“Still no answer?”

Eddie shook his head, his attention focused on Mikey. The little boy scooted up and down the clinic’s waiting area, making revving noises as he wheeled a small car along the floor. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned right now. It’s not like Jimmy to ignore my texts – and certainly not my phone calls. I can’t imagine what kind of problem he’s run into, though.”

Rachel snorted and lowered her voice in an attempt to shield Mikey from any negative conversation. “I can imagine plenty with the likes of Mandy by his side. She attached herself like a leech.”

Eddie frowned and lowered his voice. “Yeah, that’s another thing that concerns me just a little. What kind of person lets a child go off like that? She didn’t even ask to exchange contact information. Grant it she’s with Jimmy and he could easily get a hold of me, but still.” He rubbed his eyes. “Why am I starting to get a bad feeling about all of this?”

Rachel laid a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

“You’re right. I’m probably worrying for nothing. I guess it just comes with the territory.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “You never know who you can really trust in this business. There’s more backstabbers and climbers than you’d imagine.”

“Oh, no. I’m sure I could imagine. You’d be surprised how much competition there is in the farming business.”

He turned in his chair with a look of shock. “Really? Competition in farming?”

“Of course,” she said. “There’s only so many customers to go around. That’s why you do whatever you can to meet their needs. Sometimes that means slashing prices at the Farmer’s Market, or shipping produce to another state to avoid as much profit loss and waste as possible.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t sound so dicey. It just seems like good business.”

“Well, it is until someone starts a rumor one Saturday morning that your apples aren’t really organic and are just as loaded in pesticides as everyone else’s, so the shopper would do just as well to save a few cents and buy a different product instead.”

“What? Are you serious? That really happened?”

“Yep. The year my mother refused to sell out to the Thompsons. Andy Senior tried hard to make my mama’s life as difficult as he could. I guess when he realized her couldn’t marry into the land, all he had left was the attempt to ruin our business. You know, I’ve even heard stories of crops being poisoned – completely destroyed in the middle of the night.”

Eddie shook his head. “What’s wrong with people like that? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to continue climbing the ladder and turn out some number one hit that has fans crooning across the country. I’m not going to undercut anyone in order to do it, though. There’s plenty of pie to go around for everyone. Kind of like the business decisions you’ve been making – cutting prices, shipping out… stuff like that.”

She was about to agree when the receptionist called Eddie’s name. He scooped up Mikey. “Come on, slugger.”

A warm feeling spread through Rachel. He seemed to already be falling into the role of a doting dad. Hopefully things would work out for both him and the boy.

“I apologize for the wait,” the receptionist said. She stared at Eddie for a minute. Then her mouth dropped open. “Oh, my gosh. I know you! I saw you on my thread this morning. I was scrolling through my phone when a video popped up. You’re that singer. What’s your name?” She looked down at the forms he had filled out. “That’s right! Eddie Rivera.”

The way she stared up at Eddie – all gaga with her eyes looking about ready to pop out of her head – made Rachel almost want to spit. Sure, Eddie was something of a heartthrob, but did every woman he meet always oogle him? First it was Mandy (until she latched onto Jimmy). Now it was this bubbly brunette who looked like she’d need a mop for the drool that was sure to ensue any moment.

While Rachel was fighting hard to beat back the green-eyed monster of jealousy, Eddie took it all in stride.

“Yes, that’s me.” He modestly answered. He shifted Mikey higher up onto his hip and slung his free arm around Rachel, comfortably resting it on her shoulder. “We’re here for the paternity testing.”

“Oh, right!” The receptionist glanced down at the form once more before looking up to Rachel. “Aren’t you the lucky one, snagging a guy like that?”

Rachel quickly attempted to correct the girl. “Oh, no. It’s not like that. I’m—”

“Claro que no,” Eddie interrupted. He gave her a light squeeze. “We both know the lucky one here is me. Things have certainly been interesting since I’ve met you.”

He gave Rachel a wink that caused her stomach fluttered. Was he just paying her lip service since they were in front of an adoring fan… or did he really mean what he said? Regardless, the receptionist squealed.

“Oh, how romantic! I hope I meet someone who feels that way about me.” She bounced up and down and then, as if suddenly remembering the fact that she was supposed to be a professional, quickly grew serious. “Anyway. If you’ll just hand me two forms of identification, then I’ll get your paperwork processed.”

“Two forms of ID?” Eddie asked.

“Yes, sir. We need one with a photo and another to show residence.”

“Uh, okay. And if I don’t have that?”

“Well…” The girl bit her lip and suspiciously looked around. She leaned towards them and whispered, “I think it would be fine with just your driver’s license. I mean, you’re practically a celebrity. It’s not like we wouldn’t be able to find you if we really needed to.”

“Right,” Eddie agreed and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a leather wallet and flipped it open. “So, here’s my driver’s license.”

“Great!” The receptionist beamed and turned to Rachel. “I’ll need both your identification and your son’s, too.”

“No, no, no. I think there’s been some mix-up. I’m not the mom.”

“You’re not the mother?” the receptionist repeated.

“No,” Rachel insisted. “I’m just here for support.”

“Why? Is that a problem?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah…” The girl hesitated. “See, we need proof that someone here is the parent to begin with. At the very least, we need a legal guardian. Otherwise, we don’t even have permission to do the testing. Whoever has custody of the boy has to request the test.”

Eddie and Rachel looked at one another, surprise registering on their faces. Eddie let out a slow sigh.

“Is there a problem?” the receptionist asked.

“No, no problem,” Eddie said. “We’ll have to come back, though.”

The receptionist looked skeptical, so he continued, “We just don’t have all the right documentation.”

“Oh, okay. No worries. We’re open until five today and accept walk-ins until four. So just come back in when you’re ready.”

“Thanks,” they chorused and turned to leave the testing lab.

* * *

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Mikey was using the toy car for a pretend airplane as Rachel drove back to Eddie’s hotel. He tried dialing Jimmy’s number once more.

“You know, right now I’m borderline mildly concerned and increasingly irritated.” He tossed his cell phone onto the dash. “Jimmy and I are usually connected at the hip… which might not be such a good thing now that I think about it, but that’s not the point. I have no clue why he’s not answering. I doubt he’s still asleep. It’s almost time for lunch.”

“Maybe that’s it. Perhaps they’re having an early lunch.”

“That still wouldn’t explain why he isn’t answering.”

“Well… we’ll find out what’s going on soon enough. The hotel’s right around the corner.” She turned at the light only to run into a line of traffic. “What in the world is going on?”

“Lunch hour traffic,” Eddie offered.

Rachel snorted. “In this town? Not likely.”

Eddie stuck his head out the window for a better view. “Looks like a police cruiser. There’s a news van, too.”

“Oh, man. It’s probably a really bad accident.”

“I hope no one was injured.”

“Me, too.”

They slowly inched along until they arrived to the front of the line and noticed three police vehicles blocking the road. However, there was no evidence of a crash. Rachel groaned. “It’s a checkpoint.”

Eddie tried looking on the bright side. “Well, at least we got our wish. No one’s been hurt.”

“Yeah, when you put it like that...”

She rolled down the window as an officer stepped forward.

“License and registration,” he said.

She dug out both along with her VA card.

The officer briefly looked over the information. “A veteran, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, thank you for your service, ma’am.”

Eager to move on, she nodded and he returned the identification.

“And you, sir?”The officer nodded at Eddie.

“Me?”

“You got an ID?”

“Yes, sir.” Eddie dug into his pocket again, this time pulling out his wallet and California driver’s license. “I’m here for work.”

“Oh, really? What kind of work?” the officer asked, looking down at the information he was handed.

“I’m a musician,” Eddie said.

“A pretty successful one,” Rachel added with a smile.

“Well,” Eddie had the decency to look modest, “we’re not talking red carpet or anything.”

“Yet,” Rachel interjected, the word stressed.

“I like the way you think,” Eddie laughed.

The officer seemed less than amused, though. He cleared his throat. “I’ll be right back.”

She suddenly felt nervous, but Eddie gave her that smile again – the one that made her want to melt on the spot.

“Easy Eddie,” she joked. “That’s what I’m going to call you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, because you’re easy to get along with.” She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment before deciding to plunge in. “And you’re easy on the eyes, too.”

“Oooh. I think I like that.”

His grin grew even wider and he winked. A giddy feeling overtook her and she softly giggled. If she allowed herself to daydream a little, she could imagine her life just like this – Eddie and her tromping around town, his son in tow as they made their way to a pizza parlor that actually served anchovies; their days working the land and weekend evenings filled with local performances.

She gave her head a solid shake and turned from him. What was wrong with her? Here she was making full-fledged plans for the future when the paternity test hadn’t even been performed yet – not to mention the man was little more than a one-kiss interest at the moment. She needed to pull on the reigns a little and—

“Mr. Rivera, could you please step out of the vehicle?”

They both looked up at the policeman who had stepped away with Eddie’s driver’s license.

Rachel frowned. “Is there a problem, officer?”

“I’m sorry to say, but yes there is.” The officer’s expression hardened as he addressed Eddie again. “Mr. Rivera, I’ll only ask you once more to please step out of the vehicle.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem at all.”

Eddie popped open the car door and stepped out. He was quickly detained by three other officers… and that was when a man ran up to Eddie, shoving a camera in his face. Rachel could hardly process what was happening, though. She felt the back door pop open and all she cared about was Mikey. She turned around as an officer reached in and grabbed hold of the child.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Rachel asked. She tried to exit her vehicle, but the questioning officer placed a hand on the door to keep it from opening.

“Ma’am, there’s been a reported kidnapping. Now the only reason you aren’t being arrested as well is because you weren’t mentioned in the report, and we’re suspect as to whether or not it’s even true. However, we’ll still need Mr. Rivera to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”

Rachel quickly looked over at Eddie. Despite the fact that he was in cuffs and a newswoman was grilling him for answers, he seemed completely relaxed.

“I agree,” Rachel responded. “Let’s go get this mess straightened out as quickly as possible.”

She looked at Eddie once more. His lips moved deliberately slow and she knew he was mouthing the words. “Call Jimmy. Room 210.”

Rachel was about to agree to his request when the officer spoke up. “What’s going on? What is he doing?”

She held back her frustration, deciding it would be better for them to work with the police. “He wanted me to get his manager, Jimmy. He’ll know how to straighten out this misunderstanding.”

The officer pulled out a pad and looked down. “James Aaron Lee?”

She looked over at Eddie and he nodded. Yes, that was his manager’s full name.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” the officer explained. “Actually, that’s the main reason we’re not completely convinced this is a case of kidnapping.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Eddie demanded.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but an ambulance left about twenty minutes ago with Mr. Lee in the back of it. They’re heading to St. Peter’s Hospital.”

“What?” Now Eddie began to struggle. “I gotta’ get down there.”

The officers held him tight.

“What you have to do is calm down and come with us. That way we can tackle the kidnapping charges while also addressing the attempt on Mr. Lee’s life.”

Eddie stilled again. Rachel blanched. “Someone tried to kill Jimmy?”

“Apparently, the child’s mother. So please come along quietly and let us straighten out this mess.”

Rachel looked out her window at Eddie, the realization that this was just one example of what could happen when living a life in the public’s eye. Then a greater concern struck her.

“I’m sorry, but did you say the child’s mother?”