Star Maker (16 page)

They
reached a red light and she looked over at him, reaching over to grab his hand
that rested on the gearshift. “Hey, thank you. I owe you big for this. If
you wouldn’t have done all that I would have missed my exam and would have had
hell to pay.”

He
looked over at her and grinned, took her hand in his, and kissed it. “You’re
welcome.”

“Breakfast
on me afterward? Will you come back and pick me up?”

He
chuckled and sped along Sunset Boulevard. “Breakfast, yes. Who ever said I
was coming back to pick you up? I was planning on sleeping in the car until
you were done so I could take you back home. Your exam is probably gonna be
about an hour, right?”

She
laughed. “Yes. In that case, I’ll show you where to park.”

CHAPTER 13

Kit
felt butterflies churning in her stomach as she knocked on Joe’s front door.
He opened the door and grinned, immediately pulling her into his arms. She
sighed and closed her eyes, feeling relieved. She pulled back and gazed up into
his caramel brown eyes seeing a light in them again that she hadn’t seen in
months. She smiled. “You look like you again. I’ve missed you, Joe.”

He
smiled and kissed her on each cheek. “C’mon in to my drug free zone. Do you
want a drink?”

She
stared at him and took a seat on the extra large, luxurious, suede sectional
sofa. “Whatcha got?”

“Soda,
tea, sparkling water. Pick your poison.”

She
smiled. “I’d love some sparkling water.”

He
entered the kitchen and retrieved her drink. He took a moment and leaned on
the counter to keep his balance. He closed his eyes and grimaced. Something
was very wrong. He hadn’t admitted it to anyone. After Kit’s last lecture and
a talking to from Sully and his bandmates, he had made a trip to rehab in London.

His
rehab went well and he left England afterward for France where he remained with
family for several weeks afterward to clear his mind. He had only been in Los
Angeles for a few days and realized he was in for the test of his life. He had
already turned down dozens of invites to parties and put the kibosh on drop ins
from his famous rock star friends that wanted to come over and party.

Veronique’s
unmistakable French accent wafted through the apartment. Joe heard her talking
to Kit and introducing herself. He knew that was his cue to head back out. He
pushed the concerns about his health to the back burner and made his way back
to the living room. He smiled at Kit as he handed her the drink and put his arm
around Veronique. He kissed her on the lips. “I see you’ve met my new wife.”

Kit sat
on the sofa stunned as the color drained from her face. She stared at the
gorgeous, tall, slender, brunette glamazon with cat-shaped, light blue eyes.
Veronique was surely a model. She was absolutely exquisite. She gulped and
forced a grin. “Yes. She’s lovely, Joe. When did you two tie the knot?”

Veronique
gazed sweetly at Joe. “Two weeks ago.” She looked at Kit and smiled. “My
parents know Joe’s family very well. We happened to run into each other in St.
Tropez and put the pieces of the puzzle together. We got married at my
parents’ chateau in the Loire Valley. It was so impromptu. I’m sorry you
weren’t there. Joe says you two are childhood friends.”

She
nodded. “Yes, we are. Congratulations.” She looked at Joe. “I should
probably go and leave you two lovebirds alone. I’m sure you want to get
acclimated back to L.A. life.”

He
shook his head and Veronique smiled. “That’s nice of you, Kit, but I have to
go meet up with the L.A. office of my agency. They said there may be some work
for me here.”

He
smiled at Kit. “And besides, you said you wanted to talk to me. We need to
catch up anyway. Veri will be gone all afternoon.”

She
nodded and kissed him. “I will.” She bent down and gave Kit a kiss on each cheek.
“Pleasure meeting you, Kit. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you quite a bit.”

Kit
nodded. “Likewise.”

Veronique
gave Joe an affectionate goodbye as he walked her to the door and gave her a
long kiss, professing his love in French as she grabbed her handbag and walked
out. He shut the door and returned, smiling at Kit. “Isn’t she great? And I
don’t even have to worry about her taking me for my money. She’s from a
wealthy family and she totally gets me. She’s an artist too. She models for
the fun and travel, but is an amazing sculptor. Isn’t that crazy?”

Kit
wanted to be happy for him, but felt nauseated. She shifted her eyes away from
Joe and stood up. The door of opportunity that had been open all her life had
been slammed shut in her face. She was too late. “I have to go.”

He
stood in front of her and braced her shoulders, frowning. “Kit, what’s wrong?
Talk to me. You said you wanted to talk about something really important. I’m
here to listen. Look at me.”

Her
eyes met his and she scrambled to find the words. She felt like a fool. “You
seem really happy with her. It’s good to see you healthy and happy again.”

He
stared at her, completely unconvinced. “Sit. We’re talking. You just lied to
me. I could see it in your eyes. Do you not like her? Maybe I should get you
two together so you can get to know her. I swear you’ll love her. She’s a lot
like you. She doesn’t put up with my shit for a second!” He chuckled. She
sat down and couldn’t face him. He sat next to her and put his arm around her
shoulders, sensing there was something still bothering her. “What’s up?”

She
looked at him. “I really should go.”

He
faced her and folded his arms. “Ok, now you’re being weird. Kit, what were
you going to tell me? Spit it out. We’ve been best friends since we were
seven. You can tell me anything. I swear I won’t judge you. Just say what’s
on your mind.”

Tears
welled up in her eyes and she shook her head. She didn’t want to tell him, but
he had backed her into a corner. “It’s not what’s on my mind, it’s what’s on
my heart. I’ve been thinking about lots of things and I came to some
conclusions but they just don’t matter anymore.”

He
continued to stare at her with growing concern. The Kit he knew was tough as
nails and never showed her emotions or talked about how she was feeling. He
wondered what was going on. “Why are you saying that? Kit, you’ve lost me.
You’ve gone from the Kit I know to someone I’ve never met before.” He joked.
“Are you the one on drugs now?”

She
reached her boiling point and stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I
fucked up, ok? I should have given you a chance. You were right. I’m not
meant to be with a suit. I realized it when you were in rehab. All that talk
about us getting together that you kept pushing on me when we got to L.A.
actually felt right. I was resisting it. I was scared. I was coming here to
ask you for a shot now that you’re clean, but I already have my answer. You’re
happily married. Let me go, Joe.”

He
stood up and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she sobbed. He
closed his eyes and felt even more confused. He got his thoughts straight and
pulled back. He looked at her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Kit, sit
down. Let’s talk, ok. I can tell you’re really freaked out and vulnerable
right now, but I promise you that we’ll tread lightly through this, ok? I
can’t let you leave here like this.”

She
sniffled and took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from him. He left the
room and returned with some tissues for her. She took them and dabbed her
eyes. She stared at him as he took his seat. “I really fucked up, didn’t I,
Joe?”

He
chuckled. “No. Kit, don’t take this the wrong way, ok?” She nodded. He
grinned. “I really think that if we were meant to be together then we would
have been. There was an element missing the whole time, even though I didn’t
want there to be. And I didn’t realize that until I met Veronique. I’ve never
met anyone like her. She’s my perfect match. It’s inexplicable. There’s no
formula Kit, just an inner knowing.

“If it
makes you feel any better, I was completely in love with you for a very long
time. Long before we moved out here. Why do you think I moved my ass to
Philly after I dropped out of Berklee? I was praying you’d dump Darren and run
to me. That didn’t exactly unfold in a favorable way for either of us.”

She
interjected and forced a grin. “You saved my life in Philly, Joe.” She
started to get choked up again. “I’ve taken you for granted all these years.
I’m so sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how grateful for you I was. I
think he would have killed me if you hadn’t stepped in that night. I don’t
even remember it.”

Joe let
out a long sigh. “It’s better you don’t, babe. You recovered from it well,
though, and came back as a fighter. Leaving Philly was the best thing for both
of us.” He stared into her eyes. “Kit, that’s what I was trying to tell you
about those walls you were putting up. When you do that it’s impossible to get
through. I tried. You wouldn’t let me in. So I had to go elsewhere.”

She
nodded. “I really thought I was in love with Seth. I did. But there was a
part of me that always thought of you and what it would be like.”

He
sipped his iced tea, knowingly. “Or Sully. C’mon admit it. There’s something
there.”

She
frowned. “Huh? Don’t try and change the subject. No. Sully is my best
friend, yes, and he’s cute, but he’s got a girlfriend.”

He
chuckled. “Who he’d drop like a hot rock for you in a heartbeat.”

She
shook her head. “Not so. He pushed me away the other night. Joe, it’s
clearly time for me to fly solo for a while. I’m sick of getting my heart
broken.”

He
grinned. “Honey, that’s what has gotten you into this mess both personally and
professionally.”

She frowned.
“Huh?”

“Baby,
the minute the record companies come knocking for GT, it’s time for you to make
the jump. I have a feeling that will come before your graduation date from law
school. Forget being a lawyer, Kit. You have talent. Your heart is trying to
get you to take the leap. Don’t let fear hold you back here. Fear has been
holding you back all this time. Break the cycle and fly.”

She
carefully evaluated what he was telling her. “Joe, are you saying that if I
would have given you a chance back then that you and I may be together and that
you would have married me instead?”

He
laughed. “Jesus, you are such an attorney twisting words around like that.
You must have gotten that from your dad. No, counselor, that is not what I’m
saying. Kit, if we would have gotten together who knows what would have
happened? We may have broken up with the way we fight. We were meant to be
friends. It just took me longer to figure that out. You are meant to be a
record exec, not an attorney. Follow your heart, Kit. It’s time and those
opportunities are coming. I can feel ‘em on the brink.”

She
eyed him. “Who have you been talking to?”

He
grinned. “I may have talked you up to a few strategic players, but let me tell
ya, I didn’t really need to. You have your own reputation and it’s a damned
good one, sweetie.”

Her
eyes widened. “It is?”

He
nodded. “Yes, but baby please be careful. It is a double-edged sword out here
and I even hate to say this…”

She
frowned. “Say what?”

He
sighed. “Because you’re a chick you need to be more careful. There is a
target on your back already. I’m sure as you gain more success it will be
turned into a price on your head that is so high it will either make you a
commodity, or a candidate for assassination, or maybe both. There are the
jerks from the boys club that don’t want you playing in their sandbox and will
do everything in their power to keep you out. And then there are the cooler
guys that want you to be their pinch hitter and keep knocking ‘em out of the
park. The word is out about you and spreading like wildfire. Let me put it
this way, you and Sull are definitely marked and being tracked.”

A half
grin graced her face and she giggled. “Really?”

He
leaned forward on the edge of his seat and smiled wide. “Really. Now, how
much do you need for the GT tour? I sense a wire transfer in my future.”

She
grinned. “I guess you talked to Sull.”

He
leaned back and got comfortable. “I did. How much, Miss Manager?”

They
discussed the details of the tour for an hour straight and at the conclusion of
the conversation Joe called the bank and made a wire transfer to her business
account. She was about to say her goodbyes, not wanting to impose on his
afternoon, when he asked her to stay. She immediately noticed the change in
his demeanor and became concerned.

She
stared at him. “Joe, I bared my soul to you hours ago, now you can do me the
same courtesy. What’s up? Whatever it is, I won’t say a word. I’ll hold it
in confidence.”

He
nodded and shifted his eyes away. He didn’t understand what was happening to
him. “Kit, something’s not right.” Worry clouded his gaze. “I’m scared. I’ve
been having these intense headaches and dizziness but I can’t take anything for
it. I black out and other weird things are happening. I feel kinda weak and
numb. It’s odd. I don’t know if something is up from my body coming off all
the drugs since I’ve put it through the ringer since college, or what. I don’t
have a good feeling about this.”

She
took his hand and squeezed it. “You need to go to the doctor and have things
checked out. I know you’re scared, but it’s best if you know what you’re
dealing with. Your body has been through so much in the last few years and I’m
sure rehab was a shock. You’ll be ok, baby.”