Something About Eve (An Eve Sumptor Book 1)

by Jourdyn Kelly

“What?” Lainey couldn’t believe what Eve just asked her.

  “Go with me. Wait.” Eve held up a finger before Lainey could speak. “Don’t answer yet. Just think about it, okay? A few days, three, maybe four tops.” Now that it was out, Eve knew that that was precisely what she wanted. What she needed. Time alone with Lainey so that they could work out what exactly was going on between them.

  “What about Kevin and Darren? What about Ja...”

  “Jack can take care of Kevin and Darren. He’s their father. I’m sure the boys will understand if you have to go away for work for a few days. Please, Lainey. Think about it. Go with me. Be with me.”

  Everything inside Lainey screamed for her to say yes. To be with Eve, alone. To work out what was going on between them. Jack had been surprisingly warm when she and the boys had returned, as though he were relieved that she had come back to him. But she was still confused as to what she wanted now.

  “What about Adam?” Lainey hadn’t wanted to ask. Didn’t know why she did, but there it was.

  “What about him?” Eve eased her hip on Lainey’s desk. She was wearing all white today. Skin tight pants with a sleeveless shirt that was just as tight, the kind of outfit that drove Lainey crazy.

  “Lainey, I’m as confused about my relationship with Adam as I am with ours.” Eve paused and lowered her eyes so that Lainey couldn’t read what was in them. “Besides, I’m not what he needs.” She gave Lainey a small smile.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because it’s true. You don’t want to talk about Adam, Lainey,” she continued when Lainey opened her mouth to speak. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Wait, Eve,” Lainey said warmly, placing a hand on Eve’s knee. “I want you to be able to talk to me about everything. That includes Adam. I really have no right to be jealous.”

  “You have a right. Just as I do to be jealous of Jack.” Eve leaned forward and touched Lainey’s cheek. “We just have to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think you have anything to worry about anymore.”

  Eve sighed and got up to pace.

  “Why? Did you and Adam...”

  “I don’t know.” Eve laughed. “Isn’t that funny? I have no idea what’s going on between us. I haven’t spoken to him since Sunday morning.”

  Lainey frowned. “Sunday morning? When? I was with you all...” She stopped. She hadn’t been with Eve all morning. There had been that hour when Lainey thought Eve had been resting.

  “I didn’t do it to go behind your back or to keep anything from you, Lainey.” Such an open book, Eve thought. “I felt bad about what happened between us, so I called him to apologize. Not that it did any good. It seemed like he didn’t even want to talk to me. And, I can’t blame him.”

  “Well, if he can’t get over whatever it is you two are fighting about, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

  Eve chuckled. “You’re such a good and loyal friend. Much, much more than a friend. But it’s not his fault. It’s mine.”

  She sat back down on Lainey’s desk and massaged her neck absently as a dull ache began.

  “Saturday was two years for us and I forgot,” she said. “I left without telling him and I was a bitch to him when he called. Now, can you blame him if he never wants to see me again?”

  “Two years.” Lainey thought that she was beginning to understand the kind of person that Eve really was. Any relationship that had lasted two years had to mean that it was very important to Eve. “Was it my fault?” Lainey asked quietly.

  Eve frowned. “Was what your fault?”

  “Everything. Did you fight with him because of me, because I was with you? Did you forget that it had been two years because of me?”

  “Nothing is your fault, Lainey. It’s me. It’s always been me.” Eve paused and took a deep breath. “He knows that, I know that. Adam needs someone that can be the kind of woman he deserves. I don’t want to lose him, but it would be selfish of me to hang on to him when I’m so cold and dead inside.”

  She went to the window and stared down at the sea of people on the sidewalk below. New York was so alive, bustling with individuals of all shapes and sizes. Although life was going on around her, she really didn’t feel a part of it. She didn’t know what it felt like to be truly happy.

  “Honey.” Lainey came up behind Eve and laid her hand on Eve’s shoulder. “You are not cold and dead inside. No one who makes love the way you do could be anything but vibrant and alive inside.”

  “I don’t do self-pity very well,” she admitted, turning and pulling Lainey to her. “There are things you don’t know about me, Lainey.”

  “Then tell me. Let me be there for you.”

  “And risk you running away from me?”

  “Don’t joke about that, Eve,” Lainey said quietly. “Nothing could change the way I feel about you.” She couldn’t imagine anything being so bad in Eve’s past that it would make her run. This woman in front of her had a firm hold on her heart. “I feel that there is so much that you want to say, that you need to say, but you keep closing yourself to me. Why are you so afraid?”

  Eve just stared at Lainey. Afraid. Is that what she was? Was being afraid what was keeping Eve from feeling? All of those emotions that she craved, that she had dreamt of feeling for so long now, were they always out of reach for her because she was afraid? It seemed so weak that it should have pissed Eve off, but instead it made her think. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

  “Yes.” Lainey didn’t hesitate. Eve needed to talk, she could feel that deep inside, and she was determined to be there for her.

  Eve smiled. “Good. I’ll cook something special for you.”

  “I’d love that.” Lainey leaned in and kissed Eve on the cheek. “I should get to work,” she whispered in Eve’s ear. “I don’t want the boss to think I’m slacking.”

  Laughing, Eve tapped Lainey on the rear. “That’s probably a good idea. I hear she can be such a bitch.”

  “Hmm, yes, but, a very sexy bitch.”

  Eve took Lainey’s chin in her fingers. “You’re the only one who could get away with that,” she said grinning. “And, that’s only because I like it when you call me sexy.” Eve gave Lainey a quick kiss. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  “Mmm, I do need you. So why don’t you stay here in my office.”

  “Hmm, Lainey. You really are getting bold. I’m definitely liking the new you. That’s why I’m going to drag myself out of this office before I attack you.”

  “I may like that.”

  Eve groaned. “I’m leaving, Lainey.”

  Lainey laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop. Oh! I have something for you.” She walked around her desk to pick up her purse.

  “You have something for me?” Eve smiled. She was used to being the one giving not receiving. It was what she was more comfortable with, but she found that the thought of getting a gift from Lainey thrilled her.

  “Yes. It’s not much, but I thought you would enjoy it.”

  It was a photo of Eve, Lainey, Kevin and Darren at Disney World. The photo was framed, in true Disney fashion, in a silver frame with the famous mouse himself cut-out in the border. The four of them looked so happy, as though none of them had a care in the world.

  Lainey waited apprehensively for Eve to say something, anything, but for a long moment she didn’t said a word.

  “I bought the frame while you were keeping the boys busy,” Lainey told her. “I know it’s not your style and you can change it if you like.”

  “It’s perfect,” Eve said quietly. It was Eve’s first family photo. That was exactly how she thought of Lainey and her sons, as family. She knew that she would cherish the photo far more than any of the priceless art she carried in the gallery. “Thank you,” she whispered, not masking any of the emotions she felt inside. “Thank you,” she said again, kissing Lainey gently on the lips.

  Knowing that both of them wanted more than what they could have at the moment, Lainey stepped away fr
om Eve. “I’ll be downstairs. Call me if you need me.”

  “I do need you,” Eve whispered as Lainey disappeared. “God, help me, I do.”

  Eve’s phone was ringing when she entered her office.

  “Sumptor Gallery,” she said, placing the framed photograph on her desk. “This is Eve.”

  “It’s me. We have a problem. You pissed him off this morning when he received your message.”

  “Good. He pissed me off when I received his.”

  “Eve. He’s going to go after Mrs. Stanton.”

  Eve’s stomach churned with a dread and sickness she had never experienced before, emotions so intense that she had to fight to stay in control. Her grip tightened on the receiver until her knuckles were white.

  “No!” she said, her voice tight with terror.

  “I’m sorry but I thought you must know.”

  “I don’t care what you have to do,” Eve told him heatedly. “But you keep him away from her!”

  “What can I do, Eve? He’s made up his mind. You know how he is.”

  “And you know me. I’ll kill him before he can get to her.”

  “You can’t do that. The cops are watching you.”

  “I don’t care about the fucking cops!” Eve took a deep breath. She had to stay in control. “Do you really think I care what happens to me?” she demanded. “I’ll do anything I have to do to keep Lainey safe. Do you understand me? Anything. You tell Tony whatever you have to in order to get him to back off. If he doesn’t, he’s dead.”

  “I’ll do everything that I can, Eve. Do you want us to put more people on Mrs. Stanton?”

  “I’ll take care of her. You just take care of Tony. Or, I will. I also want to know everything he knows about Lainey. Why is he going after her?”

  “He’s been making inquiries about her since Meredith had mentioned that she might be a problem. He knows that she was the one who accompanied you on your trip over the weekend. Tony also knows that you have taken great measures to keep Mrs. Stanton safe, so he’s presumed that she means a great deal to you. He thinks that getting to her maybe the easiest way to bring you down.”

  Eve was confused. Tony knows about Adam, too. He had mentioned him in the message he had left Eve. So why had he chosen Lainey? Eve wanted to know exactly how much Tony knew about her. She was also going to pay Meredith a visit and do a little rethinking about helping her.

  “I want more details about what Tony knows or thinks he know,” she said. “If he leaves his little hole, I want to know where he’s going.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “One more thing. I want you to make sure Adam is safe.”

  “I don’t think...”

  “Just do it. Have him watched, and don’t let anyone in Tony’s camp near him. I will not let anything happen to him either. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Keep me informed on what’s going on. I’m counting on you to do anything you can to change Tony’s mind. You have to get him to understand that it is not a good idea for him to mess with either Adam or Mrs. Stanton. If you can’t do that I’m taking him out of the game. For good.”

  Eve hung up and dropped her head in her hands. What has she gotten Lainey in to? She picked up the photo Lainey had given her and touched a finger to Lainey’s image.

  “Eve.” Lainey poked her head around the door. “There’s someone here to see you. God, honey! What’s wrong? You look terrible.”

  “Nothing,” Eve lied, replacing the photograph. “There’s nothing wrong. Who wants to see me?”

  “Dee Cummings,” Lainey told her, noticing the change in Eve’s eyes when the name was mentioned. “Who is she?”

  “She’s a reporter,” Eve told her grimly.

  “I thought I recognized her. Does she want to do a piece on the gallery?” Lainey didn’t understand why Eve didn’t want to speak to the press. It could only help the gallery.

  “No. She’s here about Jackie.”

  Lainey stepped closer to Eve’s desk. “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” But, she would find out. She would also find out who was feeding her information. “Send her up, please.”

  “You’re going to talk to her?” Now that Lainey knew why the reporter was here, she understood why Eve’s mood had changed.

  “Yes. It’s the best way to find out what she knows.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Looking out for me?” Eve grinned. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll send her up then. Don’t let them say anything bad about Jackie, Eve. That poor woman’s family has been through enough.”

  “They won’t, Lainey. I promise.”

  Eve waited until Lainey closed the door behind her and then picked up the phone.

  “I want Lainey watched closely at all times,” Eve said. “She is not to be alone at any time, is that understood. The stakes have been raised.”

  “Yes, ma’am. She will be safe.”

  “Make sure that she is.” Hearing a sound outside her door, Eve lowered her voice. “If anything happens to her, I’m holding you responsible. If you see him or any of his group, I want to know immediately.”

  Striding to the door, Eve threw it open. “Do you make it a habit of listening in on other’s conversations, Ms. Cummings?” she demanded.

  Dee Cummings was taller than Eve by a couple of inches, beautiful and slim with great legs, a great combination for a TV personality. Her light, coffee colored skin was as smooth as that of a much younger woman. She was dressed immaculately in a lavender skirt and matching jacket.

  “I was not eavesdropping, Ms. Sumptor,” she said, clearly offended. Her voice was silky and soothing and held a hint of a southern accent, a voice that worked well with charming the viewers or keeping them calm as she told them about whatever violence was going on in the world. “But I am sorry for just dropping in like this.”

  “No you’re not.” Eve gestured to the chair in front of her desk as she sat back and crossed her legs. “You assumed that if you just showed up I would have no choice but to speak with you.”

  “It seems I assumed correctly then.”

  “Not necessarily.” Eve’s eyes were amused. She was used to playing these games with the media and she always won. “What can I do for you, Ms. Cummings?”

  “Well, Ms. Sumptor. I would like to talk to you about Jackie Sawyer.”

  “What about Jackie?”

  Dee took out a note pad and poised her pen over it. “How do you feel about being a suspect in Miss Sawyer’s murder?”

  Eve lifted a brow. “A suspect? I’m not a suspect, Ms. Cummings. Who told you that?”

  “I have a very reliable source, Ms. Sumptor. And, yes, your name has been mentioned as a suspect in this case.”

  “Strike one, Ms. Cummings,” Eve said coolly. “I have no reason to think I’m a suspect. If I am, no one has told me. What else has your source told you?”

  “I’ve been informed that you were also a suspect in the disappearance of another employee, Katherine Bushnell.”

  “Were? Does that mean I’m not a suspect anymore?”

  “She, by the grace of God, called her family last night. Apparently she had gone on vacation without telling anyone and is fine.”

  “Hmm. That was awfully thoughtless of her, wasn’t it?” Eve laced her fingers together on top of her desk. “Strike two, Ms. Cummings.”

  Dee Cummings frowned. “Can you tell me how you felt about Miss Sawyer embezzling from your company?” she continued. “I have the documentation right here in my briefcase.”

  “I don’t care what you think you have,” Eve said icily. “Jackie embezzled nothing. I hope you do your homework very thoroughly before you go on air with this - story, Ms. Cummings.”

  “I always do my homework, Ms. Sumptor. I have the papers right here.” She held them out to Eve, and frowned when Eve didn’t take them. “Don’t you want to see them?”

  “I’ve seen them already, Ms. Cumm
ings. Strike three.”

  “What do you mean? It’s all here in black and white.”

  “You of all people should know not to believe everything you read, Ms. Cummings.” Eve turned up the heat in her eyes. “I’m warning you, don’t drag Jackie’s name in the mud. She was a wonderful young woman, an excellent employee and she never did anything wrong. Let her family grieve for her without having to put up with listening to lies about her.”

  “I would never do anything to upset her family any further, Ms. Sumptor, but if the evidence suggests...”

  “The evidence, as you call it, is fake. I have never had a problem with Jackie, and for someone to do this to her is inexcusable. I’m asking you to believe me on that, Ms. Cummings. Don’t use these papers for whatever story you intend to cook up and call news.”

  “It is news, Ms. Sumptor.” Dee sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Tell me something. Why are you protecting a family that wants to file a lawsuit against you?”

  It was Eve’s turn to frown. “A lawsuit? Against me? I’m sorry, Ms. Cummings, I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain this one to me, too.”

  “You don’t know? The Sawyer’s believe that you are responsible for their daughter’s death. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

  “They think I did it?” Eve asked quietly, flooded by a sense of horror. It wasn’t possible that this could be true. All of a sudden it made sense that they didn’t take her calls and why she was told that the funeral was closed to family members only.

  “I’m sorry. My source has told them everything he’s told me. He even told them about your mother.”

  “What about my mother?” Eve demanded. She was fighting to stay in control, but it was getting harder every second. The pain deepened as her past began merging with her present.

  “Jackie and your mother died in much the same way, Ms. Sumptor. I understand that the authorities feel that the similarity is too great to ignore.”

  “I was fourteen when my mother died,” Eve whispered. “Do they think I had something to do with her death as well?”

  “My source told them about your record...”

  “What record?” Eve couldn’t believe what she was hearing.