Julian’s fingers trailed the length of Eve’s arm as it lay sprawled across his bare chest. Her head rested against his shoulder. He pressed his face into her hair and breathed in her scent. He smiled; his face the picture of happiness, contentment, and total satisfaction. Eve snuggled against him. Julian sighed. “Oh, my darling, I love you so much.”
 

Rebecca blinked away her tears. Jealousy burned in her belly like a bleeding ulcer. For the past ten minutes she stood in the bedroom watching Julian hold Eve in his arms. Kissing her. Enjoying her nearness and whispering words of love in her ear. He never once opened his eyes. That gave Rebecca some satisfaction. This meant the first thing he would see when he opened his eyes was his beloved Eve taking her last breath.

She took a step forward, kicking away the discarded clothing lost in the duo’s journey to ecstasy. Too bad they wouldn’t be taking that trip again. Releasing the safety, Rebecca loaded the chamber of the gun. Both Eve and Julian shot up, roused and wide-awake. Rebecca smiled. The unmistakable click was better than any alarm clock.

“Good morning, sleepyheads,” she taunted, waving the gun from one to the other.

Julian extended his arm before his dearest in an attempt to shield her as Eve pulled up a sheet to cover her exposed body. “Rebecca, what the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

“You might be high on love, Pookie, but I think you know the answer to that question.” She fixed her gaze on Eve. “Tsk, tsk, Doctor,” Rebecca jeered. “I think it’s much too late for a show of modesty. You should have thought about that last night. They say the quiet ones are the ones you should look out for. Humph, I’m surprised those sheets aren’t burnt to a crisp right now.”

Eve face once peaceful and serene was now contorted with fear and shock. “You, you watched us?” she stammered.

Rebecca nodded. “Oh, yes, and it was quite the show.” She pressed her finger to her cheek. “How many curtain calls did you two have? I stopped counting after three.”

Still shielding Eve, Julian held up his free hand. “Look, Rebecca, you need to put that gun away. You’re upset, but--”

“Pookie, I am so beyond upset. You discard me like yesterday’s trash, and slip into bed with Eve Russell. Eve Russell. The good doctor Eve--Harmony’s answer to Mother Teresa and Hippocrates. Does T. C. know you have jungle fever, Eve?”

“That’s enough, Rebecca!” Julian snarled, shifting his body to shield Eve even more.

“It’s not nearly enough.” A muscle twitched angrily in Rebecca’s cheek. The nerve of this man. He’s not even pretending to care a little bit about her to save his own skin. She failed in her attempt to hold back her tears. “What is it about Eve, huh?” she asked. “Is it the firm breasts and golden skin? An unquenchable need to find out the truth of the myth for yourself? Or maybe it’s the M.D. that follows her name. What does she have that I don’t!”

“My love,” he answered flatly. “I don’t love you, Rebecca. I never have and I never will. Eve is the love of my life, and as soon as humanly possible, I’m going to marry her. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, sniffling. “I understand perfectly.” She squeezed the trigger. Once, twice, three times. The bang of the gunshots not nearly as loud as she expected, but the results still as lethal as she hoped. “Nobody makes a fool of me.”

Rebecca stirred from her sleep. Her limbs tight and back stiff from her less than peaceful night’s sleep outside the guesthouse. She peered into the window. The lovers were awake. She eased closer, just able to make out what they were saying as they lounged in each other’s arms.

“My darling, you know I can’t deny you anything, but this?” Julian shook his head. “I’m sorry, I must draw a line somewhere.”

“But you’re not just denying me, you’re denying our daughter. I’m simply relaying a message from her,” Eve explained.

“Somehow, I think you’re getting some interference in your reception, my love. I’ve always taken your affinity for this as just an example of you being too nice, not wanting to hurt feelings and all, but our daughter knows better. I will not subject her to that horrid tomato soup cake of Grace Bennett’s. Especially not a frozen one.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. This is who Julian wanted to spend the rest of his life with? The woman was craving frozen tomato soup cake. Eve needed to die. She and that demented spawn of hers.

“Julian, please,” Eve cooed, dusting kisses on his chest and shoulders.

“Oh, alright, my love, you win.” He kissed her passionately, then caressed her cheek. “Just promise you won’t try to feed any of that to me. That’s one thing in my freezer I never acquired a taste for. I don’t know why the help didn’t just throw those things away”

Eve laughed. “I promise, I won’t force the cake on you.”

“Thank God.” Julian reached for his discarded trousers and pulled on his shirt. “I’ll bring some real breakfast back with me, okay? I think our little one would prefer a fresh baked croissant with strawberries preserves over a slice of frozen tomato soup cake any day.” He leaned over the bed and gave her another kiss. “I’ll be back before you miss me.”

“Not a chance,” she replied with another kiss. “Hurry back.”

Rebecca crept around the other side of the house as Julian made his way out. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she made her way inside. She walked into the bedroom.

Eve, standing in the middle of the floor in only her pajama top, turned at the sound of the door meeting the frame. “Julian, you couldn’t have gotten--” her voice trailed. “Rebecca?” Her eyes fell on the gun and she backed away.

“Surprised to see me?” Rebecca stepped into the room and up to Eve. “I bet you’re not a tenth as surprised as I was when I heard Julian on the phone with you last night. Oh, and if you want to really talk surprises, that would be what I caught last night. Right outside that window,” she said, pointing for effect. “And all of Harmony think I’m a freak? They don’t know the half. You don’t even need props.”

“Rebecca, look, Julian is going to be back at any minute, and you don’t want to do anything foolish.”

“Oh, Eve, I’m not the one who did something foolish. That is what you did, when you got knocked up by Julian.” She aimed the gun at her head, then slowly lowered it. “When you seduced my Pookie away from me.”

Eve backed away, visibly shaken. “It wasn’t like that, Rebecca,” she offered weakly.

“Please, the last thing I need is for you to tell me what is was like. Last night, I got an all too vivid picture of what it’s like.”

“Really, you should put away the gun.”

The fear in Eve’s voice spurred Rebecca on. “Why, I haven’t even used it yet.” She so enjoyed seeing the good doctor squirm. “Are you afraid, Eve?”

“Is that what you want me to say? I’m scared? Okay, sure, staring down the barrel of a gun—”

“A loaded gun,” Rebecca clarified.

“Well, it doesn’t illicit excitement in me. I don’t want to be murdered in cold blood.”

“And I don’t want to lose Julian.” Rebecca sucked in a long breath, and aimed the gun at Eve’s chest. “We don’t always get what we want. But if I can’t have Julian, I’m going to make damn sure you don’t have him.” Just as she started to squeeze the trigger, a hand grabbed her wrist from behind.

“Julian, don’t!” Eve screamed, racing over to the fray.

The trio wrestled for the weapon. A moment later, a gunshot rang out.