Chapter 80

I fanned out my pink spring dress as I sat on Nick's trailer bed. "But what does it mean?" I asked while picking up my dad's letter again. "Two-hundred and ten could mean anything."

Nick stood in front of me, loosening a button on his white linen shirt. "I don't know, but I'll find out. You know how smart I can be." He sat down beside me and rested his hand on my thigh. The warmth of his palm halted my breath.

I nodded slowly. "I know you are."

Nick cupped my face in his hands and leaned in. "I'll make it a point to get the answer." His lips hovered near mine. "But first…"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The clock alarm jolted me out of my skin. My breath let out in exaggeration. What the fuck was I dreaming?

I got up quickly, my addled mind slowing me down as I showered and dressed for work. Pete and Chloe were at the dining room table as I stepped out.

"You're up late," Chloe commented.

"I know and I'm running late, too," I replied in a rush as I moved over to the table.

"Long night?" asked Pete.

"Yeah, something like that," I idly said, scanning for something I could eat quickly.

Chloe had one of my apple tarts on a plate beside her omelet. I snatched it up as she scowled, narrowing her eyes as I bit into it. "Hey! That was part of my breakfast."

"Spring Break. Florida. Bikini," I reminded her.

"What can I say? I'm weak, I can't help it."

"You've come this far. Just a few more days, right?"

"Fine, you win." She waved it off. "Go on and eat it then."

I held up the tart. "Apples are considered breakfast, aren't they?"

"Sure," she drawled out the word. "You aren't having anything else?"

"No time," I mumbled as I stuffed the rest of the tart into my mouth and dusted my hands off.

"Can't you call in?" asked Chloe as I straightened my skirt.

"I can't play hooky." I laughed. "This isn't high school." Honestly, calling in sick sounded like a good idea. But I had a total of sixty people counting on me today, and there was no way in Hell I was going to call in another favor to Daniel. Lord knows what he'd want from me in return this time. I tried not to think about it.

"You never played hooky in high school either, Miss Goody Two-Shoes."

"That's right." I pointed to my heels. "And these two-shoes are going to work."

"And I'll be here, utterly alone." She leaned back in her chair, placing her hand against her forehead in a dramatic stance.

"Pete will be here," I reminded her. I glanced Pete's way. He was munching on grapes and shaking his head at me.

"Like I said, utterly alone," Chloe emphasized as Pete rolled his eyes at the jab.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. But at five I'm coming straight home." She pouted at my words. "Tell you what, if my last training goes smoothly, I'll try to come home early, okay?" I used finger quotes on the word 'try.'

"Now that's a great idea. And see if you can try to lose those air quotes while you're at it," Chloe added, mocking me with her fingers. "This isn't the '90s."

"I'll try," I replied with more exaggerated finger quotes, "but don't count on it."

I waved a quick goodbye to my bunny pals as I grabbed my jacket and bags, and then swiftly headed for my Malibu.

Along the drive to work, my brain mulled over possible solutions to my dad's puzzle. When that became futile, I thought of my stupid dream. What would Sigmund Freud say about that one? I called Nick on the way. My fingers dialed the number before I even knew what I was going to say. Why was I calling him?

"Burkhardt," said Nick.

"Hey, good morning," I awkwardly replied. Why did I call him?

"What is it?" Nick asked, fully annoyed. "I'm trying to get to work."

"Oh." A bit of relief escaped me. "So, you changed your mind about your weekend getaway?"

"No, but I need to go in and go over a few reports with Hank before I leave," he replied curtly.

"Is Hank okay?" I asked. "When I came in to finish my statement about Jack yesterday he seemed… distant."

"I'm sure he's fine." Nick's voice was a bit strained.

"You didn't notice anything odd about…?"

"What do you need, Renée?" Nick interrupted. "I know you didn't call to talk about Hank."

"Uh, I just wanted…" My mind blanked out. Why the hell did I call him? "I wanted to wish you luck this weekend, if you haven't decided to wait on the proposal."

"I'm not waiting," he deliberately scowled into the phone. "I told you that last night."

"So… you're actually doing it?"

"Yeah," he replied as he softened his tone. "I've got the ring, the perfect little getaway spot, and the moves. Now it's just time for her to say, 'I do.' Piece of cake." That toothy grin in his voice came though the phone. Wow, he was really excited about this.

"I'm gonna miss you while you're gone," I said. Holy crap, that came across all wrong. "What I mean is… Uh, it'll be quiet around here."

"Yeah," he actually laughed this time. "You and Monroe might enjoy it."

"I really hope it goes the way you want it to." My words didn't sound too hopeful.

"Thanks for wishing me luck, and stay safe while I'm away. I don't want to hear of you getting into any trouble while I'm gone."

"I'll be careful." I smiled a bit. He cared if I was safe. "Have a fantastic time," I feigned a cheery tone.

After we hung up, the pit in my stomach returned. Why did I care if he was getting engaged? Stupid dreams. I shook my head vigorously, like that would knock away these silly notions. Notions? Did I just call them that? Notions, feelings… Crap.

I turned on the radio to distract my brain. R.E.O. Speedwagon blared through my speakers.

"Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
Come crashing through your door,
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore…"

Okay, that was not helping. Damn you, radio! I changed the station.

"…marry me Juliet
You'll never have to be alone.
I love you and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress.
It's a love story baby just say yes..."

Really radio? I shut off Taylor Swift in a hurry and turned on the air conditioner. It was warm in the car. I put a hand to my chest as it fluttered. Nick was getting engaged to Juliette. They were so happy. It was fine. The pit in my stomach grew. Why the hell did I even care?

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

My last training was postponed due to a conflict with start dates in HR. It was one-thirty. Technically I didn't have anything left to do at the office, and for the last hour Daniel had been popping in, discussing Denver. I could do without that. Chloe deserved a pleasant surprise.

I packed up and headed home. At the stop light I picked up my phone to check on Nick. My finger hovered over his number on my screen. I forced my hand down. I couldn't call him again. He was probably in some cabin with Juliette, doing couple-like things. I tossed my phone on the passenger seat.

Chloe came downstairs as I opened my front door.

"You're home!" she said with her model smile in place. "Thank goodness. I'm going insane in this house."

I set my bags down on the couch. "Where's Pete?"

"Guess," she scowled. "I was going to take the car out, but he insisted he had to help the Fuchsbau... again. We argued for fifteen minutes until I finally gave up. We haven't had to fight over a car since we were in high school."

I laughed in spite of her sour face. "I'm glad you didn't leave, so now you and I can go out."

Half an hour later Chloe and I were driving to the Lloyd Center shopping mall across the river. We'd discussed the number two-hundred and ten and all other possible solutions along the way.

"I even dreamed about trying to figure it out," I laughed. "Among other weird dreams."

"What dreams?" Chloe asked.

I told her about the dream with Nick. "I mean, that's stupid, right?"

"Girl, you've been hanging around that Grimm too long," she replied with irritation. "Maybe it's your subconscious telling you to back off the Grimm work, and spend more time with your wolfy boyfriend."

"Maybe. But it's just weird."

She patted my arm. "You're stressed and you're burning your candle at both ends. Get off this mental rollercoaster and take a break. You need a vacation from all the crazy."

"If only it were that easy."

Her crystal blue eyes met mine. "It is. Just stop," she said matter-of-factly as she twirled a lock of her blonde hair. "We need to remove that magnet you've got attached that's drawing all this bullshit to you. Let that boyfriend of yours do a cavity search and you'll be fine in no time," she smirked.

My face flushed. "Chloe!"

"Hey, at least you've got someone willing to do it." She shrugged. "If I had someone, then I wouldn't waste my time in funky, old trailers."

Maybe Chloe had a point. Nick being out of town was good. This was just nonsense. I couldn't really have… No, I wasn't going to even think about it again.

We spent way too much money and time shopping. Honestly, how Chloe was ever going to get everything back home was going to be a miracle. The other miracle of the day was on a rack in one of the stores. Hanging amongst the men's clearance items was a gray pullover sweater that looked identical to Monroe's destroyed one, button and all. And the best part was that it was the right size. I purchased it immediately. Once shopping was over, we loaded my trunk with shopping bags and set our sights on a late lunch.

"Ooh, I can take you to Café Mango. A friend of mine works there. You remember me telling you about Natalie, right?"

"The Wendy's Girl?"

I laughed. "That's her." With her bright red hair and freckles, Natalie looked like the girl from the Wendy's commercials. Sometimes I'd forget to use real names for people. Everyone had nicknames and most times I'd use that instead of their real names. Bad habits were hard to break.

We drove back over the bridge to Southwest Jefferson Street in Goose Hollow. Natalie's face lit up as we entered the café. Her hair matched perfectly with the brick walls behind her. The place had a warehouse feel instead of a cozy café like I'd pictured. Framed artwork of sketch drawings for sale lined the far walls. Wood tables and black chairs were spaced around the concrete flooring. The rich smell of roasted coffee beans mixed with the aroma of paninis filled the air.

It wasn't incredibly packed for a Friday afternoon. A few patrons were disbursed here and there, drinking coffee and chatting, while others were on their laptops or reading the newspaper. I waved at Natalie while Chloe and I found a seat by the window.

Natalie walked over with a large grin. "Hey! How are you?" she asked.

"We're good," I replied, mirroring her grin. "Natalie, I want you to meet my friend from Louisville. This is…"

"Oh, my gosh! You're Chloe!" She exclaimed before I could finish, then leaned down and grabbed her into a hug. "I feel like I know you already!"

"Okay." Chloe patted her back awkwardly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too."

While Natalie was hugging, Chloe gave me a look that asked, 'Is she always like this?' I replied with a look that said, 'That's just Natalie's way.'

Natalie finally let go. "So, what do you think of Portland? Isn't it great?"

"Yeah, it's just peachy," Chloe replied a bit deprecatingly, and I kicked her lightly with my shoe.

Natalie didn't seem to notice and went on. "Renée has told me all about you! You're a school counselor, right? That's gotta be exciting, helping kids."

Chloe held back a laugh. "It's such a joy to mold young minds. Renée mentioned you worked for the local newspaper?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, hopefully I'll be doing more with that soon." She turned toward me as she grabbed a chair. "Renée, gosh, I didn't tell you yet. I have an opportunity to write an article in next week's paper," she said proudly. "It's for the Homes and Gardens section, so it's not a big piece, but it's a start. My friend has been talking to her editor on my behalf to run a piece while she's on vacation. She has a weekly column, but they want something to fill the gap. The editor gave me a timeframe and if he likes it, it's going to be in print. Can you believe it?"

"That's wonderful news, Natalie!" I replied. "What are you going to write about?"

"Well, my friend writes about decorating tips for the home, so maybe something about finding inexpensive wall art to match décor?" She turned to Chloe. "I really enjoy art," she said to her. "Did Renée mention the art galas?"

"Yeah, she told me some tales," replied Chloe with slight sigh meant for me.

"Well, anyway, I'm thinking about writing about places around town for art purchasing, along with a few hints and tips. Gosh, I've been jotting down ideas every chance I get."

"Sounds like an article worth reading," I replied, smiling.

Natalie continued to tell us about the last few articles her friend had written and how she'd love to do something like that permanently. "If he likes it, maybe I could start writing for some of the other vacationers. Gosh, it would really be…"

"Hey, Natalie," bellowed a portly guy with greasy hair matted to his forehead. "We've got customers waiting on refills over here! Quit your yapping and get moving!"

"Dangit, I gotta go. Sorry!" she said quietly as she stood and rushed over to an elderly couple, holding up their drink glasses.

Chloe widened her eyes at me. "Whew, she's a talker. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was the Nussesser."

I chuckled. "No. She's just a human who loves to gab."

The rest of lunch was spent with Natalie sneaking back to talk, and her boss giving the three of us dirty looks.

"So, are you coming to yoga tonight? You've missed a few classes," said Natalie on her third run over to us. "Ooh, you could bring Chloe. Do you like yoga, too?"

Chloe waved her hand. "Nah. I'm not into all that 'be at one with yourself, inner peace' stuff."

"Oh, you oughta try it out. It's really relaxing, but such a good workout, too."

"Yeah, Chloe. Why don't you come with us?" I teased. I'd been trying to get Chloe to go to yoga with me for years. She hadn't budged in the past dozen years, so it was doubtful Natalie would have any pull, either.

"Gonna have to pass on that one. Sorry," she replied with a bit more sincerity than I was expecting.

Natalie turned my way. "You'll still go tonight, right?"

Chloe cast me a look that said, 'If you leave me to go to yoga with her, then I won't let you live it down.'

"I'll catch up next week. Chloe is in town just for a short time, and I rarely get to see her. I hope you won't mind."

"No, no. It's fine," Natalie replied quickly. "Ooh, maybe the three of us could go to the Saturday Market tomorrow? I could get a start on my article and…"

"Natalie! Table two's lunch has been sitting here for five minutes!" Mr. McGreasy bellowed across the café.

"Sorry. Hang on!"

"Please, for the love of all things holy, don't take me to a market," Chloe whined as Natalie left.

"It's shopping. You love shopping."

"How many times have you dragged me through the Saint James Art Fair downtown and those other street shows on Frankfort Avenue?"

"Not often, because you usually refuse to go." I smirked as I took a sip from my straw. "But this one is different. New city, new…"

"Well, I don't care if it's Portland or Punxsutawney, they're all the same."

"But maybe you could see the Gypsy and see if you can tell…" I let my eyes finish that sentence.

Chloe shrugged. "Looking at her eyes isn't going to help."

"But the customary thing might."

Chloe shook her head. "It's bad enough if that lady suspects something about you already. Seeing her again and adding that you socialize with us could be worse if she's something." Chloe was separating, but I couldn't blame her. Still, this was the first time she'd actually sounded worried about it.

"So, now you think she could be legitimate?"

Chloe pressed her fingers to her temple. "No, but why risk it, right?" she whispered as she leaned forward. "After all the shit I've seen and heard in just a few days, I don't wanna mess with something if there's a possibility it could be legit. What happened to that cop wasn't an allergic reaction to peanuts, Renée. That Grimm knew him, which sounds like someone is hitting a little too close to home, if you ask me. Your safety is important, so if that nutjob saw something for real, then we don't need to be near her if she knows about you."

I bobbed my head slowly. "Well, that's one way to get out of going," I feigned a smile.

Chloe shook her head. "You know that's not why."

"Fine. No yoga, no Saturday Market, and no Voodoo Doughnut."

"Hey, I still wanna know what that is."

"It's not on your diet," I laughed.

She narrowed her eyes. "I swear I'll eat the rest of your tarts."

"Fine, one doughnut," I pointed at her, mocking her mothering tone, "but I don't want to hear anything if that bikini doesn't look to suit you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Natalie returned with a grin. "So… Saturday Market?"

"Sorry but we can't," said Chloe quickly before I could reply. "Monroe has some surprise thingie he's taking us to see tomorrow. You know how Monroe is," she lied with her model smile in place. I kicked her with my shoe again.

"Oh, I know all about Monroe's surprises," replied Natalie as she turned my way. "So do you think he'll say it soon? He didn't say it already, did he? Oh, you'd call me if he had, right?"

Natalie seemed like the only one who didn't find our hesitation with the crazy 'L' word silly. Ever since I'd told her the condensed version of the star gazing picnic and the telescope, she'd constantly wanted updates. She regarded us like one of her romantic comedy movies. When would Monroe say it? How would he go about it? Would antics ensue? Natalie was becoming more hopeful than I was.

I shook my head as I took another sip of water from my straw. "No he hasn't said it yet."

Chloe regarded us both with a tilt of her head. "Are you guys talking about the love thing?" She laughed. "Renée is waiting for a magic carpet to sweep her and Monroe up and away before that's gonna happen."

"That's not true," I retorted. "We're just taking it slow." Besides, our relationship wasn't Aladdin. After the events the other day with Jack, it was more like Beauty and the Beast.

"Well I think it's sweet," Natalie said. "When Monroe says it, he'll do it right. I just know it." Her optimism even gave me hope. But for now the crazy 'L' word would just have to wait a bit longer.

"So how did your trip to the vineyard go over the weekend?" I asked, taking the subject off me. "Are you and Leonard getting serious?" Hopefully Natalie had found a winner with Mr. Tan Jacket.

"Gosh, no. We broke up while we were in Vancouver," she replied with a scowl as she sat down again. "While we were up there, he ran into an old flame, and they spent most of the weekend 'catching up' while I drank with his cousin. She was nice, at least. Told me that Leonard wasn't very monogamous, so coming from his own family, that wasn't too reassuring. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he admitted that he and his old flame were gonna try to work things out. So I asked him about us, and he told me…" she paused as she bit at her lip. "He told me I was fun and all, but that I wasn't really someone he could see being a long-term kinda thing with."

"Oh, Natalie." I reached for her arm as she leaned her head down on the table.

"I would've told him to go suck his own dick," said Chloe with a shake of her head.

That was Chloe being polite. She'd have said something much worse if it had been her. Actually she would've done much worse to the poor guy who would've dared say something like that, and the TV news would've enjoyed broadcasting the story.

"I didn't say much of anything," replied Natalie. "I just took a cab ride home that night. Thank goodness the vineyard wasn't too far away," she lightly chuckled. "So I'm back to my dating website again. Gosh, it was just a horrible weekend."

"Sounds like it. You'll find someone better. Don't give up, okay?"

She lifted her head and nodded like she'd heard that one too many times before. "Well, too bad about the Saturday Market idea. When you visit again, maybe we can get together. Gosh, I have a feeling you and I are gonna be fast friends, Chloe." She beamed her way.

Chloe kept her smile in place. "Abso-tudi-lutely," she replied. It was all I could do to hold in my laugh. Oh, Chloe. I loved her, but oh my, how she could make me wanna slap her.

The rest of the conversation was spent on Chloe telling Natalie about where she was staying in Florida, when Natalie's boss poked his head out of the back room again.

"Natalie! Get in here!"

I pressed my lips together. Crap, she was gonna lose her job if she kept it up.

Natalie jerked her head back toward Mr. McGreasy, biting her lip. "Coming, Sir!" She turned back to us. "Sorry. I'll be right back."

"If that guy doesn't drop kick her out on her ass first," Chloe said when she was out of earshot.

"Shh!" I replied anyway. "Maybe we ought to go before she gets into any more trouble."

Chloe laughed. "She's been talking to us for the last hour, and I didn't even get a refill on my iced tea." She stood and put on her jacket. "Hopefully she's better at her job at the newspaper."

I scowled, even if she had a point. Regardless, I left Natalie a ten dollar tip as we headed out. I'd call her later on to apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. Hopefully her boss wasn't too hard on her.

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

We took a quick jaunt over to Southwest 3rd Avenue to Voodoo Doughnut for dessert. The place was packed as usual and grew more crowded by the minute while we hovered in line.

"Are we getting doughnuts or going to a rock concert?" Chloe asked as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm gonna freeze out here."

"It's a popular thing," I replied. "It won't take too long though."

While we were waiting, I people watched, taking in the mixture of tourists and natives walking the streets. A dark haired guy crossed the street that looked oddly like…

"Is that Nick?" I asked as I tugged on Chloe's arm.

"Huh? Where? I thought he was out of town." She scanned the area I pointed out, but the guy was gone. Chloe turned toward me. "You all right?"

"Maybe I'm just seeing things."

"If you start hallucinating, then you're definitely coming with me to Florida," she chuckled. "Take a fucking break, girl."

I shook my head as I looked again. I caught sight of the dark hair again, weaving its way around the other pedestrians walking along.

"There," I pointed as Chloe looked up. "He's right by that stop sign."

The guy turned… No, it wasn't Nick. This guy had to be in his forties and was sporting a nose ring and a goatee.

Chloe reached for my arm. "Renée, unless Nick is working some deep undercover thing, that isn't him."

I laughed then said, "My mistake."

Nick wasn't here. He was out in Whispering Pines, proposing. The pit returned as I held my stomach. Maybe I should call him again. I pulled out my phone, and lingered on his number. No, this was just dumb. I threw my phone back in my shoulder bag.

Twenty minutes later we were sitting at a table outside with our dessert, much to Chloe's chagrin. She was still shivering a little as she tightened her jacket around her. Luckily it wasn't raining today, and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. For Portland, this was a nice day.

Chloe poked at her voodoo man doughnut with the 'voodoo pin' pretzel stick it came with. "He's too disturbing to eat," she said.

"Disturbing, yet delicious." I bit into my little guy with his snarly mouth full of teeth. "Yum," I said with a smile.

"This right here fits this fucked up town perfectly," she replied as she lifted her voodoo man to her mouth, taking a tentative bite of his arm. "Okay, it does taste good." She set him back down on her plate, shaking her head as she looked at it again. "But it's still disturbing."

I laughed. "And we didn't even get to try the cock and balls doughnut."

She gaped at me, but then smirked. "I prefer my cock and balls without chocolate… Well, usually."

A/N: Sorry, this chapter was a bit OC. I didn't realize how many characters I've created with this story, but there's quite a few. Renée is having some interesting dreams. Hmm?

When I visit Portland, I can't wait to try a Voodoo Doughnut! Look up their website to see what they look like, cause they're adorably disturbing.

Café Mango was a real place. I think it's closed now. Alas.

Sorry, I'm dragging on getting chapters posted. Stay tuned and I'll see if I can get at least one more out today. (: