by J. M. Nevins
He remained straight faced and spoke softly. “What room is Giselle in?”
Sean surveyed him closely as he folded his arms across his chest. “Whatever you need, Sully, I can handle it for you. Shannon can too. Giselle is busy. Way too busy to make updates to your rider, run errands for you, find you sushi or get you drugs. I’ll handle that.”
Sully rolled his eyes. “It has nothing to do with that.” He met Sean’s eyes. “This has to do with my wife, Sean. I want to talk to Giselle about my wife.” He sighed.
Sean could see the sincerity and anguish on Sully’s face. He nodded. “She’s in 523.” He pointed at him. “Be nice and behave yourself. Like I said, she’s very busy keeping all of you monkeys out of hot water right now. The label is all over her.”
He nodded. “I know. Thanks, Sean.” He hung his head solemnly.
Sean frowned for a moment, stunned by Sully’s reaction. He hadn’t received so much as a casual thanks from Sully in months nor had he seen him so subdued and contemplative. He nodded slowly. “Yep.”
Sully sighed and turned on his heel in the direction of Giselle’s hotel room. He was going to get to the bottom of things and he hoped Giselle could help him gain a better understanding.
He knocked on her door and patiently waited. He could hear her in the hotel room on the phone. When she didn’t open the door, he knocked again. This time, he could hear her voice approaching the door and she sounded frustrated. He wasn’t sure if she was annoyed with the caller or with his second knock.
She opened the door and stared at him. She shook her head as she balanced the receiver on her shoulder and held the base of the phone in her other hand. “Hold on… what? No! Fucking hold on two seconds, jeez!”
She propped the door open with her foot and pulled the receiver from her shoulder, covering the mouthpiece to muffle it. She stared at Sully. “If you’re here for any special requests, direct them to Shannon or Sean. Ok?” She was about to shut the door, when he stopped her.
His bloodshot steel-blue eyes pleaded with her. “Giselle, can you give me like ten minutes? I’m looking for your advice on something.”
She frowned. “What the hell, Foxx?”
He sighed and held up the large brown envelope. “My wife… and our impending separation.”
Giselle surveyed him closely as she slowly put the receiver back to her ear keeping her eyes trained on Sully. “I gotta call you back… No, that’s not an approved statement…I’ll call you back with one later. Let them know that if they leak anything, we’ll sue for libel.” She slammed down the phone and nodded for Sully to enter.
She watched him closely as he took a seat at the table in her hotel room. She put down the phone on the desk and stared at him, folding her arms across her chest. “I don’t know if I should help you, Foxx. You’ve been pretty shitty to me since we went back out.”
He met her eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry, G. You’re right. I’ve been stuck in my own little world. I’m here right now because I don’t know where else to turn. I’m trying to get some clarity around this and some honesty too. G, you’ve been honest from day one. That’s one of the reasons we’ve always loved working with you. And you’ve been a great friend to us. You’ve…”
She held her hand up to stop him. “Apology accepted. I don’t have much time to sit and chat with you, so let me tell you how this is going to go.”
She met his eyes with an intense stare as she continued. “This is not going to be a fuzzy come to Jesus conversation. This is not going to be a ‘new besties we’re figuring shit out conversation.’ And this is most definitely not going to be a therapy session for you. Got it, amigo?” He nodded in agreement.
She let out a frustrated sigh. She wanted nothing more than to kick him out, but she could tell he truly needed guidance. She pulled out a chair and sat at the table across from him. “What’s up?”
He was about to start when the phone rang. She got up and headed to the desk, answering it. She told the caller that she could return the call later. She then called Shannon and asked for calls to be forwarded for the next thirty minutes.
She resumed her seat and stared at him. “Talk, Foxx.”
He held up the envelope. “These are the separation papers. It’s a summons. They want my financials so we can start the process of dividing the assets. I keep destroying them and Kit keeps sending them. I haven’t talked to her. I’ve tried to call, she’s not responding.”
He met Giselle’s eyes. “Do you think I’ve gone too far, G? Have I destroyed my marriage? Is agreeing to this legal separation the best thing to do?”
She let out a long sigh. She felt awkward being in this position with him. This was not a conversation she wanted to be having. She couldn’t deny her loyalty to Kit, yet she also could see the heart-breaking defeat and fear in Sully’s eyes at the thought of things being over with someone he still clearly loved.
She swallowed hard and leaned forward. “Sull, you’re asking me a loaded question here. I know you came here for my honesty, so I’m going to be straight with you. Yes, as heart breaking as this is for you, if you love Kit as much as you say you do, let her go.”
She nodded. “You’re right. You haven’t been on your best behavior this tour. You can’t keep playing both sides of the fence and expect to win. You haven’t been loyal to her. That whole groupie make-out sesh was fucked up. You’ve been acting like a spoiled, entitled teenager over the last year or two. If she wants a separation, give it to her. And I can’t comment on your question about the state of your marriage. Only you two can figure that out.”
She folded her arms in front of her and sat back as Sully shifted his gaze down, unable to face her. She continued to stare at him in hopes that he would once again engage in eye contact. “Sully, it’s a legal separation, not a divorce. That’s an important distinction. You and I both know Kit doesn’t overlook details like that.”
Sully suddenly looked up and met her eyes, feeling a jolt of hope rush through his body. “You think maybe she just wants some cooling off time? That maybe our marriage is salvageable?”
Giselle held up her hands in defense. “Sully, that’s not what I’m saying here. Do not twist my words. I don’t know what Kit’s intentions are for you and the future. All I’m saying is there is a definite distinction. You get to work that out with her.”
He sighed and nodded. “You think by cooperating with the legal separation it’s the right thing to do?”
Giselle nodded. “Yes.” She folded her arms across her chest again and stared deeply in to his eyes to make her point. “Sully, do you want her to be happy?”
He stared at Giselle in disbelief. Her question stunned him. He bobbed his head in agreement. “Of course I do!”
Giselle forced a smirk. “Then you know what to do, Foxx.”
He glanced down at the documents, scanning them one more time. He didn’t feel like fighting anymore. Maybe Giselle was right, maybe it was best to focus on making Kit happy and see where things went from there.
He looked up at Giselle. “Know any good attorneys that can handle this for me?”
* * *
Kit eyes fluttered open around nine. She lay in the middle of the plush king sized bed staring at the ceiling realizing that this wasn’t much different than her life a few weeks ago, except for being in a totally new environment in someone else’s home.
Henri had come through for her. One of his trust fund friends, Dalton Wallingford, had a penthouse condo in the Wilshire corridor that was fully furnished and sitting vacant. It came completely furnished with a baby grand piano and a one-year-old Porsche 911 that Dalton had no problem loaning out to her temporarily.
She introspectively assessed that a few weeks prior, she would have been sleeping in like this on a Sunday. It would still be this quiet because Sully was on the road. She would have gotten out of bed and found a way to make work fill in the silence. That was the one area she was determined to change. She decided to embrace her creativ
e process and do her best to exorcise her demons.
Writing had been flowing easier and easier. Now that she was solely focused on the album, life had become much easier. She only had two more songs to record before she was finished.
She quickly found that the more she slowed down, the more the inspiration and melodies and lyrics flowed. A brand new guitar that she bought for herself as a gift didn’t hurt either.
She padded out to her living room with floor to ceiling windows framing a black baby grand and showing off a gorgeous, sunny, blue sky L.A. day awaiting her. She raised her arms to the sky and stretched, looking forward to a hike in Runyon Canyon with Melanie, an old friend she had recently reconnected with.
Melanie had done a great job of making a name for herself. She started out as a backup dancer and worked her way onto the big screen. Her acting career was blooming. Kit found that being around her was helping her own transition. They were constantly bouncing creative ideas off of each other.
Glancing at the clock she hurriedly headed back to her bedroom to throw on her workout clothes and sneakers. She called down to the valet and asked to have Dalton’s Porsche brought around. She was grateful she didn’t have to bother with buying a new car yet. Ready to go, she headed out quickly.
When Kit returned home, she felt filled up and rejuvenated. Having girl time was exactly what was needed. She followed that up with a delicious lunch and a relaxing massage at her favorite spa. As she floated into the condo, she noticed Candice on the phone at the dining room table.
She made her way into the living room, taking a seat at the baby grand as a content grin spread across her face. She started playing anything that came to mind, allowing the music to flow through her without trying to pin it down into a song or shove it into some semblance of creative expression. She simply enjoyed the process of playing.
Candice hung up the phone and watched Kit carefully. She noticed that Kit was relaxed and appeared happy. Part of her wanted to hold back and not relay the message, but the other part of her realized it was important to do her job. She had a bad feeling about it that she couldn’t deny. Despite that, she proceeded into the living room and stood next to the piano.
Kit stopped playing and grinned at Candice. “Hey. How has your day been? Please tell me you’ve gone out to lunch and haven’t worked straight through.”
She grinned. “I brought my lunch today. And no comment about working through it. Your attorney called. She said it was urgent that you return her call.”
Candice watched Kit carefully, waiting for a reaction and realized she was completely unfazed. She then realized she had insider information from Giselle and hoped it wasn’t showing on her face. She swallowed hard.
Kit nodded and sighed, getting up from the piano bench. “Ok. I’ll go into the bedroom and call her.” She chuckled. “She’s probably going to tell me that they had to send the papers out for the fourth time. I’m sure this won’t take long.”
She proceeded to her bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, picking up the receiver and dialing the number from memory. As she waited for her attorney to get on the line, a strange feeling overcame her. She wondered what was so urgent. Usually her attorney’s paralegal would make the call and inform her that the papers were going out again. Something was different.
“Kit…” Lizbeth’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts.
She scrambled to speak. “Lizbeth, hello. My assistant said it was urgent?”
“I wanted you to know that we received a call from your husband’s attorney first thing this morning. Sully’s ready to comply and his financials will be coming over later in the day. We’ll start the process of determining how the assets will be split.”
Upon hearing Lizbeth’s words, Kit’s heart sank. It surprised her for a moment. Doubts rose up instantly accompanied with tears that welled up in her eyes. She wondered if this was all a big mistake.
Confused, she shook her head and swallowed hard. She didn’t feel like she could back down now. She composed herself and moved forward. “Has Sully asked for anything in the separation?”
Lizbeth paused. “Not yet. We’re at the preliminary stages. As we start dividing up the assets, we’ll know more.”
Kit sighed. “Ok. Anything else you need from me right now?”
“Not right now. Let us get started on determining what equitable division of the assets will look like for both of you. Then I’ll have you come in so we can go over it and figure out next steps.”
Kit started straight ahead in a daze and spoke softly. “Ok. Thank you, Lizbeth.”
She gulped, returned the receiver to its cradle and bolted to her master bathroom where she threw up. She sat on the bathroom floor for a moment and held her stomach, feeling tears well up in her eyes again.
Somehow she thought Sully acquiescing would give her relief. Instead, it did the opposite. Anxiety had seized her. She couldn’t shake the conflict that was rising inside of her. She wondered why it was happening right now and not before.
She let out a defeated sigh, got up and returned to her bedroom, throwing herself onto the bed. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She heard the phone ring and ignored it, hearing Candice answer it in the other room. She kept her gaze fixed as Candice appeared in the doorway moments later.
Candice shifted her feet and spoke softly. “Kit, Pete is on the line.”
Kit propped herself up on her elbows and stared at Candice. “I’m not available. You can tell him I’ll call him back and I’m not sure when. I just can’t… I can’t think straight right now.” She shook her head and looked away.
Candice nodded dutifully. “I’ll hold all of your calls for the remainder of the day.”
“Thank you,” Kit called out as Candice retreated. Once again, that pit was in her stomach—the one that kept her questioning if the legal separation was the right thing to do.
One thing was certain, her staying in the condo on her own wasn’t a wise idea. She could eat herself alive with over analysis. She needed to clear her head. She jumped up, made a call down to the valet, grabbed her purse and headed downstairs. A drive along the coast would clear her head, she hoped.
CHAPTER 19
Sully arrived at the arena, not feeling motivated, his mind on Kit and his conversation with the new divorce attorney he had hired that morning. He pushed it aside and got out of the limousine, following the rest of the band to the green room backstage.
Giselle sidled up to him. “How’s that voice holding up? Dr. Franklin is here to see you.”
He nodded. “Good. It’s gravely. Haven’t been able to shake it.”
She nodded. “Before you meet with him, there’s someone you get to do an exclusive with. Just a few shots, that’s all she’s asking for.”
Sully stopped in his tracks and gave Giselle a disgusted look. “That groupie, Roxanne, was not allowed back on this tour. Did you reinstate her press creds?”
Giselle grinned. “No. It’s not Roxanne. I wanted to leave it as a surprise.” Sully’s eyes lit up. She reached out and squeezed his arm, realizing she had gotten his hopes up. “It’s not Kit or Kendalle either, but it is someone you’ll be happy to see. No doubt.”
Before Sully could inquire further, he heard Jimmy’s reaction when he entered the green room. He grinned and looked at Giselle. “Someone from our past I take it. Jim sounds pretty happy.”
Giselle tilted her head to the side. “Go have a little fun. You’re on with Dr. Franklin in a few and then due on stage in twenty.” She opened the door for him and winked.
Sully burst into the green room eager to see who was there. He smiled wide and hooted when he spotted the petite blond standing in the middle of the room surrounded by the rest of the band. He exclaimed happily. “Maxine Riley in da house!”
She turned around, giggled and squealed. “Sully Foxx! C’mere my brother from another mother.”
He ran over, scooped her up and swung her around in a circle. He finally
put her down and they laughed together.
He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. “I feel like it’s been ages. Where the fuck have you been hiding out?”
She winked. “I was just telling Jim. I’ve been all over the planet. Spent a lot of time in New York and Nashville. Got married and now going through a divorce. Headed up here to Seattle for the last few months to cover the whole grunge thing. I’m moving back to L.A. though. When I heard you guys were coming up I decided to hang in for the show and then bail after that.”
She nodded. “You look good, Sully. Time has been kind to you.” She stroked his face and then gave him a gentle pat.
He chuckled. “Thank you. I can say the same for you, Max. You’re staying for the show, right?”
She nodded and grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it. I was hoping to get some candids of all of you before the show. You cool with that? Thinking about selling them to Rolling Stone on spec if you guys are up for it.”
Sully nodded and kissed her on the cheek. “You got it. I’m sure all the guys would agree with me.” Sully noticed Giselle nod to him from across the room. “Hey Max, I gotta go, but hang out, ok? We’ll talk after the show.”
She giggled. “You bet. I’m throwing you guys a rooftop after party at my loft. We’ll catch up then for sure. Kick some ass out there tonight, Sull.”
He smiled. “Will do!”
Giselle pounded on the large door of Maxine’s loft. She shook her head, annoyed to be retrieving members of the band.
A young woman with mousy brown hair wearing only an open silk robe sleepily opened the door. She squinted from the morning sunlight that beamed throughout the loft.
She glared at Giselle. “What do you want?”
She was on the verge of losing her patience. She pushed past her. “Where’s Maxine?”
The girl suddenly became more self-conscious. She pulled the robe closed and folded her arms in. “How do I know? Good luck finding her in here.” She waved to the sea of passed out bodies throughout the first floor of the loft.
