by J. M. Nevins
She stared in anticipation. She couldn’t believe there was more. Everything Sherri had shared with her was enough for her to chew on for days, maybe even months or years.
She raised her eyebrows. “What?”
Sherri gazed deeply into her eyes to make her point. “Lew isn’t a man that believes in divorce, sweetie.”
She sighed as she continued. “I know it’s not his right to meddle in your personal life, but you know how he is. He was pleased with Sully as a performer and an artist. He commented over and over again about how talented he was and he loved his star quality. Lew wasn’t pleased with Sully’s behavior on a personal level, specifically toward you, and he made sure to communicate that to him… last night.”
Kit’s eyes widened. “What? Lew talked to Sully last night?”
Sherri nodded her head. “Yes. He went against my wishes to get to bed early, no surprise. He and Jonathan had been up talking about your contract after you left and then I guess he was thinking about what you shared with him about Sully. He called him and Sully came right over. He was here about an hour.”
Sherri could see the look of confusion on Kit’s face. “Honey, I know this is a lot to take in. I can tell you this much. Whatever the conversation was between those two, it ended well. Lew was pleased. He said that he was confident Sully would do the right thing. And like I said, he didn’t believe in divorce.”
She met Kit’s eyes. “I don’t know if you know this, but I tried to divorce Lew once.”
Kit’s eyes widened. “What? No—I didn’t know that! Why? Ever since I’ve known you two you seem solid. You’re such a strong couple and you’ve been together so long. I always took it as inspiration.”
She smiled as she nodded. “It may have looked that way to you now, but the first few years we were together weren’t all that smooth.”
She took Kit’s hand in hers and stared into her eyes. “We were in a very similar situation to you and Sully.”
Kit interjected. “Lew screwed around with another woman?”
She sighed. “Yes. It was an isolated incident and she meant nothing to him. He was building out Diamond Records and it was going to his head. He was surrounded by women that wanted a piece of the action and there were so many late nights and parties, drinking and drugging. You know how the music business goes. It took me a while to work through it and forgive him. And then he had to earn my trust again.”
She stared deeply into Kit’s eyes. “But he did it, Kit. He came back stronger than ever in our marriage. That was a turning point for us. Things had to change and they did. It took both of us being committed to our marriage and going to a new level of communication and understanding with each other plus getting our priorities straight. And well, you know how the story ends. Lew was the love of my life and I’m blessed that I shared forty years of marriage with him. We had an amazing son and some pretty great grandkids.”
She smiled. “We definitely had more sunshine than those rainy days when we were struggling in our marriage. We stayed focused on that sunshine, every single day.”
She forced a smile. “Kitty, just know that Lew wanted you to be happy and it was breaking his heart to see how unhappy you were in your marriage. You get to find out what that is for you—whether or not that includes Sully.”
Kit swallowed hard, feeling the impact of Sherri’s words. She wondered if others close to her felt the same way and hadn’t said anything for a while. She silently nodded.
Sherri continued. “Once again, honey, I’m not telling you these things to pressure you. I’m sharing what he and I discussed last night, hours before he passed on in his sleep. I thought you may want to know. Also, I wanted to pass something along to you.”
Kit was speechless. There was so much to take in and she was struggling to comprehend all of it at once.
She nodded slowly. “Ok.”
Sherri reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold ring with one small diamond in the middle. Kit recognized the ring. Lew wore it on his right pinky. Sherri held it up and grinned. “This is for you, Kitty.”
Kit shook her head in protest as tears welled up in her eyes. “No, no. I can’t take that, Sherri. He wore it all the time. You should have it.”
Sherri smiled warmly. “He would want you to have it. I know he would. I’m certain of it. I want to show you how I know this.”
She started with pointing out the word that was engraved inside the ring: “HITMAKER.”
She then pointed to the diamond. “He always used to say that this ring was the extension of his gut instinct. He wore it when he produced some of the greatest artists this world has ever seen. He wore it in his most crucial meetings. And he always wore it when he was working a deal. He had a habit of spinning it around on his finger when his was thinking up a big vision or a strategy for the company or a film or an artist.”
She chuckled at the fond remembrance and then continued. “He did that last night with this ring, talking about your career.”
Her eyes met Kit’s as she reached for her hand again. “You are a Diamond, Kit. He saw you as the daughter he never had and always wanted. Honestly, I agreed with him. After Jonathan was born, we tried again for years, but I wasn’t able to conceive. He really wanted a little girl. A powerhouse that would give the boys a run for their money, he used to say. We had given up. And then you came along decades later and won his heart.” Sherri extended the ring to her. “This was meant for you.”
Kit gently grasped it and tried it on her right pointer finger where it fit perfectly. Her new north star lighting her way. Her eyes filled with tears and she was unable to hold back. She started sobbing.
Sherri got up from the table and came over to embrace Kit as they shed tears together. Kit finally pulled back and forced a grin. “I’m very grateful for this, Sherri. I’m truly humbled by it too.”
Jonathan opened the doors to the dining room and poked his head in. “Mom, Chris is back. Kit, when you can, we’d like to speak with you.”
Sherri offered her a kind gaze and nodded. “Go ahead, dear.” She leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
Kit smiled at her and wiped her tears as she walked out of the room, spinning Lew’s ring on her forefinger self-consciously. She entered the study where Spencer was leaning on the back of one of the sofas. Alexa was sitting on the other sofa, talking on her cell phone and taking notes.
Jonathan looked at her. “How are you holding up?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Ok, I guess. How about you?”
He shook his head. “Hasn’t hit me yet. I’d imagine when it does, it’ll feel like a Mac truck running me over. As you know, we’re on a tight schedule. We can continue to push ahead or we can put it on hiatus. It’s your call. If my dad were here you know…”
She interjected. “He’d want me working on the album or writing or doing something with a video. I get it. Let’s move. What’s next on our agenda?”
Spencer met her eyes. “Video shoot. We’ve got a team and location on call. If you’re up for it, your call time would be in two hours at a soundstage, Kaufman Astoria, in Midtown. Lex has been on the phone with designers. We have two possibilities for wardrobe. Hair and makeup are on call. They’re seasoned artists that have worked on several Diamond films. All we need is a go from you.”
She sighed recalling the last twenty-four hours in rapid speed in her mind. She knew she could use it to shoot the video.
She nodded. “It’s a go. I’ll do it.”
Jonathan grinned. “Good. Thank you for being flexible.”
As Jonathan, Alexa and Spencer started discussing strategies for MTV, positioning and finalizing last minute details for the shoot, Kit took a moment and approached the window, looking out at the back patio where she and Lew had shared many a discussion in the past. She grinned recalling the fond memories.
Unaware of how much time had passed, Alexa tapped her on the shoulder, bringing her out of her daze. “We gotta go, Kitty, and get you into a
wardrobe fitting.”
She nodded in agreement. “Let’s go.”
Jonathan offered her a friendly grin. “Go crush it, Kit. Just like you always do.” He gave her a nod of approval.
As she walked out of Lew’s house with Spencer, spinning Lew’s ring around her pointer finger, she glanced over at him. “What’s next after we shoot the video?”
Spencer opened the door of the limousine for her, beating the chauffeur to it. “Getting you on a plane to head back home, rest and start writing for a few days. After that you’re back in the studio with A-Dub at Diamond L.A. to start working on your album, then you’re back to New York to promote your new video on MTV. Alexa is looking to get you a guest VJ spot.”
Her green eyes lit up, a bit frantic. “You got Studio B for me at Diamond L.A., right? That’s the best one. And a guest VJ? What the fuck? I’m a new artist. That doesn’t happen to new artist.”
Spencer rolled his eyes. “Kit, it’s not your job to select the studio anymore.” He gave her a look of warning. “I don’t know which one A-Dub selected, but you gotta trust the guy. I certainly do. He’s got a helluva lot more Grammys and platinum records than you. He knows what he’s doing. And you’re an industry vet. You have some recognition from GT. Gimme a break, you were on Billboard magazine last year. That’s not a new artist!”
He threw his hands up in frustration. He then pointed to her. “More people know who you are than you think. People are going nuts for your song. Seriously, cool your jets, Kit-Kat.”
She giggled and nodded. “Ok. Old habits die hard, bro.”
* * *
Sully stood in his suite pacing, the receiver affixed to his ear, the base of the phone in his hand. He let out a frustrated sigh hearing Spencer’s assistant, Annie, produce a canned response to his request for the fourth time.
He interjected calmly. “Ok, ok, Annie, I get that you’re the gatekeeper and you’re just doing your job.” He took a seat and opted to turn on the charm. “You know me. We’ve met dozens of times. We did tequila shots together at the KMK Christmas party. I am a founding partner of KMK and a controlling interest in the company. All I want is five minutes with Spencer. Five minutes, Annie.”
He could feel his frustration rising again. “I’m his brother-in-law for chrissakes!”
There was a short pause before Annie retorted. “No comment to that, Sully. I’m really sorry. I’ll leave word again.”
He groaned and opted to try a different angle. He knew that she had a huge crush on the lead singer of Indecent Xposure and he decided to play that card. “Listen, Annie, you do me this favor and I will personally introduce you to Nicky Campo. We’re close friends. I think they’re finishing up their world tour right now. I’ll set up a meet and greet and I will get you VIP tickets when they’re at Madison Square Garden in New York. That’s they’re home base and it’ll, no doubt, be an epic show. I’ll fly you out on a private jet and put you up in a suite at The Plaza. All expense paid on my dime for you and a friend. On top of all that, I’ll arrange for you to have lunch with Nicky too.”
Her ears perked up. “What? You’d do that? Omigod, Sully, are you serious? I love him!”
He rolled his eyes. “Serious as a heart attack, Annie. Now, c’mon, help me out.”
She sighed. “Um…ok. Here’s the deal. I can barely get your name out before Spencer shuts me down. We need to have a better strategy. How about you tell me what you want to talk to him about and I can help you spin it.”
He grinned. “That sounds perfect, Annie. I’m looking for some information. You may even know.”
“Ok. What?”
He reached for a notepad and a pen, poised to write down the information. “Do you know the release date for Kit’s single? I heard it on Z100. I’d like to plug it during our promos and shows to give her a sales boost, but I understand it hasn’t been released yet. If I push without the fans being able to purchase it, then they’ll get frustrated. I know Spence is her manager right now, that’s why I’m targeting him, but if you know of a different resource at Diamond that I can speak to, maybe we can get distribution to ship out some of her singles and we’ll sell them at the show. I dunno. I can’t move with that, though, unless I know her drop date.”
Annie sat back in her chair, grinning. She knew Spencer would go for this. She nodded. “Ok, Sull. Gimme your best phone number. I’ll go talk to Spencer. If he doesn’t call you back, then you’ll hear from me with next steps. Fair?”
He smiled wide. “Completely fair. And while you go do that, I’m gonna call Nicky and get things set up for you. By the way, what’s your favorite flower?”
She giggled. “I really like orchids. And thanks for talking to Nicky.”
He concluded the call and hung up the phone, satisfied that the ball was now rolling in his favor. He called his assistant Shannon and had her order up a beautiful, potted orchid plant to be delivered to Annie.
He then jumped up and searched for his address book, locating it immediately. He flipped through until he found what he was looking for and resumed his seat in front of the phone, dialing a number. Seconds later he chuckled, using the greeting they had for each other since the beginning of their friendship. “Nickkkyyy! What’s up man?”
Annie knocked on Spencer’s door and waited patiently until she heard his cue to enter. She walked in with her notepad in hand. “I’d like some guidance on something.”
He nodded and motioned for her to take a seat. He met her eyes. “What’s up?”
She glanced at her notes and then looked up again. “When does Kit-Kat’s single drop in the record stores, officially?”
He cocked his head to the side, intrigued by her question. “September 29th. Why? Who called you? Press? Remember, we’re directing all press to Lila Greene.”
She bobbed her head in agreement. “Oh, I know. I was curious. We have a third party interested in promoting her single and they’re anticipating a big bump in sales because of the audience. Maybe even have the single in their merch booth. They were wondering if…”
Spencer held up his hand to stop her. “Who is this third party?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. “Sully Foxx…uh Gypsy Tango. He wants to promote Kit’s single during an upcoming radio interview and plug it in the shows too. Y’know, give it mention, get the fans fired up about it. He’s been wanting to speak to you, but…”
He nodded. “I know. I haven’t been taking his calls. Ok. Business I can do. And that sounds like a great opportunity to launch her career. I appreciate you being so thorough with the information and protecting my time and my personal reasons, Annie. I’ll give him a call.” He offered her a reassuring grin. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. Happy to help. If you need me to reach out to Diamond and get the ball rolling with disty, I can.”
He sat back and thought about it a moment. “Let me talk to Sully first. We’ll get the details ironed out and then we can move. I’ll brief you in a bit.”
She stood up. “Great then, I’ll get Sully on the line for you.”
He shook his head. “I’ll do it. It’s your lunch time, head on out.” As she left his office, he picked up the phone and dialed Pete Lundy at Diamond.
The phone rang, making Sully jump. He had just finished his call with Nicky and set down the receiver. He wasn’t expecting it to ring again so suddenly.
He answered cautiously. “Hello?”
Spencer took a deep breath before starting. “Sully, hey, it’s Spencer. Annie told me about your conversation. The single drops on Tuesday. I think your idea is a brilliant one. I spoke with A&R and they agreed to ship out singles for your merch booths with the caveat that the sales are pass through. You guys won’t get any percentage on it.”
Sully sat back, satisfied. “I know. We weren’t looking for one. It’s a goodwill measure. From a business perspective, Spence, Kitty made our careers. She was our manager for eight years. She was the one that put us on the map. Our mi
llions, our status, our stardom is because of her. We’re not looking for a percentage. Now, I dunno how to track it, you’ll have to talk to the bean counters on that one.”
Spencer thought about it. “Sull, KMK has insight into all of that. It’s ‘in the family’ so to speak so running the numbers on your merch for her single won’t be a problem. I’ll talk to Giselle. I’m sure we can find a way to back it out of your numbers and separate the sales. Pete and Giselle will work out how this relates to NARAS and all those details. This will help her climb the charts. I’m sure it will give her quite a boost. It’s a great idea. Thank you. Does she know about it?”
He sighed. “No. She won’t take my calls. Personal shit aside, Spence, if she’s up for it, we’d like for her to perform the song at our L.A. shows. It’s the last two on the tour. L.A. is her city. She’ll blow up the Forum with that song. And if she has more than one maybe some up-tempo tracks to follow her ballad she could really command the audience.”
Spencer sat back and wondered if he should consult with Kit before committing her to it. “Three songs? What’s the placement in your set?”
“Her single—the one that’s all over the air waves right now plus two others of her choosing. She knows our audience like the back of her hand so I’m sure she’ll pick wisely. We’d put it two songs from the finish of the show, before the first encore. The crowd will go insane for her and this gives her a few weeks to build momentum on the charts and continue dominating the airwaves.”