this outdoor equipment," Maddox started talking enthusiastically, almost unable to stop.
"Fine." Caroline gave up resisting.
"I'm going out for a smoke and to meet them at the entrance," Maddox said to Caroline.
Finally being sensible for once. "Go ahead."
After Maddox left, Caroline secretly called Elysia on her phone.
"Hello, Mom, are you busy?"
"Not busy, just watching TV. What's up?"
Caroline asked, "Mom, I want to ask you something. If—hypothetically—if Leopold had brought wine and stuff when he first met you and Dad, but also brought trekking poles and outdoor headlamps as gifts, would you have been happy?"
Elysia's frown deepened as she listened. "What kind of stuff? I've heard of trekking poles, but what are outdoor headlamps for?"
Caroline said, "I don't know exactly how they're used either. Probably for lighting outdoors at night."
"For outdoor lighting, a flashlight would be enough. Headlamps? That's too specialized, isn't it? Who is this person giving such random stuff?"
Caroline said, "A friend."
"I'd tell your friend to put that stuff away right now," Elysia said.
"Oh, and there are also 600-dollar custom snowboards."
Elysia said, "At their age, still snowboarding? If something happens, won't he get blamed?"
Caroline rubbed her forehead. "Mom, I get it."
After hanging up, Caroline heard Erica's voice outside, along with her parents talking. Seeing that they were about to come in, Caroline quickly hid the trekking poles and headlamps behind the curtain.
The door to the private room was pushed open from outside, and Caroline had just sat down.
She swallowed and breathed slightly heavily.
Caroline stood up and greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Morris, Mrs. Morris, when did you get back?"
"Just got back yesterday. If it weren't for a problem at one of the sites, we wouldn't be back until the end of the month." Erica's mother, Pearse Rothschild, took Caroline's hand and chatted. "Caroline, you still look like a little girl even after getting married, just like before. How are your parents doing?"
Caroline smiled. "They're doing well."
Maddox attentively pulled out chairs for Erica's parents and hung up their coats.
"Mr. Morris, Mrs. Morris, let me call the server to order."
Erica's father, Idris Morris, had a rather bland expression. "Alright, let's order. Everyone's probably hungry."
Maddox pressed the call button, and a server came in with a menu. Maddox said, "Mr. Morris, Mrs. Morris, what looks good to you?"
Pearse said, "Let Caroline order. What do you like to eat?"
"I'm fine with anything, no dietary restrictions. Let Erica order."
In the end, the ordering decision went to Erica.
While Erica was ordering, Maddox poured tea for the elders. You could tell they weren't particularly warm toward Maddox, but they didn't lose their composure as elders and still responded.
Caroline silently felt nervous for Maddox.
While waiting for the food, the private room quieted down. To avoid awkwardness, Caroline quickly broke the silence and asked, "Mrs. Morris, where all did you go?"
Once they started talking about the scenery from their trip, they became very talkative. Listening to those interesting stories and dangerous situations, Caroline's heart grew tense along with them.
When they mentioned a certain outdoor campsite, Maddox suddenly said, "I've been there too, stayed at that campsite."
Pearse asked curiously, "Really? You've been there too. Did you get altitude sickness?"
Maddox said, "No, but the hiking buddies I was with got altitude sickness. They had to call a rescue team that night and were carried down the mountain."
Pearse said, "Neither your uncle nor I had altitude sickness, but several young people with us couldn't handle it and had to be carried down too."
Idris listened to Maddox describe how he helped rescue team members at the high-altitude campsite, and his gaze toward him became more friendly.
Caroline read the room—maybe Maddox had chosen the right gifts after all.
As the conversation got lively, a server pushed the door open to bring food. The moment the door opened, four or five people entered private room number 3 across the hall. Just as Leopold's figure appeared at the doorway, that door closed.