"Ireland!" Izzy called as she ran down the sidewalk after the Irish setter.
That morning she had gone to work at an ungodly hour and worked until noon. When she got home, Ireland was bursting at the seams. He had been bouncing around because he had been in the house since Tophyr had left this morning. Derek had left the night before to go to his parents' house for something so it left Izzy to do the work.
When she had walked in the door, Ireland had run out it, almost knocking her over as he bottled by. She had dumped her bag on the floor and stuffed her keys in her pocket as she ran after the dog.
She had checked every spot he liked to go; the dog park, the little café on the corner by the dog park, and the hot dog stand. He hadn't been anywhere she had looked.
Why did this always happen to her? All she wanted was a house to call her own and a steady job. She loved working at the café but she wanted something more substantial. She wanted a writing career. She wanted to be a novelist; she wanted her books to be loved by other people as much as she loved writing them. At the moment, she was having a hard time getting a publisher to look at her books.
But right now, she needed to find that dog.
"Tophyr is going to kill me," she whispered as she turned the corner, running into someone as she did. She fell unladylike in the middle of the sidewalk. "Ow, ow, ow."
"Are you okay?"
She looked up into Dayton Stark's face. He was concerned about her, obviously because he had knocked her over. "Yeah, I'm good. I just lost Ireland."
"He's at my apartment. Tophyr used to bring him over when she needed someone to take care of him on the weekends. Would you like to come with me to get him?"
She seriously thought about going over to his place but the way they met a year ago decided to pop up again. She shook her head.
"No, just bring him to the loft later. It will give me time to finish what I was doing before getting started on dinner."
"Are you sure? Once he and Dublin get to playing, it's hard to tear them away from each other."
"I'm sure. I'll just tell Tophyr where he is when she gets home." She turned and walked away from him.
For some reason, just the sight of him got her heart pounding. It could be because he was a good looking guy with dark brown hair and light green eyes, almost as light as his brother's. He was tall and lean, as was to be
expected from a Stark and a lawyer.
"Stop it, Izzy. Stop it. He's just another guy," she whispered to herself as she walked the three blocks to the Starks' flat. As she walked into the flat, she looked around the room. "But he's a good looking guy."
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Tophyr walked into her house with three paint canvases. She had to do a few more paintings for this collection to be finished. For some reason she was tired. Well she had been feeling a little out of sorts. She was tired and slow moving, which was nothing like her. She hadn't been eating much, which really was like her because she ate all the time.
"Do you need any help?"
The young woman looked up and smiled as her friend and roommate came towards her. "That would be great. Thanks."
Izzy took two of the canvases and set them by the door to her room. It once had been the couple's studio but they had been nice enough to change it to her room. There was no way to get the paint up off the floor but that's what made it special. Now a corner of the living room was their studio.
She looked at Tophyr carefully as the young woman sat on a barstool on the living room side of the bar. She was paler than normal and her eyes were dull. Izzy had noticed she hadn't been eating as much as she normally did and was having a hard time with other things.
"Toph, have you considered going to the doctor?" she asked as she stirred the stew in the pot.
"Yeah, I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. My mom's going to go with me," Tophyr replied. She sighed heavily and slid from the stool. "I'm going to lay down for a bit. Tell Derek where I am if he asks."
Izzy nodded as her friend walked to her room down the hall. The door shut and that was the end of the noise. She continued to stir the stew until she was sure it was right. The stew she had decided to make was a Louisiana gumbo. She had learned how to cook it when she had been in Louisiana for a semester at LSU. When she had moved in with the Starks, she had taken to cooking it once a month since it was so hard to get ready. She enjoyed it all but now with Tophyr sick she was a little skittish.
As she was writing Derek came in the flat. He dropped his canvas case to the floor by the art area and turned. He smiled when he looked from her at the island to the pot on the stove. He took one deep breath and exhaled happily.
"This smells so good. I think you outdid yourself this time," he said after he took a taste. He licked his lips as he looked around the room. "Where's Tophyr?"
"She went in the bedroom to lie down. Derek, she doesn't look good," she said.
"She told me she made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. I'm going to go with her."
"That's probably a good idea. I don't think she needs to be alone right now."
Derek laughed as he came into the living room. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head like he always did. "Thanks for all you do. It's really appreciated."
"You're welcome, Derek. It's going to be odd when I get my own place."
"You're welcomed to stay here as long as you need."
"I feel like I'm in the way."
"You're not. You do the work we ask of you and more. You work at the café and then come home to take care of our house. We love you and are happy to have you. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to check on Tophyr."
Izzy nodded and watched him walk down the hall. He was enamored with Tophyr even after a year of marriage. She guessed that's what it was like to be married so young. Tophyr and Derek both were twenty-three and both had art degrees. They got to travel all over the world and do what they loved. Tophyr's business was booming and she enjoyed every minute of it.
It wasn't often a marriage lasted even a year now a days. Izzy's own parents had divorced seven years ago after her mother left her father for another man. It had torn a riff between Izzy and her brother, a riff so large they hadn't spoken in three years. He had gotten married without telling her. That had hurt her more than she even knew.
There was a knock at the door as she was contemplating all this. She got up and went to answer it.
"Hey," Dayton said as the door swung wide. She nodded at him. He noticed she was distracted. "I brought Ireland back. He was playing when I got back and I just couldn't drag him away." The Irish setter bounded into the room and after looking around went down the hall to his owners' room.
"Thanks for bringing him back," she replied as she moved into the flat again, leaving the door open for him to come in.
"It's not a problem. I enjoy having him over and I know Dublin does as well. I don't mean to be rude but is my brother here?"
"Yeah, he's in the back with Tophyr. She's not feeling well."
"Oh. Well, is there anything I can do?"
She frowned. "Are you asking for something to do, Mr. Lawyer?"
"I'm off today so I'm kind of bumming around."
She nodded and looked around the house. "Um…Do you mind taking the trash to the dumpster and then helping me clean the art studio?"
He shook his head. "Not at all."
He started to the kitchen as she walked to the art area of the living room. He stopped to watch her as she lifted a couple of boxes. They looked heavy but she lifted them with such ease he was quite amazed. She obviously worked out a couple times a week. He turned back to his task.
After he was done, he went to help her. Izzy was setting up the easels for Tophyr and Derek when they were ready to work. She set the new paints up in the cabinets by the window and slid the brushes in the wooden racks beside the easels.
As she was walking across the living room to the kitchen, she tripped on the rug by the couch. She yelped loudly as she went down fast. She opened her eyes when she didn't hit her head against the wall. Then she looked up. Dayton was frowning in pain but he held her tightly. He had broken her fall, shielding her head with his body.
"I'm sorry," she said as she scrambled to get up.
"It's okay. I'm just glad you're not hurt," he replied as he sat up and rubbed his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but are you?"
"I'm fine."
The door to the back room opened as both Derek and Tophyr came out. They looked at the two sitting on the floor. Tophyr laughed as Derek frowned.
"What happened?" the younger brother asked.
"I tripped on the rug and would have hit my head on the wall if he hadn't caught me," Izzy said.
"Are you okay, Dayton?" Tophyr asked.
"Yeah," the other brother said.
"Dayton, would you like to stay for dinner since I nearly killed you?" Izzy asked.
Dayton looked up at Derek. The younger brother shrugged. "That would be great."
After she pulled him to his feet, Izzy watched as the other three moved into the kitchen area. Her mind raced with thoughts. Dayton had showed kindness even though he had been hurt in the past. What was going on with him?