Something About Eve (An Eve Sumptor Book 1)

by Jourdyn Kelly

  “Oh, um, sure. Yes, I guess that would be fine,” Lainey said distractedly. Her thoughts came back as she heard the boys cheer. “Be careful! Kevin, keep an eye on your brother.”

  “Yes, Mom!” Kevin jumped in the pool with a splash with Darren following behind him. Lainey rose and confronted Eve. “My God, you look incredible,” she whispered. “How am I supposed to keep my composure when you come down here looking like that?”

  “The same way I do when I come down here to see you looking like that,” Eve replied, her breath warm on Lainey’s cheek. “We bottle it up and take it out on each other later.”

  “I can’t wait,” Lainey said, so quietly Eve barely heard her.

  Eve moaned softly and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. “Okay. Now that I’m aroused, I guess I’ll go start on lunch.”

  “Wait, you were serious?” Lainey asked.

  “Yes, I was serious. Why are you so surprised? You don’t think I can cook do you?” She put her hand to her heart and feigned pain. “I’m hurt. My heart is now broken. Actually, I took classes at the Cordon Bleu while I was in France.”

  “I don’t know how much the boys will appreciate Cordon Bleu cooking,” Lainey said hesitantly. She was uncertain what to say or do. Eve had surprised her once again by sharing more about her life and it was obvious she was doing it because of the boys. But this wasn’t the art world they were talking about now. This was a world in which two children were involved and Lainey wasn’t sure how much experience Eve had with this.

  “There’s more,” Eve assured her. “When I came back to the states, I was in Arizona, I think, in the middle of nowhere. I stopped at this diner and met this woman named Flo.”

  Lainey laughed in disbelief. It was this playful side of Eve that she enjoyed so much.

  “I kid you not,” Eve continued. “Her name was Flo, and she made the best cheeseburger I’d ever tasted. It was unbelievable. The spices were perfect. It was thick, juicy, and messy, everything a great burger should be.”

  “And, ‘Flo’ taught you how to make it?” Lainey asked amused.

  “Hmm. She was a tough cookie,” Eve said, lighting the grill. She hadn’t intended on telling Lainey any of this, but she was taking pleasure in the fact that Lainey was entertained by it. “It was supposed to be an ‘old family recipe’, but you know me. It’s time to get the burgers ready.”

  “Eve!” Lainey laughed.

  “Don’t worry; I’ll be right through that door,” Eve teased, pointing towards the kitchen entrance. “If you start to miss me too much, you can come and visit me. The boys are good swimmers right?”

  “Will you stop? Tell me how you got the recipe!” Later, when Lainey thinks back on this conversation, she will remember how free and happy she felt.

  “Honey, the boys are probably starving. I know I am.” Eve winked and pulled away from Lainey.

  “Eve. Are you going to tell me how you got the recipe?” Lainey laughed.

  Eve glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Lainey. “Is that one of your three questions?” she asked, and then disappeared inside the house.

  Lainey could only stare after Eve and laugh. She would get Eve to tell her the rest of the story no matter what it took, but she’d be damned if she would waste a question on it. Eve would see later just how persuasive she could be, too. “Are you guys okay?” Lainey called to Kevin and Darren.

  “Yeah! Are you going to come in, Mommy?” Darren asked as he dog-paddled around Kevin.

  “Maybe after we eat. I’m going to help Eve with lunch first. Now, Kevin, I’m going to be right through there, okay? I can see you from in there and can be out here in no time if you need me,” Lainey told him. She knew the boys had taken swimming lessons since they were barely old enough to walk, but she was a mother and still worried about them. She made sure she had easy access to get back out to the pool in a hurry if, God forbid, she needed to. “Stay in the shallow end until we come back out, understood?”

  “Yes, Mom,” Kevin obeyed. “We’ll be fine. I’ll watch squirt.”

  “I can swim!” Darren said with pride. “Mommy, can we have something to drink? And, is Eve gonna swim with us, too?”

  “I’ll bring some soda out for you, but you can’t drink in the pool. I’m sure we can convince Eve to come in, too.” She stood by the door and watched Eve work for a moment before saying anything. Just observing Eve move expertly around the kitchen was arousing Lainey.

  “Did you come to help or to watch?” Eve said, startling Lainey.

  “To help,” Lainey said. “How did you know I was here?”

  “I could feel you,” Eve answered when Lainey was beside her. “There’s a spatula in the second or third drawer over there. Could you get it for me, please?”

  Lainey opened one of the drawers and found nothing but matches and other miscellany. She also found a pack of cigarettes, the same kind she had found when she had cooked Eve breakfast that morning. “You don’t smoke, do you, Eve?” Lainey asked, smiling. “There’s another pack of Newports here like the one I saw in your kitchen this morning.”

  “I used to smoke, a long time ago,” Eve said, shrugging. “I keep a pack, sort of as a reminder of why I quit. Disgusting habit.”

  “There are so many things I don’t know about you,” Lainey told her, putting bottles of coke on a tray. “You ran away from home. You lived in Europe, making a living through your painting and photography. You smoked. You own Sumptor, Inc., Sumptor Galleries, The Garden of Eve, O. By the way, what does O stand for?”

  “Orgasm.” Eve laughed at Lainey’s shocked expression. “Oasis. It stands for Oasis, though most people like Orgasm better.” Eve listened to everything that Lainey knew about her and found it was more than most knew. “Are you writing a book?”

  “It’s just that you never talk about yourself.” And it was true, she realized. Ever since she had met Eve, she had been intensely attracted. Intrigued. Yet she knew so little about her.

  “You forgot the part where I attended cooking school in France, then bullied some poor woman named Flo in Arizona for a burger recipe,” Eve joked, and Lainey laughed.

  It felt so wonderful to be here like this, to have Eve talking about herself for once, if even just a little. Lainey wished that time would stand still and they could be like this forever with the boys splashing in the pool and being intimate in this new way. It told Lainey that, just possibly, she meant more to her than she had realized.

  Lainey laid her hand on Eve’s cheek. “I also know that you’re a very generous, extremely beautiful woman, and an exceptional lover.”

  Eve turned her face and kissed Lainey’s palm. “What more do you need to know?” she teased. “Come on, let’s go make some burgers.”

  Lainey sighed when Eve pulled away from her. “Are you ever going to let me know who the real Eve is?” she asked quietly.

  “You know more than anyone, Lainey,” Eve said after a long pause during which time for Lainey seemed to come to a halt. “That’s scary enough for me. Don’t push me to open up. Please.” And, without another word, she picked up the tray and walked out onto the patio.

  Lainey felt let down. There was no use pretending that she didn’t. But the time would come when Eve would trust her with the story of her life. She would let things come naturally.

  They sat around the table by the pool and ate Eve’s special cheeseburgers.

  “These are good, Eve!” Darren took a big bite of his burger and ended up with most of the condiments on his face.

  “They’re better than dad’s, Mom. Don’t tell him I said that,” Kevin grinned, picking up a fry and dipping it in his ketchup.

  Lainey had been dreading the conversation she needed to have with the boys about her and Jack. “Speaking of dad, do you remember me telling you that I wanted to talk to you about why I wasn’t at home last night?”

  “Are you getting a divorce?” Kevin asked quietly. “Justin’s parents just got divorced. His dad moved to Connecticut a
nd he gets to spend the weekends there with him.”

  “What’s a divorce?” Darren asked.

  “It means that Justin’s mommy and daddy won’t live together anymore,” Kevin explained.

  “I don’t want you or daddy to move to ‘Netticut,” Darren protested.

  “Honey, that’s not going to happen,” Lainey assured him. “Come here and sit on my lap. Your daddy and I are having a couple of problems right now and I just needed a little time to myself. Neither of us is going anywhere.” She didn’t know what else to say. How could she tell them that she didn’t know what was going to happen? Divorce was the furthest thing from her mind, but how could she be sure that was not where they were headed?

  “That’s why you spent the night with Eve?” Darren asked, sniffling now.

  “That’s one reason,” Lainey told him and glanced at Eve who was watching her silently. “Eve is very special to me.”

  “She’s your best friend? Like Justin’s mine?” Kevin asked.

  “Yes, she is.” She saw Eve lower her eyes, and caught the small smile that lit up her face. A shiver ran through Lainey’s body. “Eve has helped me very much with everything I’ve been going through. I hope you guys don’t mind if you see more of her.”

  “We don’t mind, Mommy. Eve’s great!” Darren said, stealing one of his mother’s fries.

  Eve cleared her throat. “I think I’ll go get another coke. Anyone else want something?” She stood up and cleared some of the dishes off of the table before leaving.

  Lainey chuckled. “She’s shy,” she said, almost to herself. It was one more thing she had learned about Eve.

  Eve leaned against the counter and looked out at Lainey and the boys. For the first time in her life she felt as though she had a family. The thought was not only glorious, but also terrifying. Eve knew they weren’t her family, never would be, but she would cherish the moments she had with them. She watched as the boys got up and hugged their mother, then jumped in the pool. Eve waited for Lainey to come to her, carrying plates in from outside.

  “Everything okay with them?” Eve asked, taking the dishes from Lainey.

  “Yes. They don’t understand why Jack and I are fighting, but then, neither do I,” Lainey said with a small laugh.

  Eve, loading the dishwasher, looked over at Lainey. “You don’t understand why you’re fighting?” Eve could think of so many reasons, but opted not to say anything.

  “I just don’t know why he has to be this way.” Lainey shrugged. “I hope he understands that I’m serious about needing things to change between us. Not just the way we make love,” her voice trailed off as she saw Eve paused. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “For what?” Eve tried to make her voice casual all the while seeing Lainey making love to Jack as she had been forced to do that terrible night.

  “I didn’t mean to say anything that might hurt you,” Lainey told her.

  “Listen,” Eve said quietly. “No matter what happens between us, I know you are married. I know that when this weekend is over, you’ll be going back to Jack. I don’t want to think about it,” she continued, “but I know it’s going to happen. If he’s smart he’ll fight for you.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “Then he’s a bigger fool than I ever imagined.” She didn’t want to think about any of this. She just wanted to have this weekend with Lainey. “Why don’t you go swimming with the boys? I’ll be out soon.”

  “You’re very good at that,” Lainey murmured.

  Eve looked over her shoulder. “At what?”

  “Turning your emotions on and off in the blink of an eye.”

  The ringing of her cell phone interrupted Eve’s answer.

  “Could you get that for me, please?” Her hands were full of dishes and she needed a minute to digest what Lainey had said to her.

  Lainey gave a little sigh and picked up the phone. “Eve’s phone,” she said.

  “Hello?” It was Adam’s voice. “Is Eve around?”

  “Adam, hi. It’s Lainey. Hang on a moment, Eve will be right with you.”

  As much as she liked Adam, Lainey didn’t want to be talking to him. She couldn’t help but feel jealousy whenever he was concerned; no matter how hard she tried not to feel that way.

  Eve took the phone from her and mouthed I’m sorry before taking Adam’s call. “Adam?”

  “Hey, baby. Do you know how much I love hearing your voice?”

  “Why are you calling?” Eve asked him. “Is something wrong?”

  “Sorry. Am I disturbing you?” His voice was terse. It wasn’t the response he was hoping for and it hurt.

  “I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

  “I stopped by the gallery, you weren’t there,” Adam said after a brief silence. “I stopped by your place; you aren’t here, either, so I thought I’d call you.”

  “You’re at my place? Why didn’t you call first?” Eve shut her eyes. Why was she being such a bitch to him? She couldn’t think straight with Lainey watching her with hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said before Adam could say anything. “Did you need me?”

  “No. I just thought we’d go out tonight. Or, I could fix you dinner, since it has been two years for us.” It wasn’t only disappointment in his voice, she realized. There was something more, a mixture of anger, hurt and frustration.

  “Oh God, Adam, I’m so sorry. I forgot.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “Listen, I have to go. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Adam.” But he had already hung up and Eve was answered with silence.

  “I should have left.”

  Eve looked at Lainey and gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. It wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”

  The phone rang again and Lainey went outside. Whatever Eve’s problem with Adam might involve, she didn’t want to be a part of it. She didn’t want thoughts of him to ruin this beautiful time she had with Eve, and she only felt jealousy where Adam was considered.

  “I just want to know one thing. Where are you?” His tone was detached and Eve knew that she wouldn’t be able to say anything to change the way he felt. Not until she could put her arms around him and tell him nothing had changed between them. So many things were happening to her, but she couldn’t deny what she still felt for him.

  “I’m out of town,” she said.

  “I see. And, Lainey is with you?”

  “Yes. She’s been having a difficult time, so I took her and her sons away for the weekend.”

  “Why did she answer your phone? You never let anyone answer your phone.”

  His questions were beginning to annoy her, but she kept her anger in check. “We just finished lunch and I was cleaning up the dishes,” she said. “My hands were full.”

  “You cleaned? Did you cook as well?”

  She heard the accusation in Adam’s voice and sighed. “What are you more upset at Adam? That I didn’t tell you I was leaving or that I cooked for someone?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were going away?”

  “First, it was a spur of the moment decision that I made this morning. Second, I don’t normally justify my actions or have to get permission to go anywhere from anyone.”

  “I see. I didn’t realize I was just anyone.”

  “This conversation is getting us nowhere, Adam,” Eve said softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first before leaving. I’m sorry that I cooked hamburgers for two little boys.” She paused for a moment and then continued. “I’m sorry that I forgot about today being two years for us. I don’t know what else to say.”

  “I’m sorry, too.” Adam’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I guess we have nothing else to talk about. Goodbye, Eve.”

  “Damn it!” Eve swore softly. She knew Adam was hurting, but as much as she wanted to call him back and soothe him, she couldn’t. She didn’t know what to say to him, couldn’t say what he wanted to hear. Eve decided that
she would have to worry about Adam and their relationship later. Right now, there was Lainey to consider.

  Someday soon she was, she knew, going to have to decide what to do about the situation she was in. But just as she was about to go back out to the pool, her phone rang again. Weary of fighting more with Adam, Eve checked the caller ID before answering.

  It wasn’t Adam this time. “Yes?” Eve answered.

  “Christine is in the hospital.”

  “Goddamn it! When did he get to her?”

  “This afternoon after you left. He was pissed that you took off, and even more pissed that no one knew where you went. He wanted answers no matter what it took to get them.”

  “Is Christine going to be okay? What happened to her?” The people around her were either getting hurt or killed and the burden was weighing heavy on her.

  “She was beaten pretty badly. A few broken bones, but she should recover fully.”

  “You couldn’t have stopped them?”

  “No ma’am, not without blowing my cover. I did the best I could. I kept her alive.”

  “At least she’s alive. Did he find out what he wanted?”

  “Not unless you’re in Las Vegas. That was the destination Christine gave us.”

  “What hospital is she in?” She jotted down the information he gave her. “I’ll take care of everything else as far as she’s concerned. Anything else I need to know?”

  “Katherine is coming around. I think she’s finally starting to believe that we are the only ones that can save her.”