Chapter 55: Stafford Townhouse

Monday, January 2nd, Morning

When Fallon Stafford woke up this morning, she felt a new change in her life. Hopping out of bed, she got dressed and went to her gym for her early morning session with her personal trainer. Later she came home and started to get ready for her day. Every so often she would pull out the business card and looked at it, and even whispered his name, Grant Coyle, Collections Specialist of paintings for the Knight Center for American Art.

After showering, getting dressed, and breakfast Fallon went onto her computer to check her emails. There were always close to a metric shit ton of emails, many of them didn't even need to come to her, as the owner of whatever business they were from. So, a lot of her reading of emails was figuring out who she needed to forward what to. She sighed and answered one or three important ones that she needed to answer.

Fallon sighed, she had to head to the foundation today. They wanted her to go to that party last night and talk to the kids. Fallon knew it then that it wouldn't go over, but they wouldn't be swayed. So, Fallon went, with some help from Trin and Wyatt, she looked good. The rest of the night went over, just as Fallon thought, like a fart n church during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Shaking her head, she dealt with the last few emails, and then she closed her laptop. The only positive from last night was meeting Grant. Fallon sighed, maybe she should call him, but when? Maybe one of her sisters would know, but which one?

Keni? No, it wouldn't be Keni Stafford, she would talk about some form of government mind control. One of Keni's favorite stories is that there will always be a war on Earth, why? To cover up the war with the aliens we're fighting off-world. What is this Montauk Project anyways? Also, Ken is fifteen.

Trin? Trin Adams, she was the closest to Trin, next to Keni, of all her sisters. Trin really didn't date either, like Keni. Trin devoted all her time to raising Wyatt and work. When was the last time Trin properly dated? It was probably when she was with Brian, Wyatt's dad, and Fallon wouldn't call that relationship dating. Trin wouldn't have experience or practical advice involving the dating world.

Izzy? Congresswoman Isabella Scott, they shared a grade in school, but well Izzy is, and always will be, Izzy. Fallon loved Izzy, but she was mostly a non-dater when they were younger. There was also her whole messy relationship with her now-husband Keith Scott. Also, Fallon reflected, try, and get a hold of Congresswoman Izzy.

Chase? Chase Burke, probably the most put together, perfect, hot mess of a recovering addict there is. She was someone who put her life together and now has a beautiful blended family, with Huck's seventeen-year-old daughter. Of all the people it should be Chase who she talked to. Chase would be solid with advice.

Fallon picked up her smartphone and pressed a speed dial button, and she made sure it was a facetime call. Hopefully, the kids weren't up, yet, and they could talk uncensored.

"Morning Fallon," Chase said, as her image appeared on Fallon's smartphone. Chase was still dressed as she just got up, with a cleanly scrubbed face and her shoulder-length hair pulled back in a short ponytail.

"Did I wake you?" Fallon asked.

"No, I got up with the sun. Huck headed out to the south range, early," Chase said.

"What is he doing on the south range at this hour?" Fallon asked, checking her watch.

Chase took a sip of her coffee. "He told me that he was tracking the south herd of whitetail," she said.

"The deer, why?" Fallon asked.

"He said that there were complaints and they need to be culled," Chase said.

Fallon nodded, "I see," she said, "Why do I get the feeling you don't believe him?"

Chase nodded, "Because I don't. There is a problem child on the south range, and I think Kelly wants Huck to sneak in to check on them," she said.

Fallon nodded, "That sounds like those two," she said.

"So, what's up? You didn't call to talk about my husband and him stalking deer on the south range, and you'd better hurry up before the kids wake up," Chase said.

"No, I didn't," Fallon said.

"So, what's up, Fal?" Chase asked.

"I went to a party last night," Fallon said.

"So, it sounds like the opening lyrics to a Lita Ford Song," Chase commented, "But, isn't that what you young billionaires do?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee, but her tone was teasing.

Fallon laughed, "Well that's how it started out, the foundation wanted me to go drum up donations," she said.

"So, following the Seldon Plan, isn't that a weekly occurrence?" Chase asked.

"Have you been reading again?" Fallon asked, "Also no, monthly."

Chase nodded, "Yes, I have, and so, what's so special about this party, then?" she asked.

"I think, well, I met a guy," Fallon said.

Chase nodded and then smiled, "Really? That's great Fallon, so tell me about him," she said.

"His name is Grant," Fallon said.

"Yeah?" Chase asked.

"I got his card, he's a Collections Specialist of paintings for the Knight Center for American Art, and he likes the Met," Fallon said.

Chase nodded, "I'm a Yankees fan myself," she said.

"The museum not the baseball team," Fallon said.

"Okay, so, what does he do at the Knight Center for American Art?" Chase asked and yawned.

"Not sure, I've not looked it up yet," Fallon said.

"Hmm, no cyberstalking, yet," Chase said, "So, what did you tell him?"

"He wanted us to get some coffee, like together," Fallon said.

Chase yawned, "You've been single too long, Fal," she said, "So what did you tell him?"

"I'd call him," Fallon said.

"So, call him, today," Chase said, "Have fun, be young, blah, blah, blah."

"Really Chase?" Fallon asked, "That's your advice?"

"Fallon, I'm the mom to five kids, four of them are girls, one of them a senior in high school, I have currently zero fucks to give about teenage drama," Chase said, "You're thirty-two years old, a fucking billionaire and a strong confident woman, just step up and call him."

"It's not that easy for me, Chase," Fallon said.

"Look, I know it's tough, trying to find men that are into you for you," Chase said, "I know also Izzy and I didn't help, with us making it look so easy," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I wouldn't call Izzy making it look easy," Fallon said.

"Fallon, just roll the dice," Chase said.

"He could be a serial killer," Fallon said, deadpan.

"What type of party was this? Anyways, then Keni can fund her hair-brained research," Chase said.

"Funny, Chase," Fallon said.

"It's early, so it's not my "A" Material," Chase said.

"I just don't want to be alone," Fallon said.

Chase yawned again, then took another sip of her coffee, "Then get a pet, or like Bobbi-Lee three," she said, "Take it slow and if he's for you then he's for you."

"Thanks, Chase," Fallon said.

"I'd like to keep going on, but my pack of crazed honey badgers is coming," Chase said.

"The four of them can't be that bad?" Fallon asked.

"Five of them," Chase said.

"It's Huck's week with Brett?" Fallon asked.

"Yes, and I hear them coming," Chase said, "Oh! The horror! got to go."

Chase disconnected the call and Fallon nodded. Chase was right, roll the dice. Sighing, Fallon picked up the business card and looked it over. Fallon nodded and looked around the brownstone.

Fallon got up and went up to her bedroom. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Fallon was beautiful in a conventional way, she maintained her naturally slender build, had brown eyes, and dark hair. She easily fitted in with her adoptive family, looking very much like a slender version of them. Fallon is the shortest of her sisters, at about five feet two inches, two inches shorter than the next shortest, Izzy at five foot four inches.

The lonely nights always brought about the question of why she was alone. Chase and Izzy were married, and Trin chose to stay single for her son's sake. That left Keni, but Keni is fifteen and that's a weird age. But Fallon was unlucky in her love life, especially since she ended it with Cale in college.

Fallon had dated, and knew men wanted to be with her. Unfortunately, she knew, also, it was for the wrong reasons, mainly. They wanted her money, the money she inherited at sixteen-years-old. So, every relationship she had had, since Cale, always carried some form of suspicion at the beginning. Rich men were just as bad, like poor me, Fallon reflected. Fallon just wanted what Chase and Huck have, or what Keith and Izzy have, maybe even that youthful infatuation that Trin had for Brian. But she preferred what Chase and Huck have.

Another deal-breaker it seemed for Fallon was she was barren. In college, she found out she couldn't have children. So, many men wanted to have an heir, and Fallon couldn't do that for them. She knew that her family would live on, through Keni, so not being able to have children, while it still hurt, didn't sting as much as it once did.

Now with Grant, he had piqued her interest. He didn't seem interested in that party and they spent a lovely time talking. A big plus was that he didn't seem to know who she was. Maybe this was her chance to find love, real love for her and who she was, as a person.

Fallon nodded and looked in the mirror and smiled. The solution was simple, keep the information as secret if possible. That was the plan, and the rest she will see.