“Never really had a girlfriend to have dinner and drinks with, so I’ll let you know when I get home.” I laugh, making my way to give him a kiss and then slip out the door. Emily is already asleep in the bedroom.
I meet Harper at Dixie’s Bar, which I have never been to before, but Damon and his brothers like to go here so it only seems fitting. As I walk in, the atmosphere seems less like a bar and more like a club tonight. There are people up dancing around; the music is really loud, and God forbid if someone actually wants to have a conversation in here.
“Over here!” Harper yells, her hands in the air. “So glad we could do this. I’ve been needing a girl to hang out with since I moved down here. Too many of them have a twig stuck up their ass or something.”
“Agreed. Always thinking they are better than everyone else. What a shame.”
The waitress comes over and takes our order of two glasses of red wine and a basket of wings and fries. I didn’t eat dinner before coming because it was implied we would eat here, but a single order to share isn’t going to be enough. So, I signal the waitress and hold two fingers up. I’ll need my own order, please and thank you.
“So, how did the meeting go?” she says, then takes a sip of wine. “Please tell me they didn’t give that asshole custody?”
“Hell no, I retain full custody. But we have a hearing to work out the rest. It’s only temporary until then. But I’ll take it. Chris is not going to take my daughter from me. Ever.”
Things start to get a little heated when Chris comes up, and then I go on a tirade for almost twenty minutes about all the shit he did to me and how horrible of a person he is, or at least the man I knew for all those years before having Emily.
“Just remember, you have... What’s his name again?”
“Damon.”
“Yeah, you have him now. Who gives a shit about Chris? He should be so far gone from your mind. Don’t let all this get to you. You’re a good mom. Own it.”
Where has Harper been all my life? I wish I had someone like her when I first moved here from Oregon. Things would have been less stressful if I had someone to talk to about things.
“You know, you haven’t touched your glass of wine. Drink, girl. Drink.”
I’m usually a beer girl but instead just for tonight, Harper gets me to drink some red wine, which isn’t all that bad. Would I want to pay and drink it again? Probably not. I’ll stick with my beer in the future, but that’s what friends do. Try something new.
“Speaking of my man, it’s been nice chatting with you, but I know he’s lying in bed waiting on me.”
“Go get it, girl,” Harper says and then clicks her tongue.
I walk away with a huge smile on my face, knowing that Harper and I are going to be friends for a long time.