Star Maker (35 page)

She
never did make it to Diamond Records to talk with Pete about the Gypsy Tango
delay as she had originally intended. When she stormed out of her home and got
into her car, she couldn’t stop. She whizzed right by Diamond headquarters and
landed at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. She gladly surrendered her car to the
valet and headed in. The scotch she had consumed at home wasn’t nearly enough
for how she was feeling. She wanted more. She sidled up to the bar. As she
nursed her drink, she felt relieved when she spotted an old friend. Nothing
like a little distraction to ease matters.

Hours later, she sat in a large booth at the Rainbow laughing
hysterically. She was completely drunk now. She happily sat engaged with her
old friends, taking a trip down memory lane, recalling funny incidents there at
the Rainbow when Maxine used to bartend. She reminisced about all the various
parties back in the day, but with reminiscing came thoughts of Sully that drove
her to do even more shots. She was having the time of her life, or at least
pretended to be. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to let
loose like this without the band and she made a conscious decision to relish
every moment of it.

Sully
walked into the main house around two a.m., completely exhausted. After Kit
left, he headed back into the studio and talked things out with the guys. They
figured out a way they could meet in the middle without sacrificing the quality
of the album and meet the deadline. They devised a strategy and started
implementing it immediately. It was working. They decided to wrap for the
night and resume the following morning.

He
waved to Jimmy as he walked out the front door of the house. “Thanks, Jim. I
owe you one.” He shut the door behind him and locked it. He leaned against
the door for a moment and noticed a glimmer on the entry table. He looked more
closely and saw Kit’s ring lying there—the ring they had given her.

He picked it up, shook his head, and deposited it into his other free
hand. He hung onto it tightly. He knew had really done it this time. He
pushed her too far. He said things he shouldn’t have ever said to her and
should never say again. He walked into the front room and plopped down into
one of the overstuffed chairs. He was determined to wait it out until she came
through the door and intended to apologize profusely once he saw her. He had
to beg her to continue managing them. He figured she’d be home within the
hour. He dosed off moments later.

Kit
giggled with one of her friends as the valet retrieved her car. She gave him a
kiss on the cheek and thanked him, tipping him with a one hundred dollar bill.
He smiled as he shut her driver’s side door and wished her a good evening. She
pulled out onto Sunset Boulevard and headed in the opposite direction of home,
toward Beverly Hills, to go to a party her friends had told her about.

Around 4:30
a.m., she pulled out onto Coldwater Canyon and headed toward Sunset Boulevard
to go home. Her car swerved dangerously along the boulevard and she had a hard
time focusing. She realized she probably shouldn’t have drunk so much or
partied so hard. She had a fleeting thought that maybe she should pull over
somewhere, dump the car, and call a cab. Too late. Flashing red, white, and
blue lights demanded her attention in the rear view mirror. Suddenly she had a
moment of clarity and it wasn’t a good one. She was petrified. They were
pulling her over. “Shit,” she murmured under her breath.

Twenty
minutes after failing field drunk-driving tests miserably, Kit was in handcuffs
sitting in the back of a squad car after being read her rights. She glanced
out the window and watched her Diamond Records’ Mercedes-Benz being secured and
towed away to the impound lot. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Her
entire career and all its successes flashed before her eyes. She quickly
recalled the downfall of Joe and wondered if she was eerily following in his
footsteps unable to take the pressure at the top, feeling immediately like she
had fallen from grace.

Her
body trembled as she thought about the consequences that would ensue from her
out of control behavior. She was deeply ashamed she had let it come to this.
Her entire reputation—all she had built since she set foot in Hollywood
was on the line now. She silently chastised herself for making such stupid
choices—ones that landed her in a highly precarious position in a town
that set tongues wagging. She didn’t know how she would get herself out of
this one. She prayed for a miracle.

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.M.
Nevins has lived and breathed music and fiction writing from a very young age.
Working in the music industry as a teen, she gained rich experiences in several
capacities from creative development and performance to business and promotions
that ultimately contributed to a lucrative career. She lives in the greater
Los Angeles area.

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