"Dayton!"
The oldest Stark turned around and was nearly trampled by his sister-in-law. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly as he looked over her shoulder at his brother. Derek shrugged but didn't say a word.
They stepped back and looked at each other. Tophyr was toner and tanner. He swore all they did was lie in the sun and talk to each other. It was great to see them so happy, especially after a year of marriage.
"How have you been, Toph?" he asked as they headed for the cab. He already knew the answer to that question.
His young sister-in-law bounced at the question. "It was great! I saw the Parthenon and the Coliseum and the remains of the temple at Delphi."
Dayton looked at Derek. He was amused as he listened to his wife recount everything happily. "You've never been to Greece or Italy?" She shook her head. "I guess Derek did well."
Tophyr smiled infectiously as she leaned into Derek. Dayton watched sadly as the happy couple moved in synchrony. That could have been him. He would have had a wife who loved him dearly, as much as Tophyr loved Derek. They would have been able to see foreign places, not as much as his younger brother and his wife did because he had a steady job and they were artists.
"Day, don't think about her." he heard Derek say. He looked up to see his brother looking at him as Tophyr climbed in the cab.
"I can't help it." He said as he helped him put their luggage in the trunk. "She could have been my wife, Der."
"And she would have only loved you for your money." Dayton nodded unhappily. Derek patted him on the back. "Let's go to that little café in Brooklyn."
Dayton looked at his baby brother, the one who had grown into a fine young man in the last year. He was taking care of his older brother and his wife. There was much to be said about a man like that.
They nodded at each other, nodded, and got in the cab, telling the cabbie where to head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Izzy was getting ready to go back to work when two familiar faces walked in the
café doors. Tophyr and Derek Stark grabbed a table with a mystery man.
Ever since she had moved to the city and met them, the Starks had been helping her look for a place in their building. The only problem was the flats she was looking into were far too expensive for her to rent on her own. So she had taken on odd jobs for them, such as watching their dog while they were away, getting their mail, and airing out their flat/art studio since it tended to take on a funky smell. Recently, since they had been on an art tour in the Mediterranean, they had allowed her to live in their flat.
As she looked their way, Tophyr was anxiously waving at her. Izzy could tell she was buzzing to tell her something. Since they had met they had only become closer. Deciding she better not keep her waiting, she picked up her order pad and made her way over to her friends.
"Would you like your usual? She asked as she tapped her pen against the pad.
"Uh…duh, but that's not what I want to tell you." Tophyr said. She was literally bouncing in her seat.
"Dear, let's let Dayton order before we starve." Derek requested gently. When his wife sat back, Derek nudged his brother. "Order, Day."
Dayton looked at the waitress. "I'll just have what they're having."
Izzy jotted that down, trying not to laugh at the look Tophyr was giving the other man. She was looking at him like he had grown another head or something. Izzy turned and went back to the kitchen.
After handing the order over, she stopped and leaned against the counter. She had met Dayton Stark a few years ago at a poetry reading at a café. She had read something personal to the group that had gotten applause. She had been headed back to her table when someone had called out to her. She had recognized him from the papers. He had complimented her on her work then continued sipping his coffee. After that she hadn't gone back.
As they waited to eat, Derek looked at his brother. Dayton was staring at the door leading to the kitchen. Derek looked at Tophyr. She shrugged in answer to the question on his face. He had no time to stop her from throwing wadded up straw paper at his brother.
"Yeah?" Dayton asked.
"Why are you staring at the door?" Tophyr asked.
"Tophyr!" Derek exclaimed. If anything had happened in the year they had been married, she had become more outspoken, so much so Derek had to rein her in from time to time. He was just happy she had come into her own.
She looked at him innocently. "What?"
"You don't have to be mean about it."
"I'm not. It's the truth. He's staring at the door."
"I've met that girl before." Dayton said. Tophyr and Derek both looked at him then. "I was at the coffee shop in SoHo during poetry week. She was reading when I walked in. It was some of the best work I've heard in a long time."
"She is an accomplished writer. She wants to be a novelist anyway." Derek said.
"She's an accomplished poet as well."
"Why don't you talk to her?" Tophyr asked. She was suddenly in the mood to set her friend and brother-in-law up. So much so, that the wheels were turning in her head. She'd have to call Percy when she got home and have him help out.
"No." her husband scolded.
"No, what?" she asked innocently.
"No to whatever it is you are planning."
"What makes you think I'm planning anything?"
"I can see the wheels turning in your head. You're planning something. Don't do it."
Tophyr shrugged, which only amused Dayton even more. If he knew her, she was going to do the exact opposite Derek told her to do, and she was going to call that twin brother of hers to help out. He was interested to see what kind of trouble she could get into in such a short amount of time.
He didn't say anything as Izzy brought their dinner to them and walked off. He was wondering what kind of mess he would allow himself to get into when she started working her magic.