Cadence

by J. M. Nevins

  Spencer knew it was a good launch for her single and her success. As her manager, he made an executive decision. “Ok. We’re still several weeks out from those shows, so let’s not push it out to the press yet. We’ll make the announcement closer to the dates.”

  He figured this would buy him time to speak to Kit about it and get her prepped. “How are we going to do this? Are you guys prepared to learn the songs? We’re gonna need a soundcheck for her too.”

  Sully remained unfazed. “I know. A step ahead of you on all that, brother. We’ll start rehearsing her single in soundcheck everyday so it’s perfect. Bryan knows the song well from being in session with her. Jimmy can learn anything in a matter of hours and Remo and Tony will get with the program—I’ll make sure of that.”

  He continued, smiling. “My job is pretty easy, I’ll watch from the wings and let her take the spotlight. We’ll learn the other songs when we’re back in L.A. We’ll have a few days to rehearse plus the soundcheck before the show. Ok, so I’ll start pushing her single in my radio interviews and in Tuesday night’s show. Good? Can Diamond get us the singles for merch by then?”

  Spencer grinned. He had forgotten how brilliant and hands on Sully could be when it came to the success of the band and now the success of Kit’s new single.

  He quickly recalled it was one of the things he had always admired about him. “Sull, don’t worry about that. Like I said, let G take care of it. She’s your lead. She’s got this. If you want updates, work with her on that. I’m jumping on a conference call with her and Pete in five minutes.”

  He nodded. “Ok, gotcha. Thanks, Spence.”

  Spencer twirled a pen in his hand, as a thought came across his mind. A thought he wasn’t particularly fond of. “Hey Sully, be straight with me. Are you doing this to try to win back my sister?”

  Sully sighed. It was a fair question. He felt saddened that Spencer was asking it, yet he understood why. His behavior was causing everyone to question his motives and he didn’t blame them.

  He shook his head. “No, Spence. As much as I want Kit back, that’s not my motive here. I told you my motive earlier in this conversation. She’s given us our career. Now it’s time for us to give back to her. I’m not doing this to get an angle with her. I don’t even know what will happen the nights she’s here to perform her single. She’s not speaking to me right now and she may not be speaking to me in soundcheck or those nights. That’s her prerogative. I assure you, Spence, my motives are for her success here. I haven’t talked to the band about this yet, but I can bet money this is something we’ll all agree on for a change. She’s done more for us on a professional level than we could ever ask for.”

  Spencer rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t deny that this was the version of his brother-in-law that he always liked. The problem was, he couldn’t let go of the past and what had been happening over the last year. As much as he wanted to get back into the brother from another mother space that they were once in, too much had happened for him to let his guard down just yet.

  He wanted so badly for Sully to step up, clean up his act and be consistent. He sighed softly and realized that maybe more time was needed for the personal side of their relationship to be mended. He was open to it, yet didn’t want to let Sully know just yet. He wanted to remain an objective observer and see what unfolded.

  Realizing he had left Sully hanging on the line, he jumped back into the conversation. “Ok. Good. Thanks for thinking of this, Sully. I gotta run, I have another call.”

  He didn’t want to end the call, but knew Spencer was due on the conference call that would put the entire plan into motion. “Yeah, you’re welcome. It was great talking to you, Spence.”

  “You too, Sully. Bye.”

  The call ended and Sully held the receiver in his hand, letting out a long sigh as he replaced it into the cradle. He wanted to continue the conversation with Spencer, hoping to mend fences, but the opportunity wasn’t there. He hoped that maybe now a door had been opened to restore his friendship with Spencer. He wasn’t holding his breath though.

  He picked up the phone again and dialed Sean. He answered immediately. “Hey Sean, can you get all the guys into your room for a meeting? It’s important.”

  CHAPTER 17

  A-Dub sat in the control room, his attention fixed on Kit as she sang her heart out. The two backup singers filled in and he winced. Bryan was sitting on the sofa and grimaced. He didn’t want to interfere with A-Dub’s process knowing he was one of the most respected pop producers in the industry, but he couldn’t remain silent.

  Bryan got up to approach A-Dub, when he stopped the track and spoke into the microphone. “Kit, take five. Barbara and Ivy, hang back. Let’s try the chorus again.”

  As Barbara and Ivy gave it another attempt, Kit passed through the control room unfazed and headed out to use the ladies’ room. She didn’t want anything to interrupt her zone.

  Barbara and Ivy kept going and once again, at a specific point in the song, the vocal blend sounded off. A-Dub shook his head and muttered “fuck” under his breath. He then asked them to go again, separately. As he listened intently, he learned the weak link was Barbara. He asked her to try again in a different key.

  Bryan leaned forward, hovering over the boards as he interjected. “She’s flat. Like really flat and changing the key isn’t helping. You gotta cut her, she’ll fuck up the mix.”

  A-Dub looked over and met Bryan’s eyes. “I know, man. I know. I need two girls backing Kit on this song and for a handful of songs on the album. We don’t have time to audition another backup vocalist. Not on this timeline. My go to gal is doing another project right now. Ivy, I’ve worked with before. She’s great. She’s reliable and she can carry it if I need to double-track her—I just wanted another voice in there to get a specific blend.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

  Bryan nodded, understanding perfectly. “I know someone. Want me to call her?”

  A-Dub’s eyes lit up. “Is she local? L.A? Yes! Go call her. See if she can come in.”

  Bryan grinned. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ten minutes later, Bryan returned, smiling from ear-to-ear. “Good news, A-Dub. She’s available and is leaving right now to head here. She’s driving in from Malibu.”

  He nodded, looking relieved. “Thank you. I trust your judgment, man. You’ve got an ear and if you say she can do it, I believe you.”

  Bryan snickered. “I haven’t heard her sing in a while, so I had her audition on the phone with me. She’s still got it.”

  A-Dub laughed. “I love it. Who is this awesome backup vocalist?”

  Bryan grinned. “Kendalle Scott.”

  Kit entered the room, hearing Bryan’s response. A-Dub shrugged his shoulders. “Never heard of her, but if you say she’s got it, I trust you.” He stood up. “Ok. Let’s hold, take a break, get some grub and when Kendalle arrives we’ll go again. Now, let me go fire a backup singer. Excuse me.”

  Kit frowned and looked at Bryan, alarmed. “What the fuck is going on? Why is he firing one of the backup singers? And why are you talking about Kendalle to him?”

  Bryan chuckled. “C’mon, pretty Kitty, let’s go grab some lunch.”

  Bryan smiled at Kit as he reached for his iced tea to take a sip. She shook her head. “Of all people, why did you have to suggest Kendalle? And wipe that fucking grin off your face. She’s been calling me, y’know? I haven’t returned any of her calls. Candice, my new assistant, keeps giving me the messages.”

  Bryan finished his sip and met Kit’s eyes. “Maybe this is the Universe’s way of bringing you two together. Seriously, what do you have against her? Not only is she one of Sull’s closest friends, she’s one of mine. If it makes you feel any better Giselle loves her too. Loves her! And you know Giselle doesn’t make friends easily. She’s a tough cookie that way. Before you can even think it, hell no—she won’t hit on you, although I know she thinks you’re gorgeous. She’s told Sull that on more than
one occasion.” He chuckled and took another sip.

  With Bryan’s last comment, Kit giggled. She shook her head again, unable to wipe the grin off of her face. She let out a long sigh. “Ok, ok. I’ll be nice. I’ll meet her.”

  He nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

  Kit met his eyes. “Are you serious about her being a backup singer on my album?”

  He held her gaze. “Uh yeah. Duh. My God, Kit. That’s A-Dub up there! One of the most legendary pop producers right now. I would not fuck around with my reputation in front of that guy. He means business and I saw how pissed he was with that mediocre backup singer, Barbara. She was a replacement that Diamond’s A&R team sent over at the last minute. And, well, we know how that ended.”

  He nodded. “But, I get where you’re coming from and there’s no need for you to be concerned. Kendalle was a backup singer in New York. Girl got skills!”

  Kit frowned. “I thought she was a ballerina in New York.”

  Bryan grinned. “She was. She’s a multi-talented girl, just like you, Kitty. Yes, her day job was a principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre, however on her way to getting that coveted spot, she spent many years as a corps dancer and a soloist. It didn’t pay as well. So, on days or evenings when she wasn’t performing, rehearsing or training, she took gigs as a backup singer and a choreographer for tours and Broadway to pay the bills. She did mostly studio work. There were a few spots where she had to take off months at a time to heal from an injury. She couldn’t dance, but she could act and sing, so she got picked up and did Broadway or some tours with top artists like Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle and Don Henley . When she had that really bad injury two years ago, she continued to do backup gigs, did a show on Broadway and took on more choreographer gigs.”

  Kit sighed. She had no idea that Kendalle was so accomplished and sounded like quite the triple threat artist. She then frowned. “But I thought Sully said she has stage four lymphoma.”

  Bryan’s jovial expression faded to one of concern. “She does. And that’s why I called her and talked with her before telling A-Dub she was a go. I wanted to make sure she was up for it, not only for today’s session but for others coming up ‘cuz chances are he’ll want to continue to use her. I had her sing something for me. She sounded great, like usual, and she said she was feeling better. She had her last chemo treatment two weeks ago. She said not only was she up to singing backup on your album, but she relished the opportunity. I think she’s going stir crazy in Malibu. Kendalle is like us, she needs to be creating and contributing or she loses her mind.”

  Learning more and more about Kendalle from a source other than Sully was proving to be healing and soothing for Kit. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her and wondered if maybe she and Sully could work on building trust again. It was like Sully said, Kendalle was not a threat at all, if anything it was starting to sound like she’d be an asset.

  Kit looked at Bryan, suddenly become concerned. “Bry, is she going to be ok? Isn’t stage four serious?”

  He sighed. “Yes, however, she’s lucky. She has the form of lymphoma that’s highly curable. Her oncologist is optimistic. We’ll know more in the next few weeks, seeing how her body responded to the second round of chemo. We’re all hoping for the best. Too scary to think of the alternative. Sull and I have been doing our best to be there for her since we found out. She’s kind of like our third musketeer from the block, y’know?”

  Kit thought about her own musketeers, Alexa and Joe and now understood the gravity of the relationship and the bond Sully had with Kendalle. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling bad she made such a rash assumption about Kendalle and didn’t give Sully more of an opportunity to explain.

  She sighed. “I get it, Bry. Ok, I’ll do better than being nice today, I’ll set up some time so she and I can get to know each other. Seems she could use a friend or two as she goes through her cancer journey. And since I’m in L.A. maybe that could help. I’m sure she has friends here though, right?”

  He bobbed his head. “Sure. She’s got a few. Kendalle’s pretty well connected. And before you even ask—no, she’s not a partier. She used to be and she got her shit straightened out. She went to rehab two years ago and she’s been clean ever since. Her partner, Magda, was really there for her as she worked through it. I miss Magda. She was really cool.”

  Kit nodded. “I could keep asking you questions about Kendalle, but I think at this point, it’s best if I ask her those questions directly so I can get to know her and she can get to know me. Do you think that’s a good plan?”

  He smiled wide. “Kitty, I think that’s a great plan!”

  When they returned to the studio, Kendalle had arrived. She was chatting with A-Dub and the other backup singer, Ivy. Kit surveyed from a distance noticing she was an average height with long legs and a very slender physique. She was supremely stylish and well put together. Kit could easily see how she was once a ballerina.

  Her bright cornflower blue eyes danced as she chatted with A-Dub. She had lots of charisma and a perfect smile that lit up the room immediately. Kit noticed the chic scarf that she had fashionably wrapped around her head. She figured it was due to the chemo treatments taking her hair. As Sean and Sully had confirmed, she was indeed a stunner. Kendalle looked like a model.

  Bryan ran over to Kendalle and enveloped her in a bear hug as she giggled. As she pulled back she gave him a quick peck on the lips. As Kit watched them, she saw elements of how she and Alexa used to act with Joe and how he interacted with them. It became very obvious that this was a similar relationship and once again, she felt her body relax.

  Kit approached and smiled, extending her hand. “Kendalle, hi. I’m Kit. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.”

  Kendalle met her welcoming emerald eyes and offered a friendly smile. She giggled, ignored the handshake, pulled Kit into her arms and hugged her tightly. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

  She pulled back and met Kit’s eyes. “It seemed like whenever you and Pat, um, Sully were in town I was out of town, including your wedding in New York years ago. I hope you don’t mind that I went on the road with Bryan and Pat for a bit. I needed to…”

  Kit smiled and held up her hand to stop Kendalle mid-sentence. “It’s perfectly fine. I’m glad you did. I think Sully needed that too.”

  Kendalle bobbed her head and grinned. “Yeah. He told me you’d get it. Glad to see you do.”

  Kit met her eyes. “I’d love to talk more, we gotta get to work now. Dinner tonight?”

  Kendalle smiled. “I’d like that.”

  A-Dub walked over. “Ok you two, social hour is over. Kendalle, let’s get you and Ivy in the booth to do a quick run through. If it goes well, we’ll put Kit back in the mix and continue.”

  Kendalle nodded to him and headed into the vocal booth with Ivy. Kit took a seat next to Bryan on the sofa and got comfortable, ready to listen. A-Dub hit the playback and perched over the soundboards. Seconds later as the backing vocals came in he nodded his head. He let them finish out the chorus and then he stopped them.

  He turned around and looked at Bryan. “Thank you. She’s perfect! We’ve got ourselves a great backup singer.” He met Kit’s eyes. “Get back in the vocal booth, Missy. Let’s keep going.”

  Kit had finished locking her car and was headed toward the restaurant, when she noticed the white Lotus Esprit turning into a parking space. Kendalle got out moments later. Kit waved to her.

  Kendalle approached, smiling. “I’ve never been to Chin-Chin. Is it good?”

  Kit chuckled. “Is it good? Oh, that’s an understatement.”

  She started leading her toward the restaurant. “When Sully and I were first dating, he brought me here. It was big deal because he finally had money, so he was all proud to pay for everything. It was really cute. It’s been one of our favorite places ever since.”

  Kendalle smiled. “That’s adorable and sounds just like him.” Her eyes met Kit’s. “I’ve never seen him as
in love with anyone as he has been with you all these years.”

  Before Kit could interject, Kendalle continued. “I know things are strained between you two right now. He told me all about it. And we’re here to hang out and get to know each other, so let’s do that. I don’t want to talk about Pat all night.” She giggled. “As much as I love him, I can think of many other things to chat about.”

  Kit laughed. “Ok. Good plan. Let’s go order some food.”

  Tucked into her favorite booth, Kit enjoyed dinner with Kendalle, finding that they were getting along extremely well. She now knew why Sully always used to say that Keni and she would hit it off. Back then, though, she had imagined that Keni was a guy and didn’t get it. Now everything was making sense.

  Kendalle grinned. “Have you seen the house in Malibu yet?”

  She shook her head and sipped her water. “No. Not yet.”

  Kendalle nodded. “You’re welcome to come by anytime you’d like. Although Pat owns the place, it’s mine right now. I’m paying him a pretty penny in rent every month.”

  She then smiled. “I don’t mind. I know he bought it as an investment property and I can afford it. That car, though, ugh. I need to get myself a real car.”

  Kit laughed. “You don’t like the Lotus?”

  She shook her head. “No. Not my style. It’ll do in a pinch, but it’s not my ideal.” She met Kit’s eyes. “So, are you enjoying working with A-Dub? He seems pretty cool.”

  Kit nodded her head. “Yeah, he’s great. It’s all happening so fast.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, you just wait. It’s gonna get even faster. I can see it. You’ll probably be more famous than Pat!” She laughed and then noticed the look of apprehension in Kit’s eyes.

  She grinned. “Kit, it’ll be fine. You’ll do great. And you won’t turn into an asshole like Pat. At least I hope you won’t.”

  Kit couldn’t stifle her giggle. “Did you seriously just call him an asshole?”

  She smiled and nodded. “I did. I’ve been calling him that a lot. Let me put it to you this way. I’ve had some colorful conversations with him. He’s gone off the deep end and while I’m a close friend, I also won’t let him destroy himself with drugs. He’s an asshole when he’s using and I like to remind him of that. His choices suck. He’s a dick and I won’t put up with it.”