Chart Toppers (Star Maker Book 3)

by J. M. Nevins

  She waved to him as she walked by, still in conversation, heading into the house. He waved back and flashed a smile. She sat down with everyone in the office and the conference call started. She glanced outside from time to time to see what Sully was doing. Nothing changed much except for his position to find better patches of sunlight like a lazy housecat in the afternoon. She took her attention back to the call and stayed focused there.

  Hours later, Sully had melted into the couch. Kit felt bad when she walked in and noticed him. Her schedule had gotten messed up, and it was now five o’clock. Their day together was blown. She mustered her best hopeful tone possible, but had felt negative repercussions for her scheduling snafu were coming. “Hey, babe.”

  He refused to acknowledge her. He kept his attention focused on the TV as he flipped channels. He did not look happy.

  She took a seat next to him. “I’m sorry. I know I was supposed to be done two hours ago.”

  He glanced at her, still displeased. “Uh-huh.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Oh babe, don’t be like this. C’mon. I’m here now. We can hang out the rest of the night. I won’t take one call or anything work related. I’m all yours.”

  He leaned back again, shook his head and turned off the TV with the remote. He threw it onto the coffee table in front of him. He folded his arms in front of his chest. “You really mean that?”

  She snuggled up to him as close as she possibly could and kissed him on the cheek. “Of course I do.”

  The phone started ringing, and he watched her closely. She stared at him, not moving, although he could tell she was squirming in her seat and wanted to answer it. Moments later, it stopped ringing, and Giselle entered the room.

  “Kit, it’s Spencer. He says it’s urgent.”

  Sully stared at her awaiting her reaction, his arms still folded in front of him. He tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. Kit sighed and swallowed hard. “Tell him I’m out of the office until tomorrow. Hold all my calls for the night, ok?”

  Giselle looked at Sully and then at Kit and knew what was going on in an instant. She nodded. “You got it, boss.”

  She left the room as Kit returned her attention to Sully. “See. I told you I wouldn’t take any calls. I mean it. You are my number one priority right now.”

  He finally grinned and pulled her toward him to give her a kiss. “Thank you.”

  “I feel so British right now.” Sully sat in his fluffy robe, sipped his tea and laughed, speaking with an English accent.

  Kit giggled, sitting across from him in a matching robe. “I know. It’s nice, isn’t it?” She hired a catering service to do a full-blown high tea spread for them on their terrace that morning.

  All was going well, until just moments prior when members of Jade Riff started trickling in. They were soon followed by Spencer, who attempted to interrupt their tea service, only to be deterred by Kit, who held up her hand to stop him. She gave him a glare and pointed sternly toward the studio.

  Sully laughed watching her. “This is nice, Kitty-Kat, but it would be nicer if there weren’t people traipsing in and out. See, this is what I mean, babe. I love this place, you know I do, but I don’t feel like it’s ours anymore. It belongs to Flat 5 and KMK and Gypsy Tango and Jade Riff and any other band who may work on their material here. I want to have a place that’s just ours. You and me. And preferably somewhere bigger than our condo. I want a place where we can raise kids in a normal environment, not a three ring circus.”

  She stared at him. “And here we go with the new house conversation again. Sully, I am not having this conversation with you right now. No.” She shook her head and bit into a delicious scone slathered with clotted cream and jam.

  He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

  She looked at him, her eyes narrowing. “What is up with you lately?”

  He stared at her. “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head and frowned. “Something’s off with you. You’re so cranky. Is this why you were so needy yesterday? Is something going on with you?”

  He rolled is eyes again. “Needy yesterday? Thanks, babe. I just wanted to spend time with my wife after not seeing her for months, and she calls me needy. Whatever.” He turned his attention away from her and stared out at the skyline view of Los Angeles.

  She chuckled and reached for his hand. “Now, now. Don’t go getting overly sensitive on me. I’m serious; it seems like something’s bugging you. What’s going on, babe?” She stroked his hand gently.

  He glared at her. “This tour is intense, Kit.”

  She nodded. “I know, babe. It’s a faster pace. More cities. More fans. Much more press.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t get it. It’s more than that… It’s so demanding. It’s too much, Kit. I’m concerned.”

  She frowned. “Concerned about what?”

  He sighed. “That we’ll all make it through this tour. I don’t know. Even me saying that sounds a little melodramatic and over the top, but I’ve got a weird feeling. I don’t like it.”

  She nodded. “The good thing is this tour is running smoother than any tour ever has for you guys. You don’t have to deal with a tour bus, you’re constantly on a private jet or in limos, so that’s nice. People love you wherever you go. It’s good, babe. You’re just a little tired, and that’s understandable. Think of it this way, you’ve completed a third of this tour already.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “A third. Oh shit, that means that I still have two-thirds to go.” He buried his head in his hands.

  She got up and walked over to him, massaging his shoulders. He looked up at her and pulled her onto his lap. She gave him a quick kiss. “You can do this. You were born to do this. You’re great on that stage, babe.”

  He gazed into her eyes and gently stroked her cheek. “I want you to come back out on the road with us.”

  She stared at him. “You know I can’t do that. The album doesn’t drop for another six weeks, and we’ve still got a lot to do before that.”

  “I mean after the album drops.”

  “I don’t know if I can. Things are different now, babe.”

  He nodded and helped her off his lap. He sighed. “I figured you’d say that.”

  She took her seat again and stared at him. “Do you just want me to be a housewife and quit working so I can follow you on the road? Correct me if I’m wrong here, babe, but that is not what I signed up for when I married you. I thought you knew that.”

  He nodded. “I know, I know. It was just a thought. I guess I got spoiled having you on the road with us during the ‘Dangerous Curves’ tour. This one is harder. I wish you were with me, that’s all I’m sayin’. I understand that you have work, and I don’t want to take you away from that. That’s not my intention.”

  She stared at him. “I’ll try to come out and meet you on the road as much as I can, ok? And you know I’m coming out for your dates in Hawaii. I’ve had that blocked out in my schedule the moment those shows got booked.”

  He nodded. “You know what I really want to do?”

  She took his hand again and looked at him. “What?”

  He grinned. “I want to go to Disneyland.”

  She laughed. “Oh shit. You should have told me that ahead of time. We could have planned it out on that free day you had. We won’t be able to go like we used to. We’ll have to go VIP now.”

  He chuckled. “I’d be ok with that. Maybe next time I blow through town or after the tour’s over.”

  She grinned. “I’d love that.”

  “Y’know I resent your urgent messages. If every message is urgent, it gets old. It’s like you’re crying wolf all the time. Stop that shit.” Kit scolded.

  Spencer sighed. “Ok, I’m sorry. I’ll pipe down. There’s so much going on right now, and all of it seems urgent to me. I have good news for you.”

  Her ears suddenly perked up. “Good news. That’s a change. Whatcha got?”

  “’Jigsaw�
�� is charting well. Jade Riff’s new album debuted at number twenty-six.”

  She grinned. “That’s nice to hear. How are sales looking?”

  He chuckled. “Fucking fantastic. Seems everything you’re touching in the studio these days turns to platinum, Kit.”

  “What? They’ve hit platinum already?”

  “No, but they will. They hit gold in the first week, and they’ve got good momentum. Pete and Jonathan are happy.”

  “Good. I talked to Jonathan the other day. He said ‘Triple Tango’ is at nine times platinum. It’s surpassed ‘Dangerous Curves’ in terms of sales, which is bananas. I haven’t had a chance to tell the guys. I figured I’d spring it on ‘em when they’re here for Christmas break in six weeks.”

  Spencer laughed. “Yeah, by then they’ll probably be something crazy like twelve times platinum.”

  She grinned. “Their sales are crazy, yes, but not that crazy.”

  “I need a favor.”

  She growled, jokingly. “Seriously? Why do you pull this shit with me? I’m all out of favors for you, Spence.”

  “I’m serious, Kit.”

  She chuckled. “So am I. Ok, what?”

  “It’s Tabitha. She wants to quit KMK and leave the biz entirely.”

  Kit frowned. “What? Why? Isn’t she one of your best?

  “Yeah, she is. That’s why I freaked out when she told me. She’s hitting the wall. Same old shit you used to deal with before you made a name for yourself.”

  Kit sighed, disgusted, as she remembered how things used to be and sadly sometimes still were even with her preferred status. “Oh, you mean the Hollywood boy’s club that is the music biz? Chauvinistic pricks trying to bring her down or try to get her into bed with them before they’ll work with her or her band?”

  “Yep. You got it. Can you talk to her, Kit? Maybe play mentor or something. Meet her for lunch?”

  She rolled her eyes. She wanted to help, but her schedule was intense and taking time out for a leisurely lunch wasn’t something she looked forward to doing. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Yeah, Spence, I’ll just pencil her into my Thursday that’s completely free. Not one appointment. Imagine that?”

  He groaned. “C’mon, Kit. I know you’re busy. As I said, I’m asking for a favor. She’s one of the best managers we have on staff at KMK. Do you want us to lose her? I certainly don’t.”

  “You always put me in the worst positions where I can’t say no.” She played with him. “I hate you.”

  He chuckled. “So, that’s a yes?”

  She grinned. “It’s a yes. I’m going to transfer you to Giselle, and I suggest you kiss her ass in order to get Tabitha into my schedule sooner rather than later. Her favorite flower is a Gerbera daisy. She calls it the happy flower.”

  He laughed. “Hint taken. Transfer me.”

  Kit burst out laughing hours later when Giselle walked into their office, carrying a large bouquet of Gerbera daisies. She smiled and played along. “Who are those from?”

  Giselle shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. It’s a gorgeous arrangement.” She set the vase on her desk and plucked the card. She frowned and read it aloud. “Here are some happy flowers so you’ll happily pick up the phone and call me right now, Spencer.” Kit laughed again, loudly. Giselle glanced over at her, shaking her head. “What is so damned funny?”

  “Spencer. He’ll explain. Just call him.”

  She laughed. “Ok. This ought to be interesting.” Kit listened intently as Giselle got on the phone. She winked at Kit as she started. “Spence, you got my attention. What do you want?”

  Kit glanced at her wristwatch and scribbled a few notes into the pocket scheduler she had laid out in front of her on the table. She glanced up and noticed Tabitha walk in and happily waved to her, relieved she was early.

  Tabitha sat down seconds later and easily shifted into small talk. Kit knew the clock was ticking and decided to get down to business. She leaned forward and met her eyes. “Tabitha, Spence tells me you’re thinking of blowing out of dodge. What’s up?”

  She immediately launched into her reasoning. Kit listened to her and realized that this girl was up against all the same things she dealt with seven years earlier with Gypsy Tango and her other bands. She wouldn’t want to repeat those years filled with grief and frustration for all the money in the world. She felt for Tabitha. Suddenly, her overbooked afternoon schedule was the last thing on her mind. She favored supporting Tabitha as much as possible to keep her part of what she, Alexa and Maxine had coined ‘the sisterhood.’

  Two hours passed quickly and after going through all the details, Kit decided that maybe Tabitha just needed a break. She had the perfect idea and was eager to share it.

  Her emerald eyes twinkled. “I understand your plight, Tabitha, but I think maybe you’re just dealing with burnout here. And believe me, I know burnout.” She chuckled.

  Tabitha grinned as tears welled up in her brown eyes. She nodded her head and grinned in agreement. Kit’s words were hitting home. She listened intently desperate for Kit’s suggestion and hopefully, solution.

  She leaned forward. “Let me give you a little insider information, here. Music chooses you. You don’t choose music. It’s part of your lifeblood. If you run away, it’s just going to try harder to pull you back in. It will always find a way.” She grinned. “I know this well, honey. I went to law school for three years trying to run away from it and go the business route and what am I doing now? Not using that law degree. I’m writing songs, doing arrangements and developing artists. And I see the same abilities in you. We have similar backgrounds. I know you’re a musician. I get that you want to run away, but please don’t. How about you take a break?”

  Tabitha shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. I feel like if I take a break, I’ll never find a way back in.”

  Kit sipped her drink and shook her head. “That’s bullshit. You’ll always have an in with me, so wipe that lie from your mind.” She stared at her. “What do you want to do, Tabitha? Aside from music, what’s the real driver in you? Is it fame and fortune or is it changing lives and making a difference? What’s your motivation? Help me understand that.”

  Tabitha grinned. “I want to change lives and make a difference. Something that inspires others, y’know?” Her brown eyes came alive, and she nodded. “Sounds a little pie in the sky idealistic.”

  She shook her head and offered an encouraging grin. “Not at all. I like your motivation and I had a feeling that would be your answer.” She folded her hands on the table. “So, that being said, how would you feel about taking a break from KMK to head up the L.A. office for our non-profit foundation?”

  Tabitha’s eyes widened, and a grin spread across her face. “I would love that! Really?”

  Kit giggled. “Yes, really. And we’d work around your school schedule. It’s important that you finish what you started at UCLA. You’d be working with my mother-in-law, Moira. I’m certain you two will hit it off. She’s pretty amazing, as are you. So, how ‘bout it? I think Moira will be in town later this week. We recently secured an office in Mid-Wilshire, and she’s going to be signing the lease. You game for meeting her and seeing if it would be a fit for you?

  Tabitha smiled wide. “Yes! Oh Kit, I am so grateful that you’re considering me for this. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I just need a break from the boys’ club, y’know.”

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, I know, sister. Hell do I know!” She grinned. “So, next steps will be for you to call Giselle, my assistant. She’ll get everything set up. I’d love to be in the meeting, but I’m not sure I can swing it. Things are a little crazy in my world right now. Regardless of that, I want to hear from you after the meeting. Giselle will be able to give you all that contact information.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “My apologies, I do need to head out.”

  Tabitha nodded. “No need to apologize, Kit. I’ll walk out with you.”

  The valet pulled up in Tabitha’s car first, and she
smiled at Kit. “Thanks again, Kit, for everything. Your sound advice made me feel so much better. I appreciate it. And I’m very excited about this new opportunity with your foundation.”

  Kit gave her a friendly grin and nodded. “You’re very welcome. We need more women like you in this business, Tabitha. Don’t forget that.” She gave her a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  She nodded and forced a grin. “Thanks, Kit. I’ll touch base with you later this week.” She waved as she got into her black sports car and drove away.

  Kit watched her car merge into traffic and felt pleased. She just gained a stellar new employee for her foundation that could potentially run the whole thing nationally, or she would eventually gain a successor she could groom for her position at Diamond or Flat 5. She giggled to herself, satisfied that the afternoon had turned into a win for both of them.

  CHAPTER 17

  Kit lightly snoozed on the couch in the entertainment room. It was the first time in several months that she didn’t have something on her schedule. The house was quiet, and she was looking forward to a nice night alone with a bowl of popcorn and a chick flick. She made it halfway into the movie before conking out again. The phone rang and roused her out of her sleep.

  She reached over and grabbed the extension in the room. “Yeah.”

  “Kit.”

  She recognized Sean’s voice immediately and sat straight up, suddenly alert. “Sean, what’s up? Is everything ok?”

  “No. Sully is in a lot of pain. He got charged by a large group of lunatic fans when he was attempting to get out of the limo to go into the radio station for an on-air interview.

  “The radio station had announced exactly what time the band would be arriving and where to see them pull up. Security for the station wasn’t doing their job and to be quite honest, we probably should have brought more bodyguards to handle the crowd and protect him. He got thrown against the limo. Danny, the driver and me plus two bodyguards were able to get the fans off him and get him back into the car until the situation was under control, but he reinjured his back.”