Renée Harper De-Montmélier would you believe us if we said that wasn't really KATHRYN HAHN? well, it isn't .ᐟ.ᐟ that's RENÉE HARPER DE-MONTMÉLIER, a proud resident of pinehaven for the last 24 YEARS. you can find them working over at THE PINEHAVEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS as THE DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY AND EVENTS. they're 48, but they hardly look that old! it must be the washington weather that keeps them looking so young .ᐟ.ᐟ word around the town is that they’re SARCASTIC, DOMINATING, AND SELF-PRESERVING, but we think that's silly. we feel like they're much more PLAYFUL, OPEN, AND FORTHRIGHT if we had to pick one song to describe HER, it would be FLOWERS by MILEY CYRUS. see ya 'round, REN .ᐟ.ᐟ
Born in Florida to a wealthy but chaotic family environment, Renée had to learn to advocate for herself from a young age. Her parents were together briefly, but not long enough for her to remember. Most of her childhood was spent with their live-in nanny, whom she called Nanny. When she was free from Nanny's grasp, she witnessed her father's abhorrent behavior. He wasn't very nice to the women he came in contact with and Renée understood that women were not to act as men, but to be subservient. Because of this, she learned to be tougher and work harder, knowing that things wouldn't be handed to her.
Renée knew enough about business from her father and realized that, while she wasn't opposed to working in a corporate setting, she much preferred contributing to things that better society. She went to the Haas School of Business at UC Berkley, not where her father wanted her to go, but he paid the tuition anyway.
Her father had always been demanding, having a very specific life in mind for her, but as she came to know herself better, she knew she wouldn't last in the overstimulation that radiated when her family was near. Renée waited until she had her diploma in had, but as soon as the second scheduled release of her trust fund hit, she took the money and left her family behind.
At 25, Renée found herself in Pinehaven, buying a house with the money she had from her trust. The town was quiet enough to be a big fish in a little pond, but not small enough that she would feel like an outsider. It worked for her and she quickly climbed the ladder, dealing with her family was a good primer for dealing with rich donors. Her career hit peak success when she became the Directory of Philanthropy & Events at the Pinehave Arts Center. Always excellent at procuring more than the big-wig donors were even considering donating, Renée was able to keep the money flowing even though she didn't love the donors she had to wine & dine in order to get her way.
Prior to her corporate climb, Renée found herself in a situation she never expected. She received word of another De-Montmélier child. It quickly became clear he was not receiving proper care and his mom had no intention to care for JJ the way he needed. Renée made a quick decision to take him in as her own and while it was clear he wasn't missed, she did everything to make sure JJ felt loved in his new home.
Renée never intended to have kids of her own, but JJ was different. Growing up, JJ was a mess, but their bond was unbreakable. They shared the dumbest sense of humor and Renée knew how to calm him down when he was his craziest. The teachers never understood how she could corrall him as a young child, but it didn't last long. As JJ got older, his antics only got harder to redirect. She couldn't help but wonder if she should have been more of a mom and less of a sister. She was never good at navigating the boundaries of her role and found it was easier to let him be….well, himself.
Not ready to let JJ go, she convinced him to stay in the detached garage apartment. Not that he needed much convincing considering he had little to no motivation to leave, but keeping him close felt…safer. She could keep an eye on him and help him if he needed. Renée can see that he's struggling, but she can only say so much before JJ sprints for the exit. She often wonders if her words mean anything to JJ, but she hasn't given up trying to get through to him yet. It's not that she needs him to be successful in the traditional sense, she'd settle for happy, but JJ just…isn't there yet. Some kids just take more time.
Outside of JJ, Renée struggles to find her identity. She spent so much time worrying about him, and obviously still does, that she didn't always make time for herself. Now, she's trying to take on new hobbies and has even joined a book club, but she longs for someone to share her struggle with and at this point she's not sure if she will ever get that. Most of her relationships start off well, but eventually she ends up finding something wrong and convinces herself she's making terrible choices. She can't help but feel like maybe it's time to lower her standards….but that will never happen.
HEADCANONS
Drinks to forget — definitely a wine mom. not afraid to smoke a joint or a cig on a hard day, but tries not to make it a habit and tries not to let jj know
is goofy and fun with an optimistic negativity. grouchy but like in a playful way
would take in any of JJs friends in a heartbeat.
feels like she may have been to lax in jj's upbringing, but considering she never had a great example of parenthood, she did what she could
wants the best for jj, but isn't sure how to steer him in the right direction. feels like the car might be on fire at this point
has tiktok and is highly amused by gen z humor. doesn't get the slang and often has to ask jj...then proceeds to be more confused.
their father was 100% blasted when the me too movement started
WANTED CONNECTIONS
Romantic
- Casual Exes: Tried, didn't work. Friends now, but have fond memories of their time together OR hahaha remember when we tried to date? - Awkward Exes: probably would have stayed together if it weren't for petty differences. - Didn't We Already Do This?: An ex that she keeps coming back to for one reason or another. They look back with rose tinted glasses and like fall back into it for awhile. They usually realize why they weren't good and move on again. - Big Regrets: Hookup that she desperately wants to forget. Like—hide from them behind the deli counter bad. - Something Worth While: someone who wants to stick around for her curated chaos (wlw)
Friends
- Best Friend: tell each other most things everything. always at each others houses opening a bottle of wine and talking over real housewives or shitty movies on rerun. Always attending things for each other and bolstering. (gay best friend or wine mom vibes this is where our daughter or gay son will sleep ) - Frenemies/Rivalry: could be work related, a parent of someone who went to school at the same time as JJ (like a PTA mom), or someone who knows of her family or judges her parenting style etc etc. Definitely keeping up with the joneses vibes - Fellow Single Parent/Guardians: people to bounce things off of—mostly bc JJ is a terror - Neighbors, etc Open to ideas! She's been in Pinehaven for 24 years so !!
