Finding You At Christmas

Drinks With The Guys

Harper's POV

   I walked into the bar to find it pretty full. There were so many people in there it wasn’t funny. Part of me instantly wanted to turn right back around and walk back out the door. That’s when I noticed a woman about my size rushing up to me with a large smile on her face. I was frozen where I was, not able to react to her and her energy. 

   “Are you here to meet with Harrison and his friends,” she asked. 

   “Yes,” I managed to say and nod my head. 

   I finally felt at ease when she took my hand. She was sweet and pretty. 

   “This way,” she says as she starts to pull me through the bar. 

   I start to walk with her when she turns to look at me, still smiling at me. 

   “I’m Chloe by the way. What’s your name?”

   “I’m Harper,” I answer sweetly. 

   Soon she is leading me to the back to a table where I see Harrison, Edwards, and a few other guys I recognize. Garcia, Jones and Martinez are also sitting there with them. All of these men were in the unit with Joel years ago. None of them knew what happened I’m sure. 

   “Harrison, you said she was pretty. I think you meant to say gorgeous,” Chloe says as she drops my hand staring at the table with her other hand on her hip.  

   I take a glance at him and he shrugs then spits into his spit bottle. He seemed to always have a dip in his mouth. Typical answer, but what would I expect from a married guy? Not to mention him. 

   “Him, give someone an actual compliment? That’s unheard of,” I say sarcastically staring at him. 

   The table erupts with laughter and Harrison just shakes his head. I take my jacket off and take my seat as everyone greets me. 

   “What would you like to drink, Harper,” Chloe asks.

   “Dos Equis dressed, please,” I answer with a smile. 

   “You got it.” 

   She then walks off going to the bar to get my drink. While she’s gone the chatter at the table dies down and I feel like I’m about to be interrogated by everyone. All of these guys are either border patrol or work for the sheriff's department here. None of them were wearing their uniforms obviously but I knew what they did for a living. 

   “So how have you been,” Harrison asks first. 

   His expression was stony as always. It was always really hard to read him and I hated that. Just once I would love to be able to read him.  

   “I’m doing alright,” I say, looking at him and everyone else.  

   “We’re so sorry about what happened,” Edwards said.

   “What did happen exactly,” Harrison then asks. 

   I sat there for a second looking at all of them. They had all leaned in on the table to listen to me talk. I knew from this I had their full attention and they wanted to know what I had to say. Chloe then brought me my drink and walked away after I thanked her. I then pushed my lime down into my drink and licked my lips. I take a breath then started to tell them what happened. 

   “Joel was driving home late after work one night when someone hit his car in an intersection. The car flipped over into the ditch. The person that hit his car disappeared from the scene. They tried tracing the vehicle back to the person but found that it had been stolen two weeks before. They never found who did it,” I answered then took a drink of my beer. 

   The table is silent for a while as everyone takes in what I’ve told them. Everyone then leaned back in their seats to take a drink of their own beer. 

   “That’s shitty. You have no answers,” Edwards says.

   I shake my head. 

   “How are you really doing? No bullshit. The truth,” Harrison says a little irritated.  

   I hate that he can read me so well. Jackass. I huff out and give him an irritated look. What if I didn’t want to talk about how I was doing? I was fine now. Just not right after the whole thing happened. I would give him what he wanted though, so he would get off my case. A fight with him would be pointless. 

   “At first I was a complete mess. There were days I didn’t even get out of bed. Then my kids helped snap me out of it. I went to a therapist for about a month then stopped going because I felt like I didn’t need it anymore. I’ve learned that I can function as myself without anyone else. I picked myself up and started to live again. I had to for myself and my kids.”

   I get a few nods from around the table. I take another drink of my beer.

   “Did you know that grief only really lasts twelve minutes,” I say staring off into space. 

   “What,” Edwards asks. 

   “Grief lasts twelve minutes. Anything after that is self-inflicted. Why keep causing yourself pain, when you have the ability to move on?” 

   “Wow. I guess that makes sense,” Edwards then says. 

   Everyone else was quiet at the table drinking their beers.   

   “Ok enough of all of this,” I say after a while. “What’s new with everyone else. How is everyone doing? No more sad shit.”

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Caleb’s POV

   Was she really doing ok? I didn’t buy that she was alright. How could she be? So I asked again and made sure she knew I wanted the truth out of her. I was content with her answer after that. 

   Then that statement about moving on. Was she moving on with someone else already? Did I really miss the opportunity to be the one she would move on with? Chloe was right to say that she’s gorgeous because she is. Anyone with eyes or ears would want her. 

   Then again why would she want to move on with me? I’m always an ass to her but she is so quick witted that it makes banter with her fun. I needed to find out if she was with someone new already. 

   Everyone started telling her about things that were new with them and how they were doing. Moving around the table like we were playing a game of “never have I ever”. When it was my turn to share I was interested to see her reaction to what had been going on with me. 

   “About two years ago I walked into my house to find my now ex-wife banging a guy from work on our couch,” I told her. 

   She choked on her beer with how blunt I was, and was now coughing loudly in the seat across from me. I internally laughed my ass off but only let out a chuckle at her instead. Everyone else was looking at me in irritation at how I worded that. Once she caught her breath and looked at me again I wasn’t sure what I saw in her eyes. What emotion was that? Then it was gone. Damn, she had gotten good at putting up her own walls. 

   “Holy hell, I’m sorry. That’s awful,” she says with wide eyes. 

   “Yeah. That’s an image I will never get out of my head,” I then said and took a drink. 

   I was now done with my first beer and needed to get another one. I spotted Chloe and nodded at her. She went back to the bar to get another round of beers for our table. I’m sure everyone else would need another one too. 

   “You didn’t kill anyone,” she asks with a disgusted look on her pretty face. 

   “Nope. I wanted to but instead, I made sure my kids didn’t see what was going on. I had just picked them up from after-school care,” I explained. 

   “Dear God,” she exclaimed, shaking her head.

   “Our divorce was messy as hell but I ended up getting custody of the kids, so there’s that. She has them for Christmas right now.”

   She nods her head then says, “I know how that works. My kids are with my ex too.”

   Chloe brings another round of drinks. Everyone else has finished their first so the second round was needed. 

   “After the divorce was finalized I transferred here to Weslaco. And he came with me,” I say pointing at Peter.   

   “Well, at least there should be only better things after all of that. At least I hope,” she says with a pained look on her face. 

   She was always good at feeling other people's emotions and reading them. I had to keep my guard up at all times around her. I didn’t want her to be able to read me like she could everyone else. She would have made an excellent federal agent but it wasn’t for her. 

   Peter goes on to tell her his news and we all finish our second beer. We all have a third and chat and laugh about dumb stuff. Soon Garcia, Jones and Martinez have finished their third and head home to their families. Me and Peter stay and chat with Mrs. Ivey a little more but without any more drinks. We weren’t here to get drunk, just relax and talk. 

   I didn’t get the courage to ask her if she was already seeing anyone new, but part of me felt like she wasn’t. Wouldn’t she be with him for Christmas if she was? It doesn’t take long and all three of us are ready to leave the bar. Peter hugs Mrs. Ivey, says goodbye and then goes to his vehicle to head home to his family. 

   “I’ll walk you to your car, Ivey,” I tell her. 

   “Alright,” she says with a smile.

   We both stand to leave the bar and she grabs her jacket. She parked close to the entrance. Smart girl. With how beautiful she is it was dangerous for her to be reckless in a new area. Even though this was a safe place, it was never a bad idea to be careful. I could see my truck not too far away from her vehicle which made me feel better. She opened her car door then got in. 

   “Have a goodnight, Harrison,” she says with a smile. 

   “Goodnight, Ivey,” I tell her. 

   She closed her vehicle door and started it up. I walked over to my truck and climbed in waiting to make sure that she made it out of the parking lot alright. I wanted to make sure she was safe before I left. 

   I decided that while she’s here I wanted to make sure and see her at least once more.