He shook his head, misery darkening his eyes. “I don’t think anyone can. I’ve got a stalker.”
Harper frowned. “That’s not good. Who is it?”
“A one-night stand.” He groaned softly. “It was a stupid thing to do. I was doing a special appearance at San Diego Comic-Con forLeft Field, that sci-fi comedy I was in a couple years ago. You know the one?”
“I do.” The movie had become something of a cult hit.
“Anyway, man, the panel was great, standing-room only, then afterwards I had a photo session set up. Did that. Everything went well, went out for drinks with some of the other cast that was there, had a little too much and ended up going home with one of the servers. Some chick named Monica.”
Harper exhaled. This wasn’t good.
He grimaced. “I don’t even remember sleeping with her.”
“What do you remember?”
“Drinking too much. And then basically waking up in her bed at her place.”
“And now she’s stalking you?”
“Yeah, man. She says if I don’t give her money, she’s going to tell the press I forced myself on her. You know what that would do to me?” Anger sparked in his eyes. “The press would vilify me. Wouldn’t matter if I was guilty or not, man. You know how it goes when it comes to celebrities, man.”
Harper nodded. She’d seen it.
He threw his hands up and sat back. “I don’t know what to do. I just need to hide out here for a while. Figure things out. See if, maybe, this’ll blow over.”
She felt for him, but she wasn’t sure she had an answer, either. “You can be here as long as you need. Okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, thanks, man. Really appreciate it.”
She got up. He stood, too. She gave him a hug. “We’ll figure something out. If I can help, I will.”
He hugged her harder. “You’re good people, Harper. I knew coming here was the right thing to do.”
Chapter Five
Mitch was only twelve hundred words into the day’s work when his phone rang. He checked the screen. He didn’t recognize the number at first, then he realized it was the attorney, Peter Looper. Mitch quickly answered. “Hello?”
“Mitchell Ripley?”
“Yes, this is he. Peter, right?”
“That’s right. From Barnes, Looper, and Strauss. I’m glad we were able to connect so quickly.”
“So am I.”
“This isn’t going to be easy, Mitchell. I want to be upfront about that.”
“Call me Mitch, please. Why isn’t it going to be easy?”
“Ms. Keeler is claiming that your son abducted her daughter.”
Mitch’s blood turned to ice in his veins. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s a lie.Shekickedthemout.”
“We know that. But it’s her word against his at this point and courts often favor the mother.”
Mitch’s stomach roiled with an ill feeling. “What do we do? How do we fight her? Is this going to be a long, drawn-out thing? Will she be able to take Ruthie away from us?”
“We fight her through the courts. Yes, it could take some time. The courts don’t move at the speed we’d like, unfortunately. I don’t believe she’ll be able to take Ruthie away from your son at this point, but if she gets a court order, that could change.”
