Reunited

Chapter 9

Adaline POV:
The insurance check came in a week after we arrived in Vancouver. It was well over the worth of what I had lost, which only served as a way to put me in a better mood.
Filming would start in another week, I figured my best bet would be to find a car since buying or renting a house would be a much longer process. Besides, I could save money until then and maybe I could actually buy a house here. My mother said I would spend a majority of my life in Vancouver, and when we were anywhere else I could just stay with her.
After a brief meeting with the person who would be my boss and giving an official interview (I hadn't actually been hired yet), he decided I was a good fit. I filled out a very large pile of paperwork and was on my way. It was now time for car shopping. Jennifer had meetings all day so I was on my own. Fine by me, I had an idea of what I wanted and good credit. And now that I knew how much my new job would pay, I knew what I could afford.
My first stop was a dealership that sold both new and certified pre-owned. I was after new. It would be my best bet and with $4,000 as a down payment I knew I was set.
While I was examining an SUV a salesman approached me.
"How are you today, ma'am? Looking for a new set of wheels?"
I smiled a polite smile. "Yes, I recently moved here with my mother and I need a new car."
"Well it looks like you know what you need. This is a Rav 4. Is it just the one child?" He asked, gesturing to Cadence.
"Yes, just the two of us." I told him.
"Well then this is definitely perfect size and it gets fairly good gas mileage for a car its size. Are you looking to buy new or pre-owned?"
"New."
"Well if you come inside we can figure out just what you are approved for and go from there." He waved to the building behind him and I walked toward it.
Once inside, we went to a desk. I gave my information to him and he made his way to an office to submit it. Cadence and I waited patiently at the desk.
Ten minutes later he returned with a smile on his face.
"Excellent news!" He exclaimed. "You're approved for that car, if it is specifically what you want. Otherwise we can take a look around. We have other options as well."
"No, I'd actually like to stick with that car. My last car was a Toyota too and I loved it."
"They are fantastic cars. Would you like to test drive it?"
"No actually I've test driven one already at another dealership. I know all I need to know about it."
"Alright. Well with $3,000 down you can pay $450 a month."
"That fits perfectly!" Of course it did, because that would leave me an extra $1,000 for my house and the payments were lower than I thought. I was so happy I'd kept my credit in good shape.
"Well, shall we go pick one out then? I will drive it to the front for you and we can get you in it."
"Sure." I said, trying not to show all of my excitement.
We went back into the parking lot. There were so many colors to choose from.
"I think I'll go with the red one." It was a dark, metallic red. Very pretty.
"Good choice. Let's get back inside, I'll send someone to pull it up front while we get you to sign papers!"
Half an hour of paperwork and keeping Cadence occupied later, I was calling my mother to see if she was done with her meetings yet.
"No, but Colin can leave if you need him. What's going on?" She asked.
"I just bought a car. Brand new Rav 4."
"That's exciting! I'm so happy for you! I'll get Colin to pick the car up. Where are you?"
I gave her the address and name of the dealership.
"That's where my cars here came from. You'll be happy with what you get." She assured me.
I thanked her and hung up, then turned to the salesman.
"My mom's boyfriend is going to be coming to take the car I came in."
"Excellent. Well here's the keys. It's all yours!" He said, handing over two keys.
I took them happily and went outside to my new car. I turned it on and put Cadence in the back with a toy so she could play while I moved her car seat over.
Colin arrived twenty minutes after
I called my mom, dropped off by what I assumed was a car and driver from the set.
"Let's see it, then! Your mom is overjoyed for you." He said with a smile.
I showed him the car.
"It's great! It looks perfect for you and Cadence."
"I think it's going to be. It's bigger than my old car but not too big."
"Well you get it home then, I have to get back to work."
"Thank you for coming." I said to him.
He nodded and climbed into my mother's car and took off and I drove my brand new car for the first time. I decided to drive it around some just because I was that excited.
Jennifer POV:
My daughter bought her first brand new car. As soon as we were dismissed from the meeting I hurried out.
"What's the rush?" Colin asked with a laugh.
"Don't act like you don't know." I responded.
He laughed again. Today his son was flying in with his mother, so he would be heading straight home. I told him he'd better bring his son by so he could play with Cadence. He promised he would tomorrow and we could all spend the day together. I kissed him once and we were both on our way.
When I pulled in I saw a red SUV parked in the driveway. I got out and admired it's every feature. I noted that it was larger than her old car without overdoing it. I knew she was probably in love with it. My suspicions were confirmed when she came outside with Cadence, who was very eager to see me.
"It's great!" I told her, taking the squirming toddler from her arms.
I smiled as Cadence hugged me around the neck. I never would get tired of that.
"Look on the inside! It has a touchscreen radio with GPS and everything." She said, practically jumping up and down.
"So you said it's brand new?" I asked.
"Yep! I figured with a new job and a move, I should go ahead and get a new car. I put $3,000 down and I'm paying $450 a month."
"That's a great set up!"
She looked so happy, and in turn I was happy as well.
The next week meant we both started work. I started filming and she went to work in her office. Cadence was in a day care just a few buildings over. Adaline joked that as Cadence got older, she could say that she was in day care with actors' kids. It was true, many of the actors here had their kids there too.
Adaline loved her job it seemed. She loved helping people, and she was good at it. The moment someone came in she was in a serious mode, ready to go. No one had a serious injury yet. It was mostly first aid and the occasional physical therapy session. Anything serious likely meant that she would need to leave the office and get to the injured, unless they were able to walk.
Everything went smoothly, I still felt like I was in a dream I would soon wake from. Adaline worked normal hours. A bit earlier in the morning than she was used to, but she adjusted. I worked fairly normal hours as well unless we were behind schedule or it was night filming. No night filming had happened yet so I was able to see my daughter and granddaughter as much as I had become used to. I even picked Cadence up from daycare if I managed to take off early. We would visit her mother in her office for a bit and then go home or to a park or something.
A few months into working she was looking at houses. I suggested that she go to a realtor and see about buying one. She took my suggestion and emailed a realtor, sending information and what she was looking for in a house. The realtor responded a few days later, quite surprised at her income at her age. They scheduled
a time to meet and look at houses. Adaline requested the day off and I offered to drop Cadence off at the day care at work so she wouldn't have to worry about her.
Adaline POV:
Things were going so well with work and everything else in my life. I thought it was too good to be true, and that something would be ripped away from me. Maybe it was just that I had a crappy childhood.
I thought about how the past six months or so had gone. I'd met my birth mother. I'd known her as a friend at first, until she told me who she was.
My mother was Jennifer freaking Morrison, she played the main character on a popular show I watched. She'd dove in headfirst when it came to being my mom and Cadence's grandmother. She let us stay with her after some idiot and their friends had broken into my home and ransacked it. She put in a recommendation for a job for me where she worked. I was now working for a very large television company, not far from my mother and with Cadence in a day care close by. I just bought a new car. When I first started out, I'd never even dreamed of owning a brand new car. I'd never dreamed of making the money I make, especially not just after graduating. And now I was going to look at houses to buy. I was so incredibly thankful for the way my life was going. It was unbelievable. I was certain I would face hardships later in life, but I would deal with them when they came. For now, I was happier than I could ever remember being.
The next morning my mother took Cadence to work with her, leaving me with some quiet time. I didn't get it very often so I wasn't sure what to do.
I went out and got some breakfast and a coffee to start my day. I wasn't meeting with the realtor until two.
From there I decided to start shopping. I was in such a good mood, and my income was fantastic. Not to mention the money from the insurance and the extra thousand left from selling my car was burning a hole in my bank account!
I started in furniture stores, just browsing. I wanted to get an idea of what I would want.
After a couple of hours of that it was still only ten. My mom texted me and asked if I wanted to meet for lunch. I was happy to oblige.
The next hour I spent in an electronics store, all of my TVs were gone, naturally, as well as my computer. I made a mental note of the fact that Black Friday was almost here. I could buy one TV for now and worry about one or two more later.
It was almost noon when I was done so I left for the restaurant. When I got there I was surprised to see only my mom.
"Hey." I said, sitting across the booth from her. I wondered when I would be able to bring myself to call her "mom."
I'd done it once before when I was terrified on the plane, but it was kind of hard to do it again. I guess because for twenty years I didn't know her.
"I hope you don't mind. We haven't had any time with just the two of us in a while." She said with a guilty smile.
She had a point. So I smiled back. "It's okay. You're right. I've missed it."
She beamed, I could tell I'd just made her really happy.
The waiter came and took our orders. My mom and I chatted about how work was going. Of course her stories were more exciting than mine, but I couldn't complain. Not many people could say they took care of the cast of Once Upon a Time. Then again, no one else could say the star of the show was their mother. The conversation took a turn when Colin was brought up. I stopped her because I'd had a conversation with him recently that brought something to my attention.
"You know he really loves you." I pointed out.
She stared. "As your mother, I'm not sure we should talk about this."
"I'm an adult. And we're talking about this because apparently not even Ginny can get through to you. He's not my dad. He's not going to abandon you."
She was silent, I supposed she was just speechless so I continued huffing away at her.
"He's stuck around even though you keep pulling away. That's some serious patience, at least from what I've seen. You won't open up to him. And considering I haven't been around you as long as he or any other friends or family of yours have, it says something that I've taken notice."
"You're right. He and I have already talked about this once. He said he's okay with giving me some time."
"He's not, but he'll do it for you. He loves you and he wants to keep you around. I just wish you'd let him in."
"And what about you? When are you going to let a special someone in?"
"No ones fit the criteria."
"Really? Are you sure you're not as afraid as I am?"
"Pretty sure. Because first they have to actually approach me. No man my age is going to want to get involved with a single mother. Most of them are just figuring out their lives."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"I don't care. If someone comes along, they need to accept Cadence and I as a package deal."
"I'm glad you think that way. Some single moms put boyfriends first."
"And I despise them. But you're getting off the subject. Colin isn't going to leave you like my dad did. He told me, he's in this for the long haul. As your daughter, I want to see you happy. And Colin makes you very happy. I'm just asking you to open up to him, it's a risk, I know. But it could be worth it in the end."
She pondered this for a little while, long enough for he waiter to bring our food out. The noise from the plate being set in front of her seemed to stir her. She let out a sigh.
"You're right. If my daughter, who hasn't been around me more than six months, notices then it really does say something about my attitude."
I raised my eyebrows, surprised that she saw my point of view. "Take a chance. Trust your gut when it comes to men. Open yourself up and be vulnerable. You might hit some bumps along the way, but it will be worth it when you find the right person."
"I think Colin is that 'right person'." She said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I love him but I can't make myself say it. I'm afraid I'll scare him off."
"He loves you. He told me specifically. He hasn't told you because he doesn't want you to run from him."
"Well damn. My twenty year old daughter knows more about relationships than I do." She smiled at me.
It was true, apparently I did. My mom and I talked more about relationships over lunch. I stirred up the courage to talk about Cadence's father, she talked about mine. I learned that he gave me my dark hair and skin. He was Brazilian, his parents had moved here before he was born. My green eyes and facial structure came from my mother, I was grateful for this because I had her high and defined cheekbones. I was long like my father but lean like my mother. All in all a pretty even mix. It was nice to hear about him even though he didn't know, nor deserved to know, that I existed. Then a thought struck me, he might find out.
"Jennifer." I said in a numb tone.
"Yes?" She asked me.
"Do you think my dad remembers you? If he saw you on TV would be recognize you?" I questioned.
"Probably. I look pretty much the same, just older."
"If he saw me somehow and did the math, he might figure out that I'm his. And he might come looking for me, and you. I don't know if I really care to have him in my life after how he abandoned you. And I know you don't."
She looked panicked for a second. "We won't say you're my daughter. We'll say you're a friend or something. We'll limit the amount of people we tell. And if he does try to track you down its up to you whether or not you want to see him."
I was a little hesitant. I was proud to have found my mother after all these years, but I didn't want all the media attention. "Agreed."
By then she had to return to work. I still had another hour to waste. I then decided to thank my mother for all she had done. I went to the nearest jewelry shop and asked for charm bracelets. I picked out one that seemed perfect for her and found two charms in the store that I knew she would love. Then I decided I would spoil Cadence just a little bit. I went to the nearest Wal Mart and found the toy section. I bought a battery powered car she could drive around, a Mustang. I folded down the backseat in my car to make room for it and went to the realtors office.