Chapter 01
“This is ridiculous,” Stacey Woodman mumbled to herself as she bit her bottom lip and looked out the window of the black limousine at the passing city scenery.
Her Mother had informed her earlier that morning about a meeting she had to attend. She was to dress in her best clothes, do her hair just right and be downstairs waiting for the limo at noon. It was easier to do what her Mom asked rather than fight her every step of the way. Stacey’s Mother insisted on parading her around like she was the number one catch of society.
To put it bluntly, Stacey’s family was rich and she had come from a long line of oil barons who had struck it rich in the mid-1800s, and therefore, thought they were entitled to everything they got.
Stacey’s Mom had made it her mission to find her a suitable husband to settle down with and raise a family, but she had other plans. Any boy she had ever liked while going to school was chased away by the security she was forced to have; whenever she showed any interest, the boy would be grilled to the point where he would just get up and leave. So she started to assume that because they left she wasn’t worth it and began to accept the fact that she would be alone.
Instead of focusing on boys, like many of her girlfriends, Stacey decided to put all her efforts into her schooling. Even though she wanted children of her own one day, she figured being a school teacher would be the closest she could ever get to that. She had worked tirelessly on her Master’s degree in education and became an assistant principal at a very prestigious elementary school, which celebrities and others with money sent their children to just so that they would be under her supervision. Her work left her fulfilled and happy, and even though her dreams of becoming a mother were always in the back of her mind, this was a suitable alternative.
After a 45 minute drive through the busy streets of New York City, the limo finally pulled to a stop in front of the Plaza Hotel. The driver got out and walked around to the side, opening the door for her. Stacey took in a deep breath and stepped out of the limo, thanking the driver and then walking toward the entrance.
Two ushers opened the doors and greeted her as she walked inside. Stacey waited patiently while the concierge finished her conversation over the phone.
“Can I help you?” she asked as she set the phone back down in its receiver.
“I have a meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Pattinson,” Stacey stated.
The other woman looked at her once again before glancing at the computer and typing something into it. “Oh right,” she said. “They’re in the private lobby down the hall.” Stacey looked down the long hallway and back at her. “It’ll be the third door on your left. They’re waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” Stacey said and began to make her way down the hallway, feeling like she was going to have a panic attack. The name of the couple didn’t hit her until she had said it to the receptionist. The Pattinsons were one of the richest families in the country; they had made their money in the United Kingdom before staking claim in the U.S.
When she was a little girl, her Grandfather had told her stories about the Pattinsons filled with hatred. How had she not made the connection? No wonder her Mom had been so insistent about this meeting.
“Come in,” Stacey heard from the other side of the door after knocking softly. She opened the door quietly and poked her head inside. A middle-aged man and woman sat across from each on sofa chairs, with a small table between them. The two were sipping tea and chatting quietly when they both turned to look at her.
“Good afternoon,” the woman said, placing her cup down and standing up, a smile gracing her features.
Stacey smiled, trying to find her voice, “Afternoon, I hope I’m not disturbing.”
“Nonsense.”
After closing the door, Stacey made her way toward the couple. The man stood up then and set his cup down as well.
“I’m Stacey Woodman,” she held out her hand for them to take.
“Oh dear,” the older woman smiled, “we know who you are.” She held Stacey’s hand tightly, as the younger girl blushed. “I’m Clare. This is my husband Richard.”
“Nice to meet you,” Stacey said.
“Pleasure,” Richard said as he took her hand next.
“Would you like to sit down and have some tea with us?” Stacey nodded in response, sitting down on the couch across from the chairs. Clare poured another cup and handed it to her before sitting down. “I’m hoping your journey was okay.”
“It was. Thank you. I appreciate the limo, though I could have made other arrangements to make it here.”
“Of course you could have, but it was our pleasure.” Clare took a sip of her tea. “Your Mother tells me you’re an assistant principal at Meadows Elementary School.”
“Yes ma’am,” Stacey said. “I have been there for two years now.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Very much,” she couldn’t hide the smile on her face at the thought of her students.
“What made you want to become a principal instead of a teacher?” Clare asked curiously.
“Well, I student taught third graders for a year, and although I loved it, I felt like I could make more changes in that position,” Stacey responded.
“Doesn’t it keep you busy?” Richard asked, speaking up.
She turned to him and replied, “Um, sometimes. There are always conferences and changes being made to the curriculum.”
Clara shot her husband a look telling him to keep quiet, before asking Stacey a few more questions about her job and all that it entailed. Stacey had answered each question as honestly as she could, but couldn’t help but think that Richard had not been impressed. Clare, on the other hand, was beaming.
“So what do you like to do for fun dear?”
“I like to sketch. Also, I’m trying to get into photography as well.”
“Oh how lovely. I would love to see them sometime,” Clare responded.
“Of course,” Stacey nodded sipping from her own cup. The conversation continued on as Stacey talked a little more about her other interests as well as her childhood. After that topic was covered, Clare brought up her son Robert.
“Now, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories,” Clare sighed. “But my Robbie is a true gentleman.” Stacey had heard the stories, and although she was sure Clare was an honest woman, she found it hard to believe anything she had said about her son. She listened intently though, trying not to let her emotions show.
“Robert is very social,” Clare continued. “He’s got a lot of friends and that’s why people love to read about him. But my son is not what the papers make of him.”
She spent the next few minutes talking about Robert and his interests, making him look like Prince Charming, though Stacey knew better. Clare also talked about the rest of the family, including their two older children, Victoria and Lizzie. She also talked about the family business.
If Stacey was chosen, she would not only close the family feud between the Woodman’s and the Pattinsons, but she would also be a part of the growing family business.
“Oh dear, look at the time,” Clare said as she looked at the gold watch on her wrist. “We should get going; we have an Opera to attend tonight.”
Stacey immediately stood up, as did Clare and Richard.
“Stacey, it was a pleasure,” Clare said taking Stacey’s hand in hers and holding it tightly again.
“Thank you,” Stacey smiled. “It was nice getting to know about you and your family.”
“You too,” Clare said as she dropped her hand.
Stacey turned and shook Richard’s hand. After she grabbed her purse and put it on her arm, she turned and made her way toward the door.
Clare spoke up as Stacey was opening the door, “Stacey.”
Stacey turned and looked at her.
“We’d like to invite you to our Sunday brunch,” Clare said. “Bring your family as well. We’d like you to meet Robert.”
Stacey tried her best to smile like she meant it. "Of course, thank you.”
“I will call you with the details.”
“Sounds good, have a nice evening.” Stacey nodded and walked out of the room. She exhaled now that that part was over and headed out of the hotel building and to the waiting limo. When she got to her house, Stacey tipped the driver and headed to the entrance of her family’s home.
Her Mother Nancy was pacing nervously back and forth in the foyer when she walked inside.
“Oh goodness, why didn’t you call me when you left?” Nancy asked. “How did it go?”
Stacey sighed, “Can’t I relax a little?” Her Mom shuffled her into the living room and had her sit down on one of the plush sofas. “Well they were both very nice and polite.”
“Did you meet Robert?” her Mother asked.
“No Mom,” Stacey replied. “This was an interview, of sorts.”
“Well did they make a decision?” The lack of patience in her voice was not disguised.
“They invited of us to brunch on Sunday. She wants me to meet him.”
“Oh that’s so great!” Nancy squealed, reaching over and hugging her daughter tightly, before asking a million questions about the interview and everything other detail. After a while, Nancy started going on and on about the outfit she should wear.
After saying good night to her Mother she headed up the stairs and down the hallway to her bedroom. She had been trying to move into her own place since graduating from college, but Nancy insisted that she would live at home until she was married.
As she walked down the hall, she passed her older brother Matthew’s room. He was lounging on the black leather couch, looking through a car magazine. Matt was all about cars, unfortunately, their parents didn’t think working on cars would be a respectable job for Woodman.
“Hey Matty,” she stopped in his doorway.
He looked up and smiled, “Hey Sis, how’d it go?”
Stacey rolled her eyes, “Well, they want me to meet him.”
“Oh, I bet Mom’s ecstatic,” he responded with a chuckle.
She walked into the room and sat down next to him. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“What did you guys talk about?”
Stacey recapped the conversation she had with Clare and Richard again, before heading back to her room. After making sure Matt promised that he would be by her side throughout the brunch. She had a few days to prepare for this big brunch and meeting the Robert Pattinson.