Page 90 of When in December

But now, I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t take my eyes off Poppy to look at the over-the-top holiday lights or decorations Barrett’s mother must’ve helped him put up at his new house, which looked a little on the run-down side.

I watched as Poppy wrapped her arms around Barrett in a hug. He nearly took her feet right off the floor.

“Thanks for inviting us. Or Aaron. Thanks for letting me invite myself, basically.” She smiled good-naturedly.

“Don’t even start with that.” Barrett pulled back to look between us again. “I figure it was all you that got this guy here tonight.”

“He invited me,” she said honestly.

“You’re kidding.”

She shook her head.

Barrett beamed at me, flashing his one chipped tooth that he never got fixed after whacking his face off the rappel sectionof our training course either the second or third year. “You big softy, coming to my party.”

I stuck my hands in my pockets. “Just wanted to make sure I saw your ugly mug before I got out of this place once and for all.”

“I’ll take it.” He waved a hand around his new old house. “Food is in the kitchen. Everyone’s hanging out. I think we have some games around here somewhere. You like the place?”

“It looks great.”

“Thanks. Figured it was time to set down some roots.”

“I thought you always said you’d go west,” I said, partially joking.

He shrugged. “Things change. I need to tell you all about my plans.”

“You have plans now?”

“Tons.” Barrett paused before he hit me on the back. He walked backward, away from us and toward the kitchen. “We’ll talk in a minute. I need to go check on a few things. Be right back. Get some food!”

For some reason, it still astounded me how well Barrett exuded the kind of charismatic energy I could never seem to understand, let alone emulate. Joyful. Happy.

Someone you want to be around.

Somehow, he always managed to pull himself together. He was the one of us to put on the brave face when times got tough in our trio, even when he looked insane doing so. All because, as he’d told us, “I refuse to go out any other way.”

It seems he’d meant it. Even back in the small town he had grown up in.

He still laughed loud enough that you could probably hear him a town over and threw parties like he had done back on base. With the minimum supplies we’d had, he’d stock up on snack crackers and booze whenever he could, saving them for a night when we looked like we could use a pick-me-up.

Even when we were back home, Barrett was always there, so we didn’t lose touch. He was always the happy one. For some reason, I’d forgotten about that.

Barrett was constant. He was consistent. He was the one who had taken care of us all and never let any of us down.

I looked around the small yet already-homey house that Barrett’s mother must’ve decorated, if I had to guess.

Barrett was an only child and close to the woman who’d raised him. His mom had always invited me over for dinner during high school and it was there that I got a mom again too, for a short time. That woman acted like I was a genius for passing my classes and being a decent friend. Even if she wasn’t too pleased with me when her son enlisted with me.

Poppy nudged me. “You all right?”

“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” I mumbled quietly.

She smiled softly. “Of course. I wanted to be here with you.Here, I mean. I can never pass up a good holiday party. But you made me worry when you told me to prepare myself to meet Barrett. He’s nice.”

“Because he’s too nice,” I said. “All the time.”

“Must be so foreign and frightening to you.”

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