Platinum

by J. M. Nevins

  When the second song finished, she watched and listened intently and when she heard the first few notes of a song she didn’t recognize, she knew that must be it. When Sully started singing, he looked out across the empty seats directly at her. She grinned, taking in every word. She felt it deeply in her soul and moments later hastily wiped the tears of joy from her face. The song was beautiful, heartfelt and moved her to her very core. She loved it.

  Sully spoke into the microphone at the end of the song, still staring at her. “That one’s for you, babe. I love you.”

  She smiled, blew him a kiss and mouthed ‘I love you’ back.

  Maxine got up from her seat as quietly as possible. The jet had just taken off from Oakland, bound for L.A. and Kit had drifted off to sleep. The last thing she wanted was to wake her. She was actually excited Kit had nodded off. That made an impromptu discussion easier.

  She made her way to the back of the jet where Sully was sitting next to the window at the table with Jimmy, Bryan and Remo. Tony was reclining on the sofa playing his guitar while Sean and Danny sat in the middle talking.

  Upon seeing Maxine, Jimmy jumped up and let her take his seat. She smiled. “What a gentleman! Thanks, Jim.” She leaned in and lowered her voice, flagging Jimmy to do the same. She looked at Sully. “Ok, so what time is everyone getting there and what time are you getting there? Was I cleared to go in early to set up my lights?”

  Sully grinned contently. “Yes. They have your name. The earliest you can get there is eight-thirty. Everyone else should be there around nine. Our dinner reservation is at seven in Newport, we should be there by ten.” He exchanged looks with everyone at the table. “Do not screw this up for me. Keep your traps shut.” He quickly pointed to Remo. “Reem, what are you doing tonight?”

  His eyes widened, caught off guard. “Uh… uh, I’m going to the Rainbow to meet up with my buddies?”

  Sully groaned. “No, man. You gotta be quicker than that.” He exchanged looks around the table again. “All of you, get your stories straight in case you’re asked. This will probably be the last time we’ll discuss this. Got it? Do not let me down.”

  Jimmy nodded and grinned. “We won’t. You can count on us.”

  Maxine smiled wide and giggled. “This is so exciting! Ok, I better get back to my seat.” She pointed to Sully. “And I’ll see you in a few. You’re coming back to Kit’s, right?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll be there later in the afternoon, but I need to head home, get some more clothes and get my car. Plus, she has some business to take care of this afternoon.”

  Maxine raised her eyebrows. “Simon?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. And she’s stopping by Diamond Corporate. I sure hope Lew doesn’t tip me off.”

  She giggled. “No way. He’s one of the main supporters that’s helping you pull this off!”

  Sully nodded and smiled. “True. I’m sure I’ll be sharing a limo with you and Kit. Roughly the same neighborhood.”

  Maxine nodded. “Yep. Ok. Not a word from here on out. See you tonight, gentlemen.” She grinned and headed back to her seat.

  As the limousine pulled up in front of Kit’s door, she smiled at Sully and leaned forward to give him a sweet peck on the lips. “What time will you be back?”

  He gazed into her eyes. “Probably around four. What time are Lex and Wes landing?”

  Kit glanced at her wristwatch. “About now, actually.”

  He grinned. “Good. I can hardly wait to see them. I think tonight will be really fun.”

  She smiled. “Me too.” She reached into her purse and grabbed her set of keys. She found her house key, took it off the key ring and thoughtfully handed it to Sully. “Here. Seems you need this back.”

  Maxine giggled quietly. She loved what she was witnessing. She didn’t want to interrupt their moment and slinked out of the limousine while the driver unpacked their luggage.

  Sully took the key from her and stared at it. He felt himself getting choked up remembering how she had asked him to surrender his key before she left for New York all those months ago. Now, she was giving it back—he hoped forever. He looked up and met her eyes as he clutched the key in his hand. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.” He leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss. He pulled back and grinned. “I’ll use it later when I come back.” He chuckled. “I would give you the key to my place from my key ring, but then I wouldn’t be able to get in myself, so…”

  She burst out laughing and kissed him. “We can take care of that later. I’ll see in you in a few hours, babe.” She got out of the limousine and waved as it pulled away. She glanced over at Maxine. “Happy to be home for a few days?”

  Maxine nodded. “Hell, yes! I need a nap.”

  As they made their way into the mansion, Kit glanced over at her. “What are you up to tonight? Want to join us for dinner? I’m not sure where we’re going. Probably somewhere local. I’m sure we can change the reservation to include you.”

  She shook her head and wanted to smile, but held back. She had made Sully a promise and she was bound to keep it. “Naw. I’m so beat, I just want to have a nice night in—something we never do when we’re out on the road.” She pretended to play dumb. “Is Spence around tonight?”

  Kit shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea what that boy is up to. Well, if you change your mind about tonight, let me know.” She gave Maxine one last smile as she headed into her bedroom, lugging her suitcases.

  Maxine nodded and smiled wide. “You bet.” She giggled once Kit was out of view. Everything was proceeding perfectly as planned.

  CHAPTER 18

  When Kit’s car pulled up to the valet area at the Ivy, she let out a soft groan. The paparazzi were poised and waiting to pounce. She immediately wanted to bolt and drive away, but she had a lunch date with Simon.

  She made her way out of the car and started heading into the restaurant being as accommodating as possible with the paparazzi in hopes they would leave her alone. She knew Sully wouldn’t be bothered by any pictures of she and Simon eating lunch together, but she didn’t want it in the press at all.

  She was relieved when she stepped into the restaurant and the hostess approached her. “Mr. Easton has a table reserved in the back for you two. Follow me.”

  One of the things Kit always loved about Simon was his sensitivity to discretion. He knew very well how the Hollywood game was played, including how to navigate the paparazzi and quell the press to his desires, not theirs.

  He stood up and smiled at her as she approached, outstretching his arms. She fell into them and instantly felt like the bad guy. Simon was a good man and he deserved a good woman, she just wasn’t that woman anymore. She wanted to treat him with dignity since he had treated her so well throughout their entire courtship. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and gazed into his inviting sapphire blue eyes. “How have you been?”

  He grinned. “Great. Working too much. I’d imagine you relate.”

  She chuckled. “Yes.” He pulled her chair out for her and she took a seat. She leaned forward. “Thanks for the tucked away table in the back.”

  He nodded in agreement. “I know the game, love. All too well.” Before he could open his mouth again, the server approached asking for their drink order. He obliged and ordered for both of them, still remembering Kit’s favorite drink easily. When the server retreated, he leaned forward and gazed into her eyes. “I don’t want this lunch to be awkward, Kit. We both know why we’re here. You’ve decided to go back to Sully, haven’t you?”

  Her breath caught in her throat for a moment and she shifted her eyes away from him. She hadn’t expected him to be so direct out of the gate. She gulped and reached for her drink to take a sip. She finally looked him in the eye again. “Yes. How did you know it was him, specifically? Is there some kind of rumor flying around Hollywood that I should know about?”

  He took a sip of his drink and shook his head. “Kit, I knew after the show at Madison Square Garden. You two have a very
powerful connection, a very rare one. As much as I didn’t want to honor my intuition, I had a feeling you two would find your way back to each other in time. The baby you lost was his, wasn’t it?”

  She nodded slowly and cast her eyes down. She was feeling guiltier by the minute. She squeaked out a barely audible answer. “Yes.” She gazed up at him with tear filled eyes. “Simon, I never intended to hurt you. And the show at Madison Square Garden, I was…” She let out a long, defeated sigh and swallowed hard as she shook her head in disbelief. Recalling memories from that time were still emotionally distressing.

  He gazed at her compassionately. She stared into his kind, accepting blue eyes and felt the courage to continue. “I was still a mess and really confused. That was a very dark time in my life. I’m sorry you got the short end of the stick. That wasn’t my intention when we first started dating. I really did care for you, quite deeply actually.”

  He grinned and reached for her hand, giving it a gently squeeze. “I know that, sweetheart. And we did have some really great times together. I want you to be happy, Kit. He can give you that.”

  She forced a grin. “Then why do I feel so bad?”

  He chuckled. “Don’t. I’m a big boy. I’ll be ok. If Sully is ok with it, I would like to remain friends with you. You never know what the future holds. If Sully ever wanted to go the acting route, I may be able to get him connected to the right people. He is quite a performer. Very talented.”

  Kit smiled. “You’d do that, really? That’s very kind. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind us being friends. But, what do we do about you now? Do you want me to find someone to fix you up with?”

  He laughed. “No. I’m going back to New York tomorrow. I have so much work on my plate right now that meeting someone new is not a priority. We acquired Oasis Productions. That’s why I’ve been out here for a few weeks.”

  Kit’s eyes widened. “You did? Wow! That’s pretty amazing. Nice little feather in your cap.”

  He nodded and grinned. “Let’s hope so.”

  When lunch had concluded and it was time to leave, Kit felt a deep, abiding hesitation and was reminded of the connection they had that would now be different. She knew it was the obvious and best choice, but she couldn’t shake her melancholy feelings.

  Simon arranged a back door exit for both of them and as they walked out, their cars waited, idling. He gave her a warm grin and opened his arms. She hugged him tightly. She pulled back and gave him a sweet peck on the lips. “You’re a good man, Simon Easton.”

  He smiled. “And you’re a great woman, Kit McKenna. Best to you, love. I’m sure you and Sully will be very happy.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  As they headed to their cars, he glanced over to her, smiled and yelled. “I hope you’ll invite me to the wedding!”

  She laughed. “We’re not even engaged, silly. We’re a long way off from that.”

  He chuckled and winked at her as he got into his car and drove away. She got into her car and paused to absorb the bittersweet moment. She had shared some amazing memories with Simon, but he was right. Her heart belonged to Sully and she knew it always would.

  Kit returned home and was excited to find Alexa and Wes hanging out and talking with Maxine in her entertainment room. She screamed excitedly and ran over to Alexa, helping her up from her seat. “Look at you, pregnant lady!”

  Alexa grinned and hugged her tightly. “Yes, I know, I’m big.”

  Kit pulled back. “No, you’re not. You look beautiful.” She gave her a kiss on the cheek and shifted her attention to Wes who had gotten up and was headed her way. “She does look beautiful, doesn’t she?”

  He nodded. “Of course she does, but she’s learned to tune me out. How are you, cover girl?” He hugged her tightly.

  She pulled back and stood on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You heard about the Billboard Magazine cover, huh? So crazy. We’re shooting it on Monday.”

  Sully walked in, catching the tail end of Kit’s sentence. “Yes, we are!” He smiled, seeing Wes and Alexa standing there. He approached Wes, shook his hand and gave him a hug. They chatted briefly, before he made his way over to Alexa. He stood before her and smiled from ear to ear. “Ok, let me take a look at you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sull, c’mon. You’re embarrassing me.”

  He smiled. “Can I rub your belly?”

  She laughed. “Sully, I’m not Buddha, ok?”

  He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I wanted to see if I could feel the baby move, silly.”

  She smiled. “Ok, in that case, go ahead.”

  Kit grinned as she watched him and felt her grin starting to fade. He looked so excited. He looked over at Kit and winked. She felt a pang of sadness, remembering the doctor’s grim prognosis about her chances of getting pregnant. She forced a grin, but could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

  Alexa caught wind of Kit’s reaction and promptly stomped on Sully’s foot. Confused, he frowned and looked up at her. “Did I poke you or something?”

  Her eyes widened and she shook her head as Kit made her way out of the room. “Would you go talk to her? She’s still dealing with some heavy duty emotions, y’know.”

  He let out a defeated sigh. “God, I’m such an idiot! I’ll be back.”

  He walked out to the backyard and noticed Kit making her way to the studio. She walked in and immediately headed for the semi-grand piano in the live room. She took a seat and started playing a Chopin piece she loved. She just needed a moment to regroup. She closed her eyes and got lost in the music.

  Moments later, she felt Sully’s hands starting to massage her shoulders. His touch served as trigger and before she could control it, the floodgates opened and she started sobbing. She tried to continue playing, but her efforts were futile.

  He took a seat next to her on the piano bench and stared at her. “Kit, look at me.” When she refused to, he gently lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. “Baby, it’s gonna be ok.”

  She sniffled. “But, Sull, what if I can’t ever give you a child? What if we’ll never have a baby on our own?”

  He grinned. “Doesn’t matter as long as I have you. There are alternatives. We’ll have a family. And if it’s not conventional, so what? Not an issue for me, Kit. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She shook her head. “But the doctor said…”

  He chuckled. “Fuck what the doctor said, babe. It’s only words and what does he know? Maybe he was wrong. And since when do you allow someone else’s words to set a limit on you? That doesn’t sound like the Kit I know. Baby, we’ll believe, ok? Look at what believing has gotten us to so far. We’ve gotten everything we wanted from the day we met and even more. We can do anything together.”

  She finally grinned and reached for him. She hugged him tightly. “I love you so much. Thank you for that.” She pulled back and nodded. “You’re right. We’ll just believe.”

  He snickered. “Yeah, and if we have to practice extra hard to get that result we want, then we’ll do it.” He winked and offered a conspiring grin.

  She laughed loudly and shoved him. “That’s just like you, but maybe you do have a point.” She giggled and leaned forward, putting her forehead to his.

  He gazed into her eyes and didn’t want this moment to end, but was well aware that they were on a schedule. He pulled back and glanced at his wristwatch. “Babe, we should start getting ready for dinner. The limo is going to be here around five.”

  She chuckled. “We’re going to dinner in a limo? Wow! But then again, we do have Alexa and Wes with us and that’s totally how they roll. Ok. Where are we going?”

  He grinned. “They know a great place in Newport Beach right on the water. Should be very romantic.” He raised his eyebrows.

  She giggled. “Ooh, I love it already!”

  Kit was so engrossed in conversation with Alexa and Wes that she paid no attent
ion to where the limousine was headed. They had all enjoyed a lovely dinner in Newport, as Sully promised. Now, they were onto another destination. Kit assumed they were headed back home to Los Angeles.

  When the limousine came to a stop twenty minutes later, she continued to chat with Alexa. She didn’t realize something was amiss until Sully leaned in and reached for her hand to help her out. She took his hand and looked around as she stepped out of the limousine. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She was awestruck. She looked at Sully. “Are you kidding me right now? Disneyland?” Alexa cuddled into Wes, as they smiled wide watching Kit’s reaction.

  Sully nodded and smiled. “Yep. The park is closed to the public tonight, but not for us.” He held her hand and started leading her along. “C’mon.”

  She remained speechless as they approached the turnstiles, where the attendants personally welcomed them by name. He put his arm around her as they walked down Main Street U.S.A. He glanced over at her and grinned. “Does this remind you of anything?”

  She giggled. “Of course. Our first date.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Wow, babe! You’ve really outdone yourself this time. This is like the best date ever. I have no idea how you’ll ever top this!” She glanced over her shoulder. “And we have our two best friends here too.” She looked at him again. “Couldn’t be any better.”

  He grinned. “Ok. We’ll see.” He continued to lead her along and as they got closer to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, she looked over at him and smiled.

  “Are you gonna make out with me on the drawbridge again?”

  He laughed. “If you’d like me to that can be arranged.”

  She giggled and rubbed her hands together. “I think so.” She grabbed his hand and started leading him to the exact spot where they had originally had their pictures taken and where their first kiss took place. She happily hopped onto the mark, threw her arms around his neck and smiled. “Ok, we’re in the exact spot. Plant one on me.”