Star Maker

by J. M. Nevins

  The O’Sullivan family had fallen in love with her from the moment she walked through the door two days prior. They had been completely warm and welcoming, treating her as if she were some kind of royalty and making a fuss over her. She wasn’t used to all the attention at first and then quickly grew to love it.

  She was enjoying her time with his parents and all five of Sully’s siblings. Overall, she was having a grand time with his family. They were a huge breath of fresh air for her. They were a wonderful, normal, working class family that really loved each other. The kind of family she watched on TV as a kid and envied growing up, wanting to transport herself into the TV set to be a part of their roost. The O’Sullivans were certainly a pleasant departure from what she was used to with her family—a constant game of politics, backstabbing, jockeying for position, and power plays.

  She heard a knock at the door followed by Sully’s voice. “Can I come in? Are you ready?”

  “Yep. Come on in.”

  Sully opened the door and walked in. Kit’s eyes widened. “Where in the hell did you get that?”

  He grinned. “My brother let me borrow it.”

  Kit stared at him. He was wearing a black suit with a stylish, thin tie and looked like a very handsome walking contradiction with his big, layered, long, brown mane now streaked with blond highlights and running a little past his shoulders. She could have never imagined Sully wearing such a thing with rocker presence but it worked, surprisingly. “Why are you wearing this?”

  He took her hands in his and grinned. “You said your dad is on the conservative side and that your family always dresses up for any occasion. I wanted to make a good first impression.”

  She smiled and gave him a slow kiss on the lips. “You’re amazing. Thank you. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you doing this, baby.”

  After a lovely Christmas afternoon visit at the Valois family estate, they decided to head out and conquer the inevitable—the Christmas dinner Kit was dreading with her own family. Five minutes later, they turned into the driveway and waited at the tall, iron gates that led to her father’s estate. Sully looked at her. “You lived here?”

  She nodded her head. “Briefly. I didn’t grow up here. My dad bought this place after he and my mom divorced when I was ten. I spent as much time at my grandmother’s as possible. She lives down the street from the Valois family. My dad bought this for his new wife, Deanna the ice queen, and the new family they were planning on at the time.

  “I’ve got a stepbrother and stepsister who are two total nightmares in addition to my brothers, one older, one younger. I haven’t been here for Christmas in five years. The last time I saw all of them was in June when my little brother, Spencer, graduated from high school.”

  Sully nodded, feeling slightly awkward, knowing his request to meet her family had made Kit exceedingly uncomfortable. She leaned over him and yelled toward the box. “It’s Kathryn, open up.”

  Seconds later the gates slowly opened to reveal a gently curved driveway leading up to beautiful, English Tudor style estate with an enormous, rolling, green lawn. Sully raised his eyebrows and whistled. “Damn, Kit. What did you say your dad did again?”

  She stared straight ahead and spoke flatly. “He’s a very litigation-happy attorney. If there’s a large class action lawsuit to be had, he’ll find it and he’ll win. He’s the majority partner and founder of one of the largest and most successful law firms in the country. Ambition is his middle name.” She looked over at Sully. “And for the record, he loves to debate anything and everything, so get ready to argue and hold your position firmly. He always thinks he’s right. Articulate your position well. He will push your buttons.”

  Sully swallowed hard as he parked the car. He couldn’t stop the nervous churning in his stomach. The pressure was mounting as they got out of his mother’s car that he borrowed for the day. Unfortunately the small, modest Ford decent under any other circumstances, looked like a heap of junk lost in a sea of high profile European autos and one vintage, black, Rolls Royce limousine that was probably more expensive than his parents’ house and a few others on their block combined. He was desperate to make a good impression, but had no idea of the angle to take with a guy like Kit’s dad.

  Sully was pleased he had made it through dinner. Kit had introduced him before they sat down and while the reception was generally chilly, her father did not go for the jugular during dinner. He kept his attention focused on Kit’s grandmother, Tilly, who was telling colorful stories, making everyone laugh, and doing her best to connect directly with Sully. Her late husband, Kit’s grandfather Jerry, had passed earlier in the year, so the family wanted to make this as easy a Christmas dinner as possible for her although all of them felt the void of Jerry’s presence.

  Kit stood talking to her stepbrother Cole after dinner only half listening to what he had to say. Her attention was focused on Sully who was across the room from her struggling to hold his own with her two brothers. She knew it was time for her to jump in and assist. She abandoned Cole in mid-sentence and made a beeline. As she approached, she heard her older brother James Jr., bragging.

  “Harvard was great for my undergrad and all, but I thought it would be more fun to go to law school at Yale instead of continuing on at the same old boring school. Dad was pretty happy about that, so it worked out well.” He gave Sully a condescending look and took a sip of his cocktail. “Did you go to college?”

  Sully shook his head and forced a grin, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “No. School wasn’t really my kind of scene.”

  James Jr. took another sip and nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  Kit sidled up to Sully and linked her arm in his. She smiled as she looked at him. “That’s because he’s a musical genius. He’s a very creative, brilliant songwriter.” She then turned her attention back to James Jr. and glared as she retorted flatly, “School bores the shit out of him.”

  James Jr. rolled his eyes. “Nice of you to join us, Kathryn. We were having a great conversation until you arrived.” He motioned toward Sully. “Looks like you got yourself a real winner here,” his tone was thick with sarcasm.

  Her anger quickly arose and it took every inch of restraint not to punch James Jr. in the face. Her green eyes narrowed as she started to raise her hand. He at least deserved a slap across the face for being such an asshole.

  Spencer McKenna, Kit’s younger brother and her favorite, interjected quickly in hopes of steering the conversation in a more positive direction. He smiled. “I’m really enjoying myself at Penn, Kit. I can see why you liked it so much for your undergrad.” He then looked at Sully. “Hey man, I’m Spence, Kit’s kid brother.” He extended his hand and smiled. “I’ve heard great things about you. You make my sister really happy.”

  Sully shook his hand and grinned, immediately liking him. “I’m Sully. Heard a lot about you too. You’re the favorite brother she always talks about. Kit adores you.” Sully shot James Jr. a glare that he immediately shrugged off.

  Spencer threw his arm around Sully. “Y’know dude, college is seriously overrated. I’m sure you had much more fun skipping it. And I can pretty much bet money that you see parties much crazier than ours at the frat house.”

  Kit grinned, pleased with Spencer for saving the day. Sully smiled and laughed. “You have no idea, Spence. I could tell you stories for days.”

  Spencer nodded. “I wanna hear ‘em. C’mon, let’s go do some shots. You can tell me all the details.” He patted Sully on the back as they walked away. He turned around and looked at Kit making sure to get her approval.

  She grinned at him, winked, and mouthed “thank you.” She watched them from afar and admired them both. Spencer was looking more handsome every year and she briefly recalled moments when they would get into food fights at the table, much to her parents’ and James Jr.’s chagrin, back when he was ten and she was fifteen. He had come a long way from being that fresh-faced, freckled, carrot-topped boy that used
to follow her around the house like a puppy dog and beg her to teach him chords on his guitar.

  At nineteen, Spencer now towered over her at six-foot-two with broad shoulders and a nice physique. His intense blue-green eyes stood out and sparkled when he was happy. He was a complete knockout and Kit had no doubts that he had a long line of sorority girls vying for his attention back at Penn. Not to mention he oozed charm, was extremely intelligent, and an all around good guy. Like her, he didn’t seem to fit well in their family, probably one of the reasons why they were so closely bonded. She and Spencer were clearly cut from the same cloth.

  She focused her attention back to James Jr. “Do you really have to be such an asshole to Sully? So, he didn’t take the traditional path. So what? He’s brilliant. He’s probably going to be richer than you one day.”

  James Jr. knocked back the last of his cocktail and shrugged his shoulders. “Doubt it. Doesn’t matter anyway. Dad hates him.”

  She shook her head. “No, he doesn’t.”

  James Jr. chuckled. “Yes, he does. He told me at dinner. Why the hell did you come back here anyway? To stir the pot? You didn’t have to bring that bozo with you to make your point. We get it. You’re a rebel. You’re the black sheep. You haven’t been missed, Kathryn.”

  Before Kit could get into it with her older brother, she noticed her father having a word with Sully and leading him away from Spencer, off to his study. She took a deep breath. She wondered if she should go in there and help Sully before her father reduced him to a sniveling church mouse.

  She mingled with her extended family uncomfortably for twenty very long minutes. Her grandmother hugged her and gave her a kiss. “Oh, Kitty-Kat, you’re so beautiful. Your fella is lovely.”

  Kit giggled. “Thank you, Nana. You like him?”

  She nodded. “Oh yes! He’s a nice boy, a very kind spirit. He’s good for you. He reminds me a little bit of your grandfather. He’s got that wicked charm and artsy sensitivity. Cute too and such a gentleman. I like the long hair. It’s wild and fun!”

  Kit laughed hearing the irony of gentleman and long hair in the same sentence. “You do?”

  She smiled. “Yes, I do! Now dear, tell me this, why does he look so familiar to me? Is he famous too, like our brilliant Joey was when he passed on?”

  Kit grinned and felt a wave of sadness. Joe and her grandmother had always gotten along fabulously well. They had been very close. “He’s not famous yet, Nan. And I stress yet. He’s a musician, a singer, and a songwriter. His star is on the rise. He was at Joe’s funeral. They were best friends. That’s why he looks familiar to you. I didn’t get a chance to introduce you two that day.”

  She nodded. “That’s ok, dear. I’ve met him today and that’s all that matters.” She smiled. “Keep that one around. He’s good for you. Now, Kit, I’ve talked to the attorneys and they said it’s still going to be a few more months until…”

  James, Kit’s father, walked up and interrupted the conversation. “Mother, this is not the time or place to discuss father’s estate. Kathryn was just leaving.”

  Kit shot her father a look and then glanced at Sully who appeared to be so livid she thought he would burst with rage. She looked at her father again and played along. She smiled at her grandmother sweetly, gave her a kiss, and long hug. “I’ll talk to you soon, Nana. You keep up with that great gardening, ok?” Her grandmother nodded and headed toward Spencer.

  She sternly focused her attention back to her father. Her tone was thick with fury as her green eyes narrowed. “You’re kicking me out on Christmas, James? How dare you!”

  He looked at her and then at Sully. “You can stay if you really want, but your boyfriend here needs to go. He’s not one of us. I figured you would want to accompany him. He seems convinced that you two have a future together, but I told him that he was dead wrong. You’re loyal to your family.” He stared directly into her eyes as if he were trying to hypnotize her. He spoke slowly for emphasis. “Right, Katie?”

  She glanced at Sully. She was breathing hard now, trying to keep her emotions in check as she glared at her father. “No, you’re wrong. He’s right.” She looked at Sully. “And I love him. We’re outta here.” She grabbed Sully’s arm and headed for the door.

  James pulled her other arm back toward him. He stared her straight in the eye again. “Do you really mean that, Katie? Answer carefully.”

  She wriggled free of his grasp and looked at him in disgust. “Yes, I do.”

  He nodded. “Ok, suit yourself. You can kiss your trust fund goodbye. I’m sure your brothers would be more than happy to have your share added to theirs.”

  Kit’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You wouldn’t.”

  He smirked. “You walk out that door and consider it done.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Ok, done. Have a nice life, James.”

  Sully reached to put his arm around her, his attempt to protect her, as he glared at Kit’s father. She only took one brief glance back at her father whose stern look hadn’t changed, but what broke her heart was the look of horror on the faces of her grandmother and Spencer, who had both overheard the entire conversation.

  Kit was quiet when they got back into the car. Once Sully got on the road she spoke quietly. “I’m not ready to go back to your parents’ house yet. Can we go get a drink?”

  He nodded and reached over, giving her knee a reassuring squeeze. “Sure. We can go wherever you want. Your neighborhood or mine? You pick.”

  “Let’s go to yours. I suddenly don’t feel welcome around here anymore.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Sully nodded to Kit and held her hand as they headed south on the highway toward Evergreen Park. They drove up to a dive bar that was surprisingly busy for Christmas night. He found two seats at the end of the bar where it wrapped around into the corner and led her there. She sat down and he flagged the bartender. The bartender recognized him immediately and was happy to see him.

  Sully ordered them doubles. The bartender pushed the drinks toward Sully and smiled. “On the house, Sull. Congrats. Looking forward to hearing your record soon.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, Stan.” He took his seat on the barstool next to Kit.

  She took a few big gulps of scotch and looked at Sully. Doubt was clouding her mind. Walking out on her family had left her in the lurch and now she was desperate to know she made the right decision. She turned her head and met his eyes. “Why do you love me?”

  He turned her barstool toward him so that they were facing each other and put his hands on top of her thighs. He smiled at her. “How much time you got? We could be here all night. It’s a pretty long list.”

  She grinned, but it faded quickly. “You saw where and what I came from. It’s not pretty. That’s why I’m such a hard ass. And now I feel like an orphan. I want to know, Sull. Where are we at here? Where are we going? I’m feeling really vulnerable now after that whole fiasco. I just walked out on my family.” She hugged herself.

  He nodded and stroked her cheek. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I love everything about you and I mean everything—even when you’re a hard ass and even some members of your family. Spence and your grandmother are pretty cool.” He grinned. He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. “I brought you out here for a reason. My family means a lot to me. I wanted them to meet you because I see you as my future. When I think about where I’m going, I think about you by my side. I can’t imagine my life without you. I’m thinking the whole enchilada, Kit.”

  She chuckled. “What do you mean, Sull?”

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Y’know… you, me. Marriage, a couple of kids, a dog, a mortgage…an empire.” His eyes twinkled as he gave her a conspiring grin.

  She stared at him as a small grin crept up on her face. She felt relief wash over her. “Really? You wanna be my partner for life and help me build an empire in the music industry?”

  He chuckled. “Yep. If you’ll let me. You c
an’t sit there and tell me you didn’t see this coming.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I had daydreamed about it, though. It’s kinda funny. I always thought I’d end up with a suit to build this amazing empire. Joe had told me otherwise. He saw me with someone like you. It just took me a while to figure it out. But I did, and it feels right.” He smiled and she continued. “And I love your family.”

  “They love you too.”

  “Good, because clearly I don’t have any family of my own left here.”

  Sully looked at her and sighed. “I feel bad about that, Kit.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t. It’s ok. I had to make a choice. He pushed me.” She huffed.

  He waited in anticipation. “And? Do you think you made the right choice?”

  She kissed him and stared deeply into his eyes. “I know I did.”

  He chuckled. “I sure hope so.”

  She gave him a playful shove. “I know so.”

  “Out of curiosity, how much was that trust fund you chucked out the window for me tonight?”

  Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion when she spoke. “Five million. Payable in full when I turned twenty-five.”

  Sully almost spit out his drink and refrained from choking. “Five million dollars?”

  She sighed, grimaced, and took a long sip of her scotch. “Yeah.”

  He took her hands in his again. “I promise you, I will support you, Kit. We’ll make that five million back on our own. We’ll double it. I know we will.”

  She chuckled and then stroked his cheek. “I know, babe. We’ll make triple that.”