Chapter 7

Dayton's eyes squinted as light hit them. He squeezed them even tighter as he shifted around. There was a weight on his left side of his body. Inhaling deeply, he opened his eyes and looked around. He was in his brother's apartment. As he kept looking around, he noticed he was on the couch with Izzy curled up beside him.

The night came flooding back to him. They had met in the dog park and she had invited him back to her place after he had given her material on publishing her work. After he had had a delicious meal of lasagna, they had sat on the couch and watched a movie she had saved on TiVo. She had been so tired she had fallen asleep in his lap. It hadn't helped that he had been running his fingers through his hair. He didn't remember falling asleep himself but he must have since it was noon on a Saturday and he remembered being here on a Friday.

He started to nestle down further in the couch when the door opened. Derek and Tophyr walked through the door. The look on his brother's face was very…interesting. It was mixture of shock and knowing all at the same time. Tophyr lifted a questioning eyebrow at the scene on her couch. Dayton stood and carefully placed Izzy on the couch and covered her up. He put a finger to his lips to quiet his brother when he opened his mouth.

"What's going on?" Derek whispered when they were in the kitchen and he was putting on coffee.

"Izzy offered me dinner last night," Dayton replied as he fetched a juice out of the fridge.

"And you stayed over?"

"We fell asleep watching a movie."

Derek looked at his wife and Tophyr shrugged before going to their bedroom and closing the door. Dayton looked at his brother for an answer. "She's had severe morning sickness since we found out we were going to have a baby. So much so she can't even paint yet. I've been told to keep her at home until she feels better." He turned and grabbed something to munch on from the cabinet. "Tophyr's going to hire Caroline Rochester at the gallery."

Pain shot across Dayton's face at the name of his ex-fiancé. Every night he'd see her face as he went to bed. Every morning he'd look to his right to see if she was there only to remember she was gone and never coming back. Last night and this morning had been the only times when he hadn't dreamed or thought about Caroline being away from him.

"Why are you telling me?" he asked to cover his bases even though he knew Derek had seen the play of emotions.

"I just thought you should know since you venture into the shop on weekends to collect paintings for your apartment." He munched on a pretzel as he watched his brother closely. "Caroline's been cut off from all her parents' money. She has to make it on her own now. She apologized to Tophyr and my wife is contemplating hiring her. I thought if you knew it would be easier on you when you walked into the gallery and saw her."

"I'll just order mine and have them delivered."

"Dayton."

"No, Derek. I don't want to see her."

"Is it because you're still in love with her?"

"No."

"Dayton, you were with her for two years. That kind of love just doesn't go away. I just want to make sure you're not using Izzy to get back at Caroline. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"I'm not using Izzy. She's just completely different than Caroline was. She has goals that I want to help her gain. She's quick on the uptake and can handle herself. Caroline was never like that. She wanted to be kept and Izzy doesn't."

Derek smiled at the lax way his brother was leaning against the counter as he talked about the woman asleep on the couch. Dayton would never understand that he had just bypassed common attraction and went headlong into more than a crush. He had never been that type of person but he knew what he liked and it was obvious he liked Izzy more than he let on.

"Hey, Derek. When did you get in?" Izzy asked as she rounded the counter to come to the coffee pot for her first cup of the morning. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun like she did every morning before a shower.

The look on Dayton's face was one of complete and utter shock. He watched as the woman stood beside his baby brother and sipped coffee like she had been doing for years. Derek was glancing between the two with badly hidden amusement.

"We just got in. Toph wasn't feeling good when we left this morning. Her dad sent us home in his car after he left for work. This pregnancy thing really has her down," he replied.

"Is there anything I can make for her to help make her feel better?"

He smiled. "Soup would be nice. She likes the vegetable beef you make with rice."

Izzy laughed. "Are we talking about her or you because I think we're talking about

you." Derek shrugged semi nonchalantly. He couldn't hide his amusement. "How about I make her simple chicken noodle and we'll call it even?"

"That works. Call me when it's done. I'm going to check on her." With one final look at the other two people in his house, Derek walked back to his room, closing the door gently.

Izzy set about getting lunch ready. "So are you happy with yourself?"

Dayton looked at her confused. "What?"

"You spent the night here. Are you happy that you finally got to sleep with me?"

He furrowed his brow at the accusation. "You think all I wanted was to sleep with you?" She made a motion with her head. "That's not why I stayed. You were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn't move you. I also fell asleep. Has that happened to you before?" She didn't answer him as she started chopping some herbs to go in the soup. "Izzy, answer me please."

She ignored him as she moved about the kitchen. This was not the topic she wanted to be talking about. It was none of his business and she was going to keep it that way. She heard him sigh behind her then his footsteps retreating down the hall to the bathroom where he slammed the door unceremoniously. That was going to bring Derek out in a few moments. By then the soup would be ready and she could escape to some place quiet.

"Did you piss my brother off already?" Derek asked as he ventured into the kitchen a few moments later. He pulled a glass from the cabinet and looked at her expectantly as he filled it.

"He started asking personal questions again," she replied angrily.

He snorted in laughter. "That's my brother for you. Andrew Dayton Stark, idiot at large. He does that and doesn't understand that some people don't want to share their life stories with him. Just ignore it."

"I don't think he'll ignore me unless I tell him."

"Then punch him. You said you knew judo. One well placed kick or punch and he'll shut the hell up." That earned a laugh. "Are you going to take Ireland out for a walk?"

"I am after this is finished. I just wanted to go ahead and make sure Tophyr is taken care of before I left. It just seemed right." She put the final touches on the soup then turned off the eye of the stove and moved the pot to the other front burner. "All right, that should do. I should be back before dinner."

"God, I hope so. You have my dog. I'd like him back please." Her answering smile told him she was back with him again. He made a motion with his head and smiled. "Go

ahead and disappear. I know his bladder can't hold out much longer."

Izzy made a face but walked around the island. "When that starts to boil, take it off the eye. Let it thicken then you can have some."

When she pulled the leash from the coat rack, there was a bounding in the hallway. They both looked up as Ireland and Dublin came barreling down the hallway at breakneck speeds. When they tried to stop, they slid into her, nearly taking her off her feet. "Easy now." She clipped the leash to his collar and opened the door.

"Dublin, sit," Dayton's voice rang out from the hallway and the other setter set his happy butt on the floor. He looked up at Izzy and shrugged. She shook her head at him and walked out of the flat.

Derek lifted his eyebrows as he looked from his brother to the door then back to his brother. He stood there like a knot on a log and with the dumb deer in the headlights look. "You know, I think you have singlehandedly made that woman hate you."

"She hates my meddling. Nothing more," Dayton replied.

"Then quit meddling and she may get to like you. You've always had the tendency to be overbearing and railroad people."

"I just want her to be happy."

"Let her find that happiness then maybe she'll share it with you. If you continue to do this, she'll just shove you away." Derek's eyes brightened mischievously. "I have an idea."

"If you idea includes coffee and the dog park, we've been there and done that. It's what got me here in the first place." He looked at his little brother and shook his head when his look didn't change. "What is it?"

"Leave the planning to me. I'll call tomorrow with the plans."

"You're going to get me in trouble aren't you?"

"If it all works, no. I won't. It might actually help you."

Dayton sighed, knowing his little brother wouldn't leave it alone until he got his way. "Fine, just don't go too far out."

"Wouldn't dream of it."