Chapter 6

"How you turn my world, you precious thing." Jareth whispered as he stroked Izzy's bare back with one finger as she slept, swirling a half drunk glass of red wine in his other hand. He planted the lightest of kisses on her neck, placed the glass down on the nightstand next to the bed and was gone.

Sunlight streamed through the open bedroom window. A soft breeze rustled the sheer white curtains. The weather had decided not to rain today. Izzy stirred at the soft feel of the breeze on her bare skin. She opened her eyes trying to remember what had happened last night. She couldn't.

She dreamed of Jareth, the Goblin King all night. She dreamed that he had come to her, confessing his love for her. They had made passionate love to each other.

The moment he kissed her she was inside his mind and knew his thoughts, and he hers. She knew he loved her with every fiber of his being, as she now realized how she loved him. Every sensation or emotion she felt was his as well as her own. They were truly one.

But it was only a dream. It was a beautiful dream, but a dream it was nonetheless. But then why was she naked?

It was then that she saw the half finished glass of wine on the table beside her bed. Oh now she remembered. She had come home depressed after her disappointing blind date and drank glass after glass of wine 'til she felt more than a little frisky. Then she had fallen asleep in the nude.

She sat up rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Oh!" She gasped. Her head swam. She hadn't bothered to keep herself hydrated with water along with the wine last night. Now she was paying for it. She had the worst hangover since her freshman year of college.

Pressing a hand to throbbing head, willing the pain to stop, Izzy rolled over onto her back. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It read 8:45 am in glowing green figures. Shit!

Izzy bolted out of bed, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack in the bathroom that adjoined her room. She was going to be late for work if she didn't hurry. She sponge bathed quickly with the dampened washcloth and hurried to dress.

She opted for her "go-to" outfit that she wore whenever she was pressed for time. Wrinkle-free, black, dress, pants with a blouse of layered, sheer, voile. The blouse was the palest shade of pink with cap sleeves. She hurried to fasten a wide black belt around her waist, then threw a long string of pearls around her neck, knotting it in the middle. At the last possible moment she gargled mouth-wash, swishing it around in her mouth. She brushed her teeth with a dry tooth brush, grabbing her purse as she hurried out the door.

"Taxi!" Izzy yelled as she burst down the stairs out onto the sidewalk. Immediately a passing taxi turned around for her. Even with her face free of makeup she was strikingly beautiful. She climbed into the taxi, quickly digging her makeup bag out of her purse.

"The corner of 5th and Main," Izzy huffed, breathlessly, running her fingers thru her long hair. The cabbie nodded once heading in the direction he was told.

Ten minutes later Izzy walked into the small room which served as her office prepared to face the music. But no one noticed she was late.

"Get that prop off the stage!" Someone yelled as they passed her office. People were hurrying everywhere setting up props and tearing down others. Izzy cleared her desk and began working on the set design concept she had been thinking of for days.

"Do you have the final script from Joe? You know, the modern rework of Hamlet?" A skinny, hawk-nosed man poked his head around the side of the office door to address Izzy.

"Sure thing. Joe handed it to me last night before I left," she replied cheerfully. "One sec." She opened the top left-hand drawer to her desk, pulling out the stapled script.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" The man yelled over his shoulder to whoever had spoken to him out the door. He grabbed the script out of Izzy's hand, nearly tearing the first page and ran out the door. A second later he popped his head in again. "Thanks, Iz." He grinned and hurried off.

Izzy smiled to herself. Nick was a good guy. He was a hard worker, who was also a good listener when he found the time to be. Usually their boss, Joe kept them both running in circles. Nicky served as errand-boy most of the time. Izzy, on the other hand, was second only to Joe, the company owner. The struggling theatre and set design company was small, but it was Joe's baby.

He bought the place several years ago as a pet project that instead, had become a full time job. Izzy did everything from photocopying images to editing scripts to designing set layouts. It was an interesting place to be considering her undergraduate degree was in psychology.

However, it also gave her the occasional outlet to perform if she so desired. Most of the time she worked behind the scenes, opting to act only when she felt no other actress could do a part justice. It was highly stressful, but she loved her job. Joe was a good boss. Just then a carrot redhead woman with cat's eye glasses rushed into Izzy's office.

"I hear you walked out on Dave's cousin," she accused in a nasally voice. It was Doreen, the co-worker who had set her up with her boyfriend's cousin.

Izzy looked her pointedly in the eye and shrugged. "He was a terrible date," She said honestly.

"Well, if you ask me…" Doreen continued.

"I didn't ask you," Izzy countered. She kept her voice calm and collected. She was in no mood to listen to Doreen's excuses about what a good guy he was at heart. Izzy braced herself, expecting an argument.

Instead Doreen leaned forward right in Izzy's face and lowered her voice. "Honestly, thanks for being a good sport. I really only set you up as a favor to Dave. He's been trying to get that boy to go out on a date for the longest time." She said the word with particular contempt. No that he was a child at all, but only behaved like one.

"But he has the worst manners! Just between you and me, no wonder Max has been dateless for so long. He's terrible!" She winked at Izzy as she turned on her heel and walked off.


Several hours later after the company had settled down a bit, Izzy found herself restless. Her tummy growled hungrily. There'd been no time for her usual morning ritual consisting of a cup of black coffee and a cheese croissant at the local diner that kept her going 'til dinner time. It was after 5pm and she was starving.

She realized she hadn't eaten all day. Hunger on top of a massive hangover was definitely not a good combination. By now the hangover had subsided since Izzy had been downing glasses of water all day to stay hydrated.

She stood up at her desk as Joe popped in. "Hey Iz, its nearly 5:30. You hungry?"

"I'm starving," she confessed.

"Wanna grab a bite with Kris and I?" He asked, peering at Izzy over his spectacles. He ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "We were thinking of going to the Starlight Café for dinner. Care to join us? Kris would love to see you," he said, referring to his wife, Kristen. "And it'd be my treat."

Izzy thought for a moment. She really was fond of Joe and Kristen.

Joe's poor wife of 35 years had been diagnosed with advanced Multiple Sclerosis the previous year. She was wheelchair bound and didn't get out much. Despite her debilitating disease she was always cheerful whenever she saw Izzy.

Izzy wasn't sure she wanted company tonight, but then remembering how miserably alone she'd been last night she agreed to come along. "Sure. Why not?"

Joe's face lit up in delight. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his wife, while Izzy finished up her paperwork.

"She's agreed to join us Kris," Joe spoke sweetly to his wife. "Alright darling. We'll be there in a jiffy. Bye." He hung up the phone. "Grab your coat, Iz." Izzy laughed with the realization that she had forgotten to grab a coat in her rush to get out the door that morning.


The trio was seated at a large table in the back of the restaurant, overlooking the marina. Kristen's wheelchair fit snuggly at the table. Sailboats docked in the harbor made for a lovely backdrop against the setting sun, despite the chill of the evening.

Joe had made Izzy ride with him to his home where he picked up his wife, Kris, rather than having Izzy meet them at the Starlight Café. From there the three of them had ridden to the restaurant in Joe's car.

"Isabel, my dear you look wonderful." Kris greeted Izzy with a fashionable kiss on one cheek. Her brown eyes glowed. She adored Izzy as if she were her own daughter. She smiled a sweet smile and asked Izzy how her day had been. Joe cut in before Izzy could reply, teasing that he had worked Izzy like a slave, whipping her whenever she got out of line. Izzy laughed and went along with it.

"Oh stop it, Joe. Let the girl answer for herself." Kris raised her hand, pretending to slap her husband. Joe caught her hand, planting a kiss on the palm. The couple gazed adoringly into each other's eyes. It was clear they were still as much in love as they had been on their wedding day.

Izzy watched them with a twinge of envy. How much she wanted to grow old with someone and be as happy with him in her old age as Kris was with Joe.

The waiter arrived to take their order. He filled their water glasses, as he offered a selection of wines. Joe chose a bottle of a full-bodied rosé. Izzy ordered roasted cauliflower-leek soup with cashews, a side of fragrant Jasmine rice, and a small green salad from the vegetarian menu. Joe and Kris opted for the Chilean Sea bass; Joe's spiced with paprika and cumin, with a side of mashed potatoes. Kris was content with only a side salad to accompany the fish.

Conversation was pleasant all evening. Joe was particularly attentive to his wife, fearing that she might be in pain or desire to retire early. Izzy shared his fear, but Kris assured them both good naturedly that she was fine. She chatted with Izzy contentedly 'til their food arrived. It was delicious! As she quietly sipped her soup from the spoon, Izzy found herself studying Kris.

She was every inch a lady of the highest caliber, Izzy thought. Always a kind word of praise for Izzy ready on her lips, Joe's wife was the type of woman who never let it be said of her that she treated anyone as inferior.

Kristen's thin frame showed no sign of the pain her disease caused her. She wouldn't have stood for it. Her thick, silver hair was knotted in a sleek bun at the base of her neck. Small, gold coin earrings dangled from her ears; a matching coin on a delicate chain was around her slender neck. She wore a knee length cocktail dress of chartreuse satin with only black mascara and deep red lipstick on her white, porcelain face. Izzy noticed tiny crow's feet and laugh lines around the woman's eyes and mouth. They only added to Kris's appearance, giving her a look of refinement. For 62 the woman looked amazing!

"Are there any special men in your life, dear?" Kris asked Izzy, breaking her out of her reverie. Izzy's mind was flooded with memories of the man she had spent her previous night with. The thought of his tender kisses on her naked body, the feel of him inside her, the fusion of their minds and beings left her with a sudden longing she knew was absolutely pointless. It had only been a silly dream.


***Author's Note: I do apologize for the daily monotony of this chapter. It was basically a filler chapter. I do know where I'd like to go with the story line, but couldn't think of a way of tying it together with what's already written. Bear with me... the story will get more interesting. I promise.