Consider Yourself Lucky

Twenty-Nine

I look at her to make sure it's okay for me to talk. She has tears in her eyes and Collin is standing next to me, waiting for one of us to speak.

"I'm still a bit confused."

"On what hun?"

"What does Collin have to do with all of this?" She looks at Collin and he nods as if giving her permission to let her continue.

"I've been paying Collin to keep you safe. Over the years, I've saved up so much money just in case your grandmother ever needed help to take care of you. He was in the same bar I was in a couple months ago and he saw everything go down with your father. He asked if I was okay, and I was distraught because your father said he was going to find you and take you back with him. I couldn't allow that, so Collin and I made a deal with each other. I gave him enough money to open the flower shop and we would be roommates while he keeps you safe. I know your grandmother is getting older, so I knew it was going to be harder for her to be able to keep your father away from you." Wait... wait a second.

"So, Collin bumping into me wasn't an accident? Is that why there's pictures of me all over the walls? And everything that happened was just so he could get paid?" I start crying. I'm so stupid. I opened up to someone thinking I could trust them, and I get disappointed and let down again. Will I ever fucking learn? Collin races over in front of me and gets on his knees.

"Addy, everything I feel for you is one hundred percent real. Yes, I was paid to keep you safe, and it gave me the opportunity to open my flower shop, but please don't think it was all for the money. I never intended on falling in love with you." Huh?

"What did you just say?" He grabs my hands and looks me in my eyes.

"Adelaide, I am in love with you. Everything about you. If I could change anything it would be telling you the truth from the start. I never had someone else, well not in the way you thought." Most things are starting to make sense. I look at Collin and try to stop my tears from falling.

"Every question I am about to ask, I want the full truth and not even the slightest lie."

"Yes, I will answer truthfully."

"Our first date, at the really nice restaurant. I overheard the waitress say that I was prettier than the last one. What was she talking about?"

"Your mother and I had eaten there a week prior to discuss some things like the money arrangement and the apartment. I didn't know she remembered us being there."

"The day I was out with Grandma, and we got paninis for lunch. I saw you across the street with a woman in your car. But she couldn't have been my mom because that woman had brown hair." My mother chimes in.

"I dyed my hair honey. I was trying to change how I looked just in case your father found me." Everything is adding up.

"Who is Cece? I know it's not your landlord."

"No, it's not. It's really your mother. I didn't want to use her real name in my phone just in case your father saw it on the screen of my phone while at the flower shop. He's been watching and I know he's caught on to things. He was watching you from across the street the day you left the shop." The same guy that was staring at the shop the day I got a call about Grandma being in the hospital. I was so close to him, and I never realized. The picture I saw of the guy with the young woman must have been my father and not some friend like Grandma said.

"My mother's name is Corinne. How does that correlate with Cece. It's a little weird you would use your ex-girlfriend's nickname."

"She told me her nickname used to be Coco, so I just thought of Cece. When I was with Clara, I never used that nickname for her, it was just for her family. It didn't dawn on me that it was the same until later on."

"It was you peeking out the window that day, wasn't it?" I turn to my mother, and she looks a bit embarrassed.

"I didn't think you noticed me, I just wanted to see your face. I've thought about you so much over all these years, but I didn't want to scare you since your grandmother told you I died. I didn't want to traumatize you as a kid. I figured being an adult you would be able to understand where I'm coming from." All the pictures in his apartment and the fact they've been watching me for months started to make sense. Then it dawned on me, I never gave Collin my address to pick me up for our date that night, but he knew exactly where to go.

"The night I called you saying I saw someone in the backyard. It wasn't a deer was it, Collin?" He pouts.

"I did see a deer in the next yard over but I'm pretty sure your father was also there. I didn't want to scare you."

"I got a text message telling me I was in trouble. Who was that?"

"I think it may have been your father. I know I didn't text you and neither did your mother. I think he sent it as a warning, but I don't know why he said you would be in trouble considering it was your mother's choice to take you away from him."

"Adelaide, your father is a dangerous man, which is why we are waiting for the cops to let us know the rest of the plan. I contacted them when Collin called me and told me about your grandmother. We have an idea of where your father is and we're hoping that's where he took your grandma. He has a cabin up about a half hour from here. We will find her, and everything will be okay. I promise you." My mother gets a call on her phone, and she steps outside to answer it, leaving just Collin and I alone in the room with Flake.

"Now that I think about it, I don't even know when he took Grandma. I assumed she was still in bed this morning when I woke up. He could have grabbed her in the middle of the night, and I had no idea. That means he was in our house; he could have been in my room for all I know."

"Addy, it's okay. You're safe right now with me and we will get Grandma. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I don't, which is why I'm making this promise." My mother comes back inside and looks at Collin.

"They found him."

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go." We all grab our things and get into Collin's car. I hope Flake will be okay here for a little while. She has everything she needs. My mother is in the driver's seat, so I chose the back. I wanted more room to be comfortable. As we start our drive to the cabin, Collin turns around to face me.

"Addy, I'm sorry." I'm still angry at this whole situation.

"Sorry is something you say when you bump into someone, not when you keep a lie like this hidden." I turn to face out the window and just hope that when we get there, that Grandma will be okay.