Chapter 2
The next morning I awoke, still groggy from staying out late last night at Monroe's. It seemed I was getting home later and later. My trainings were scheduled toward the end of the week, so I could work from home today. My eyes tried to close again. No, the office would be a better choice, because I'd surely drift back off to sleep if I stayed here.
I hummed Donna Summers' 'She Works Hard for the Money' as I showered and got ready for work. Music was definitely a big part of my life. I loved to sing and play music, but humming was a bad habit of mine. I'd get to thinking about something in my head, and before I knew it, I was humming a song about the subject I was thinking of. Most times I'd do it on purpose, but sometimes I didn't even realize it until someone mentioned it. Every song told a story, and lyrics tended to describe things better than just mere words. I had a pretty good memory, so I was like a walking jukebox, filled with countless songs just waiting to come out.
Monroe was beginning to use my music to tap into my brain. He'd ask the song title, or even go as far as to ask why I was humming it. Sometimes, if I was feeling brave, I'd play it for him. I took my MP3 player with me wherever I went. It was the equivalent of my diary, because the songs it held were very telling. My MP3 player contained the soundtrack of my life and of those I cared about. Lately the songs about Monroe were becoming a whole discography.
I went to work and settled behind my desk at the corporate offices of the bank. After booting up my computer, I opened my most recent PowerPoint presentation for an upcoming training that was on my itinerary. I loved my job as a Corporate Financial Trainer, and my organizational skills proved useful for the work I did. My bosses loved me, and the office in Portland was so much better than my small branch back home.
With my lack of sleep I was unfocused, but I pushed through the day, surprising myself with the amount of work I'd completed. My brain was forgiving and still performed well even when physically I didn't feel like I could at all.
Work came and went, and I was drained as I put my key into the lock on my front door. The house was a little unkempt, since I'd been spending a majority of my evenings at Monroe's instead of home. A cleaning day would need to be scheduled soon… but not tonight.
I collapsed on my persian blue couch and kicked off my heels. There were phone calls to make, and I'd promised myself a yoga night, but my energy was already wearing thin. I was going more often now to stay limber, for obvious reasons. If I remained on this couch I was going to pass out, no doubt.
"Okay, Renée, the time for relaxing is over," I said aloud as I moved off the couch and had a good stretch.
Taking a leisurely walk to the kitchen, I made a quick and easy dinner of grilled chicken and some veggies. Even after a few cooking lessons with Monroe, I was still none the wiser in the kitchen. Thank goodness for George Foreman. Dinner helped considerably, and I was more alert.
I pulled out my cell phone. It was time to bite the bullet and call my mom. The last time Mom and I had talked was over a week ago, and that was far too long. We'd spoken a few times a week ever since I'd moved here. When I was back at home in Louisville we'd made it a point to have lunch or dinner at least once a week. I really missed our time together now that I lived in Portland.
But I hadn't talked to my mom since the Jack incident. The memories of my ex coming to town and causing a ruckus flashed through my mind. Why had my mom thought it was a good idea to encourage Jack to come to Portland and try to win back my heart? I shook my head. I'd been putting off calling her until I knew exactly how to discuss her failed attempt at reuniting us. With her, it was usually best to wait and choose my words.
While I loved my mom dearly, she was stubborn like me. She adored Jack from the moment she'd met him. So once he and I had moved in together, she'd already picked out a church for our wedding and had my aunt on programmed on her speed-dial to plan the festivities in anticipation of Jack popping the question.
My mom thought Jack was a saint, which couldn't have been further from the truth. When I'd told her about our break-up I'd expected her full support. I mean he'd cheated on me for a year, for Christ's sake. But she'd gone on about counseling and talking it out. Dad had threatened to get out the shotgun, which at the time sounded like a much better idea than counseling, by far.
It hadn't helped that Jack would call Mom, and they would have long talks about how Jack was a changed man and how he wanted us to work out. My mom wasn't as good at detecting Jack's BS like I was, but I was used to hearing it. Although I'd been pretty deaf to it before the cheating came out, since we were together for four years, and I thought we were pretty happy.
The truth of the matter had been that I'd been trying to make something work that had been over quite a long time ago. Jack cheating on me had been the proverbial straw that really woke me out of my delusions. Thank goodness I hadn't heard a peep from him since the incident in my backyard. After Monroe had to punch him in the face to shut him up, perhaps he'd learned his lesson. Spending the night in jail had probably helped, too.
I pressed my speed-dial, and Mom answered on the first ring.
"Renée, Sweetie, how are you?" she asked warmly.
"I'm good, Mom. How are things?" She sounded in good spirits. That ought to make this heart to heart with her easier.
"I've been hoping to hear from you! I was starting to worry. You didn't reply to my text. So, did you and Jack get a chance to talk?" she asked excitedly. Oh, yeah. We talked all right.
"Yeah, Mom, about that…" I paced the floor as I paused my sentence. Discussing Jack really put me on edge. "Jack and I are not getting back together," I finally said as tactfully as I could. "I really wish you hadn't given him my address here."
"But you kids have been sweethearts forever," she reasoned. "He really wants to make up for that silly little fling he had." Silly little fling? Wow, he'd really outdone himself.
I told her about Jack stalking me at the wine tasting event while I was out with Monroe and then him following me back to my house.
"I was on a date, and he made a spectacle of himself." I sighed. "It was a real disaster." I didn't mention the fight with Monroe. It was best not to make Monroe look like a bad guy before I even had a chance to tell Mom about him.
"You were on a date?" Mom asked, rather surprised. Even though we had talked quite often, I'd avoided mentioning Monroe to my mom. She was so touchy about Jack that I didn't want it to upset her. It was as if she was the one that had broken up with him instead of me.
"Yeah, I met someone here in Portland." I went on to tell her about Monroe the clockmaker. I mentioned all his wonderful attributes and side-skirted any supernatural ones. Mom seemed to listen, but her muffled sighs were a dead giveaway that she wasn't completely over the thought of Jack and me.
"Sweetie, I'm happy for you," she unconvincingly said, "but are you sure that...?"
"Mom, I'm a thousand percent sure that Jack and I are completely over." I cut in before she could say any more. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. He wasn't good for me. Monroe is good for me." It was expecting a lot to convince my mom that I'd moved on. But I'd tried to be respectful, which I had to fight with myself to do.
"But, Sweetie…" Mom started again.
"When I visit in May, maybe I can talk Monroe into coming with me." I softened my voice. "I really think you'll like him." I had vacation time scheduled in May and was looking forward to a visit home. Now that Monroe and I were dating, it might be nice to bring him along. "Speaking of vacation, how are your plans coming along?" I asked, changing the subject before she protested anymore about my dating life.
"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" she brightly replied.
She told me that she and my dad were planning a cruise in the summer. Since they had retired last year, they were excited to go see the world. My dad loved vacations, and I'd inherited my love for road trips and adventures from him. My mom was already finding fun, touristy things for them to do while they were there.
Mom and I talked for a while longer, and I caught her up on all the changes in Portland. Once we'd gotten off the subject of Jack, the rest of the conversation was as normal as always, and it was good hearing her voice.
"Well, I'm off to the store," she said. "Maybe I can call Jack later and see how the poor dear is taking everything," Mom added, sounding concerned.
"Mother, do not call him!" I insisted, more forcefully this time. She knew I was serious when I called her 'Mother' instead of 'Mom.' "Please just let him be out of my life without you interfering. Can you do that for me?"
She was silent, like she was considering the request, and then finally said, "Fine, Renée, I won't call him. But I do hope he's okay."
"I'm sure his heart will go on…" I sang and my mom laughed. A joke like that would usually clear the air with us. Mom didn't need to talk to Jack and find out about the fight with Monroe. That he hadn't told her already just for spite was a surprise to me.
"Your dad wants to talk to you a moment. I'm going to head out to the store. Love you!" Mom passed Dad the phone.
"Hi, Pumpkin!" my dad greeted me with his southern drawl that made the word 'pumpkin' sound like 'punkin.' He was originally from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and his twangy voice came with him when he'd moved with his family to Louisville as a teenager. "So, what's this I hear about a new fella?" he asked before I could respond to his greeting. Dad took pleasure in grilling me about my boyfriends, so it was only a matter of time before he'd ask. This was a new record.
"Yeah, I've met someone new," I began. "It's still kind of early to tell, but he's a great guy, and I think he's a keeper." I smiled into the phone. Dad probed about his bio, and I told him about the same thing as I'd told Mom. Supernatural-free info. Dad had more questions about where Monroe grew up, where he'd went to school, and details on his parents. Some things I really couldn't answer, which had my dad a little concerned.
"He went to Brown for grad school," I said proudly of Monroe. My dad would have to find that significant at least.
"Brown, huh?" Dad repeated. "Does he travel a lot?"
"I'm not sure," I replied. "Dad, we're still learning more about each other." Every question I answered seemed to stem three more.
"Where did you meet him?" he asked.
Dad had done a little reconnaissance on Jack when he and I first started dating, but he was real interested in Monroe for some reason. Maybe it was because Dad wouldn't get to meet Monroe for a while since I lived so far away.
"We met when I needed some maintenance on your grandfather's cuckoo clock," I replied, not mentioning the bar meeting. "He did some great work on it." My dad didn't need to know it had been damaged in the move. I would've gotten a lecture and a half, for sure. Maintenance sounded better.
"So you found him?" he asked "He didn't contact you first?"
"Dad, you've got a lot of questions tonight. Are you doing okay?" I replied with my own question.
While I appreciated him caring about me, I was almost thirty. This conversation was like being back in high school. My dad was the type to have my new guy come over, show him his gun collection, and give him a crazy-eyed look just for effect. Thank goodness I was two-thousand miles away. Monroe might have shown my dad his crazy eyes right back.
"Sorry, Pumpkin, but after Jackass cheated on you, (That was how my dad had referred to Jack since we'd broken up.) I just want to make sure my little girl isn't setting herself up for any more heartache. Does this Monroe fella like to hunt?" he asked. No, not anymore.
"He's a vegetarian. Monroe doesn't hunt, and he's not good at fishing either. Sorry, Dad."
"Vegetarian?" my dad blanched at the word. "He's not one of them tree-hugging hippies, is he?"
"Not exactly, no. He's just… health conscious." Conscious of the health of others was more accurate.
"So, what am I supposed to do with him if ya'll come to visit?" he huffed. "Even Jackass would go angling with me." My dad was a fishing enthusiast. He needed it like air in his lungs to survive.
"I'm sure you guys could find something to discuss. He's a trivia buff, so there's always that." My dad loved puzzles and books as much as I did. Jack had rarely talked about anything that hadn't involved sports scores, so Monroe would definitely be a more interesting conversationalist.
"Maybe I'll just take him out on the water and show him a few things while we talk facts," he reasoned. "Every man oughta be able to cast a rod. If he gets weepy, I'll let him catch and release," he added with a deep laugh. I rolled my eyes. Oh, Monroe would just love that. "So, are you doing all right out there in Stumptown?" Dad asked with a grin in his voice. It seemed he'd been reading up on Portland. Dad was showing off his knowledge by throwing out its nickname into our little chat.
"Yeah, it's different than Louisville, but I'm really starting to like it out here. I miss the sunshine, though," I said, wistfully. The weather in Portland was less than desirable, but I was looking forward to cooler summers. Portlandians had said that was the payoff for all the rain.
"I worry about you living on your own." He sighed. "Are you keeping safe when you lock up for the night? Maybe I should get you an alarm system installed."
My dad went on about safety and how I needed to trust my instincts about people when I was alone at night. I didn't want to tell him about walking to the yoga studio or my runs in the woods. He might hire me a bodyguard. Dad was always cautious of me, but never like this. Perhaps it was like Chloe had said; now that I was so far away they couldn't keep tabs on me like they used to. But Dad didn't know about the Wesen world. He was just a protective parent. If he knew the crazy things that were really out there, he'd lock me in my room and throw away the key.
"Dad, I know it's been a while, but I have lived on my own before. I'll always be your little girl, but I am an adult, too. Besides, I'm not completely alone. I have Monroe."
"He's not living with you, is he?" Dad asked quickly. I rolled my eyes again. I shouldn't have said it like that.
"No, Dad, he has his own house and I have mine," I assured him. I got another lecture about keeping boundaries and not letting my heart rule my head. I was fourteen and angsty again for a whole other reason this time.
"Dad, I love you, but I really need to go now." Ending the phone call would end the lectures and the interrogations, at least for tonight.
"Quick, 357 times 449," he quizzed.
"160,293," I replied without hesitation.
"Twenty-Second President?"
"Grover Cleveland."
"Capital of Liberia?"
"Monrovia. That last one was too easy, Dad," I remarked. No, I wasn't the guy from Rainman; I just knew the tricks my dad had taught me. I also had a pretty darn good memory.
"That's my girl," Dad said. "You're smarter than you know, Pumpkin." He was always reminding me of that, and I loved him for it. "Promise me you'll be safe and trust your instincts when you're on your own. And mention my awesome gun collection to your new boyfriend for me, okay?" he laughed.
"Please don't worry about me. I love you so much, and I'll be safe," I promised.
Dad and I said our goodbyes, and I also promised I'd do a better job at keeping in touch before hanging up.
Since I was in a phone call mood, I reclined back on the couch and called Chloe. I'd assured her that I'd let her know how things were going with me and Monroe. She'd taken my news about our relationship well considering she still thought Monroe the Blutbad couldn't be trusted. At least it sounded like she was taking it well, but I'd like to bet if she could've, she'd have reached through the phone and smacked me. I had spared her most of the details, but she knew we were doing more than just hanging out.
"Are you and White Fang doing all right?" Chloe asked and I laughed. She was trying to be funny, but this was her way of showing me she wasn't happy with my choices.
"Monroe and I are doing great actually," I replied while smiling to myself at how great the bedroom had been lately.
"Well, I have some news," Chloe said with excitement in her voice. "Harvey asked me out yesterday!" She did a little squeal through the phone to demonstrate how excited she really was.
Harvey and Chloe both worked at Seneca High School. Chloe had been a guidance counselor there for five years. She recently had the hots for Harvey the basketball coach, who'd started working there six months ago. He was also a Karnickelhöhle, which made him even more of an attraction for her. Chloe said they talked all the time, but nothing had really sparked between them yet. Now it sounded like the sparks were beginning to fly.
"Oh, that's awesome news, Chloe! So, I need details! Where are you guys going?" I asked. It was nice to be on this end of the friendship for a change, since she'd been listening to my dating stories for the last month.
"It's nothing fancy; just dinner and a movie this weekend. We were talking in the cafeteria about Ghost Rider Two, and he asked if I'd like to go with him." She sounded giddy. My friend hated action flicks, so I had to shake my head.
"So, have you seen the first Ghost Rider?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
"Well, no… But I'm sure I can figure it out," she replied. She knew what I really meant. My friend had a direct link to my brain. "That's not the point, I have a date and you, Miss 'I want to date something that's gonna eat me,' are going to be happy for me right now!" she said in an exasperated tone.
I had to laugh aloud. "I'm extremely happy for you, Chloe. I'm only teasing ya. This is great news and you best call me to let me know how it goes." I really was happy. It had been too long since we were both in relationships at the same time. It would be great if Harvey stuck around. Chloe promised she'd call me with updates.
We talked more about work and family. I mentioned that I'd talked to my mom about the Jack issue. Chloe was impressed that I'd confronted her about it. Chloe said she'd put a bug in my mom's ear that I was happy with Monroe. She hadn't seen my mom in a while and said she'd bring her a carrot cake and have a chat with her for me. I could always count on Chloe, but how convincing would she be at telling my mom she approved of my relationship with Monroe, considering she was fighting the idea herself? We hung up and it felt good to have talked with friends and family for a while.
I had about a half an hour to kill before I had to get ready for my yoga class. I went to my bookshelf and picked up Pride and Prejudice. The pages were worn and wrinkled from the dozen times I'd read it before. It was time to revisit my old friends Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet once again. Yeah, I was a romantic, and Jane Austen's book about two people who have to sort out their differences with a little give and take to wind up together suited my mood just fine. I relaxed on the couch and got three chapters in before it was time to get ready.
After a quick change of clothes, I went to yoga. There was much more incentive to be in good shape, and I'd even thrown out my Rocky Road ice cream from the freezer. (Which wasn't an easy thing to do!) It was a little windy today, but warmer, so I'd worn my black jacket for my walk to the studio.
During class I went through the yoga poses, and pushed aside the yawns that wanted to come out. By the time the meditation part came, I was close to just having Z's instead of Zen.
Monroe called as I was walking out of the studio.
"Hey Hun, you wanna come by for dinner?" he asked, sounding as warm and genuine as usual. "I want you to try some of my freshly made badenwurst. I finally found my sausage press," he said excitedly. "I tweaked the family recipe so it's vegetarian." I still wasn't sure what badenwurst was exactly, but if it was a family recipe he must have made some major modifications for it to be on his diet.
"I would, but I already ate," I replied, as I walked back to my house. "I'm just getting out of yoga."
"Oh. Well, stop on by anyway. I'm sure we could have dessert instead," he said suggestively. I was well aware of his version of dessert, and I bit my lip.
"If I come over, you gotta promise me that you'll let me leave at a decent hour," I insisted.
"Or you could have breakfast in the morning," Monroe offered, trying to entice me. "You know, I make these amazing blueberry pancakes." He knew I loved blueberries.
Ever since we'd officially gotten together last week, Monroe had been asking me to stay overnight with him. I'd declined each time. I wasn't ready to stay over just yet. We were getting incredibly comfortable, like we had known each other for years instead of a month. Although I loved the openness we had, especially now that the secrets were out, I didn't want to move too fast and ruin it with him. Monroe was persistent, however, and I had to give him credit for that.
"How about I come over, we have dessert, I go home at a decent hour, I wake up early, and you show me some Pilates tomorrow morning?" I counter-offered.
"Negotiating, huh?" he replied with a chuckle. "I could live with that."
He'd been itching to show me the Pilates machine, so I had a good feeling he'd go along with it. I wasn't a crack of dawn kind of gal, but we were negotiating after all, so I could manage one early morning.
"Oh, and coffee," I added. "You gotta make coffee." Monroe's coffee was amazing. After growing up with Folgers, his was like caffeinated ambrosia.
"Coffee will cost you an extra half hour over here tonight," he said with a smirk.
I laughed and then said, "You drive a hard bargain, but I can work with that." His coffee was worth half an hour's less sleep.
"Well, Miss Davenport, I'll see you here soon, and it's been a pleasure doing business with you," he said and we hung up.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
I grabbed a quick shower and went to see Monroe as promised. It was almost ten o'clock when I pulled into the driveway. As I walked up the porch steps, the deep tones of the cello echoed from inside. It was definitely one of Bach's 'Six Suites,' but was it number two or three? My brain was finally shutting down from my exhaustion, and it was surrendering tonight. The music stopped as my foot hit the last step. The door opened before I had to knock. I was getting used to Monroe knowing when I was at his door.
"Miss Davenport, so glad you've arrived. Now we can get down to business." Monroe said, grinning all the while. "Won't you come in?" He motioned me inside with his hand.
"I'm pleased you were able to meet with me this late at night, Mr. Monroe." I shook my head at him, grinning in return. He seemed to enjoy our negotiations. I walked in and he took my black jacket. I was wearing a peach cardigan sweater and jeans, not that they would be on for very long. "Getting in a little cello practice?" I asked. "Suite two or three?"
"Bach's 'Suite No. 2 in D Minor,'" he replied with a raise of his brows, giving me a surprised look, since I normally knew these things.
"It sounded nice from outside," I said approvingly.
"Just biding my time waiting for you." His eyes twinkled red as he leaned in to kiss me. "I've been looking forward to our… business arrangement."
The kisses began in the living room and then trailed up the stairs to Monroe's bedroom. Sure enough, the clothes came off, and we served up a hot and steamy bit of dessert. And let me just say, when you put two skilled yoga enthusiasts in a bed, that's like dessert with a cherry on top.
"We need to make business deals more often," I said as Monroe kissed down my neck to my shoulder. Sex was amazing, but cuddling after was just as wonderful. I was on cloud nine, and my smile was fixed on my face.
"And if you stay, then we can do all this again in the morning," he offered, drawing me closer to him.
I leaned my head back against his chest and closed my eyes. "Not that I wouldn't want an encore, but let's stick to the Pilates arrangement for tomorrow." It was so hard to say no to him.
"You'll stay eventually." Monroe nibbled my neck and I gasped. "I have my ways." He seemed pleased with himself for getting a noise out of me.
"I'll come back in the morning, which isn't too far away." It was already twenty minutes till midnight by the many clocks in the room. I stood up and found my clothes. They were tossed here and there around the bedroom.
"We'll start at six o'clock tomorrow morning, so I can have time to show you what you need to do, and then I'll work you out," he grinned. He'd already worked me out pretty well tonight.
We went back downstairs, my smile never wavering. I grabbed my jacket from its usual spot on the cedar chest and kissed Monroe again before leaving. I hummed Sara Evans' 'Tonight' as I got into my trusty, blue Chevy Malibu.
"If I had a weakness,
You sure found it tonight.
Some hidden desperation,
You saw floatin' in my eyes.
Moments just like these baby,
Wrong can feel so right,
And I don't wanna go home tonight…"
Monroe made it so difficult to leave, but it would be better for us in the long run if I didn't stay. At least, that's what I kept telling myself as I drove home.
A/N: Sorry if this was a little long. I felt it was important to get a story on Renée's parents in there.
New chapter tomorrow... Stay tuned!
