Chapter 57

The past few days had been quiet. No menacing Wesen, no blood-thirsty grandmothers, and even no Daniel. (He'd been on a mini-vacation.) Normally I would've relished in such normalcy, but it left me to my own thoughts. After promising Monroe I'd leave the alcohol alone, I'd taken Wednesday to work at home and for some 'Renée time' to renew myself. I used the time to catch up on yoga, and I snuck off to run in the woods. Monroe didn't want me out gallivanting on my own, but I needed all the Zen I could find.

Nick had called many times to work on the database, but I just wasn't in the mood to go through it right now. He insisted I bring my grandmother's journal over. I told him he'd get the chance to read it eventually, but it would have to wait. I needed some time to process everything.

Friday was the full moon, so I was on my own again. Monroe had offered to have me over, but I assured him another day off was fine, and we were going to keep that routine of his in check. Besides, it gave me a chance to schedule another movie night with Natalie. She had called earlier in the week to invite me to her place, and Friday turned out to be the perfect day due to the lunar cycle. I hadn't socialized much except for work and yoga, so it would benefit both Monroe and me this way.

I headed over to Natalie's apartment on Southwest Clay Street between Goose Hollow and Downtown. Parking was less than desirable, but I managed to find a spot a block away.

Natalie opened her door on the first knock. "Hey, you found me!" A grin was etched on her freckled face and her eyes were back to hazel. Perhaps she'd finally given up on the color idea. "Come on in!"

She motioned me forward to a living room that matched her personality, Bohemian and a bit all over the place. Bold colors of greens, yellows, and oranges on the walls brightened the room. The painting of Seattle with its similar hues was hung above her bright green couch near a few family photos. A well-used recliner of the same color sat nearby with a yellow afghan draped over the back and a tubby, orange cat curled up asleep on the seat. Even the cat matched the décor. A few paintings had an Asian flair while others took on a Middle Eastern style. Cultures from around the world were represented all over in this space.

The TV in the entertainment center had many movies piled around in stacks. Some of the titles were romances, from what I could pick out, but there were a few old movies mixed in, too. A couple of vintage movie posters hung on the wall behind the TV. Natalie sure enjoyed her movies.

A ladder bookshelf sat in the corner, piled high with books almost to the breaking point. I didn't peg her for a reader, but some of the books were on journalism and writing; perhaps they were leftovers from college. A majority of the books were various travel guides from all over the world. I wanted to organize the hell out of it.

"Just have a seat anywhere," said Natalie. "Well, Delilah has taken over the chair, but anywhere else is fine."

I took a seat on the couch and tried to look away from the bookshelf. "The colors in here are really vivid," I commented, focusing on the walls instead.

Natalie sat down beside me. "Thanks. I just love lots of color," she replied brightly.

She and I talked for a bit about the scandal of Lydia and her associates. Natalie was still trying to get over it. We hadn't had much time to discuss it in yoga and she'd been itching to talk about it.

"I just don't understand why she'd do it," said Natalie with a slow shake of her head. "I thought we were friends. I thought I knew her. That's a big secret to keep from someone."

"Most thieves don't confide their heists to their friends. Besides, that you didn't know kept you safe."

"Right," she nodded in agreement. "It was bad enough to be questioned that one time. If I had known what Lydia had done, well, I don't think I could have handled it."

We talked a bit more about Lydia until Natalie felt more at ease about it.

"I'm really gonna miss the galas. I looked forward to them."

"Maybe someone else will take over considering what happened."

Natalie shrugged. "Maybe, but most of the ones qualified to organize it were arrested along with Lydia. I mean, I even hung out with Johnna a few times. I can't believe she'd ruin her chances at her own gallery to…" she trailed off as she frowned.

I patted her shoulder. "Some people make bad choices."

She brightened as she told me about her third date with Mr. Tan Jacket from the gala last month.

"I have a good feeling about him," she grinned. "We're going on a trip next weekend to Vancouver to visit a vineyard that his cousin owns. It oughta be fun."

"Sounds like a nice trip. Speaking of wine…" I pulled out a bottle of cabernet from my shoulder bag. "I don't know how it fares with popcorn, but it tastes good on its own."

She chuckled. "I have something fancier than popcorn. I bought those little cheese cubes with crackers and some fruit."

"Sounds perfect."

She stood quickly and crossed over to the entertainment center.

"I've got us some eye candy tonight for dessert." She held up the DVD box of This Means War. It was another 'two guys plus one girl equals hilarity' movie. I feigned a smile. At least this one I hadn't seen before. Regardless, I was in good company and I wasn't picky.

Natalie grabbed the platter of food and a couple of glasses. I poured the wine while she put in the movie. We settled on her couch and watched as friends Chris Pine and Tom Hardy competed for Reese Witherspoon's affection while she had no clue she was caught in the middle of their war.

"Which one would you date?" I asked Natalie while pointing to both men on the screen.

"Chris Pine in a heartbeat. No contest," she blurted out.

I laughed. "I like Tom Hardy's character though."

"That British voice is hot, but Chris Pine… Oh, gosh." Natalie fanned herself as she swooned. "Reese Witherspoon got this one right." She looked up at me. "Please tell me you've seen this before."

"No, but that's okay."

Natalie put a hand up to her mouth. "Darn it, I just spoiled the ending. I'm so sorry!"

"I had a good feeling Chris Pine would get the girl." The movie was just a little too predictable.

"I'm gonna shut up now before I give anything else away."

She didn't, but I didn't fault her for it. How I ever thought she could be Wesen and keep that kind of secret was beyond me.

The cat found her way into my lap as we continued to watch the movie.

"Wow, Delilah doesn't normally do that. She must like you."

The loud purrs from the cat seconded that thought. I scratched under her chin as she closed her eyes while stretching her neck out further.

"Pets usually like me," I replied. Maybe that was a Waldgeist thing, too.

After the movie ended, and Chris and Reese lived happily ever after, Natalie took me on a tour of her home to show me some of the art she'd purchased over the years. More bright colors and an assortment of different cultural themes hung here and there.

"You must love travel," I surmised from everything I'd seen.

"Gosh, I do, but I don't get to do it very much," she sighed wistfully. She told me about backpacking through Europe right after college and her plans to explore Asia. "There are just so many places I want to travel and see. I'm even learning a few new languages, so when the opportunity arises I'll be ready," she grinned. Natalie went on to tell me about her pen-pals across the globe she kept in touch with. She was worldlier than I realized.

"Hey, I've got a day off from the café tomorrow. You want to see the Saturday Market? It's not as elegant as the art galas, but the artists are great to talk to."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Oh, it's fun," she beamed. "You'll see."

It seemed our girl's night out was going to include a day out as well.

A/N: Learning a bit more about Natalie. Off to the Saturday Market in the next chapter. (Real thing in Portland. You know I try to keep it real. lol)