He waved his hands around to engage her. “Create more! Get it out. Use it, Kit. You may be a star maker yes, and you’re a chart-topper. You. Not GT. You wrote songs that won Grammy’s. Write, Kit. Write, express, do it! Get out in front. Be the legend that you are. The world needs your light. There’s a performer in there that’s dying to get out.”
He shook his head. “You’re gonna hate me for saying this.”
She chuckled, amused by his sudden enthusiasm. “What?”
He grinned. “There was a part of me that secretly wanted to see you break out of the corporate mold at Diamond and become an artist yourself. Hell, I would’ve signed you. You’re brilliant. You’ve got great energy on stage and I’m sure you do in front of a camera too. You’ve got your own star quality. You could be your own brand. I’d like to see you cultivate more of that. No more Kathryn R. McKenna, ESQ. No more Kit McKenna record exec and producer. It’s time to let the artist, Kit-Kat, out. Stop hiding behind the talent and the boards. You are the talent.”
He continued despite seeing her fidget in her seat. He leaned forward to make his point. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a brilliant legal mind, businesswoman and producer. You’ve done amazing things for my company and GT, but Kit, you really shine when it comes to the creative side. All I ask is that you think about it. Entertain the idea of not only being out front as an artist with your own music, but maybe try your hand at film too as an actress. I’m sure Jonathan can hook you up with a great casting director and find a bit part for you somewhere. I can hook you up with a good agent.”
Tears were welling up in Kit’s eyes. Tears of truth. Tears of joy. Tears that confirmed everything she had been feeling in her soul since she woke up in the hospital after the shooting. She was different now. As much as she loved Diamond and her executive position, the thought of going back to the life she once had didn’t appeal to her.
She was interested in more creative self-expression and wasn’t quite sure what that looked like yet. She was in flux—in transition in so many more ways than she could ever imagine. It was as if Lew was reading her mind and it both scared and excited her.
She smiled. “Thank you for that Lew. It’s a nice reminder. My grandmother always used to tell me the same thing.”
Lew reached out and took her hand in his. “Kitten, you’re thirty-one years old. You’re young and brilliant. You have your whole life in front of you. Now that you’re on your own, you can do anything and you don’t have to run it by them. Do it.” He squeezed her hand.
She sighed. “Does this mean no more CEO position?”
He laughed. “No. It means that you’ll probably have to do some juggling. Find a good right hand man and you can do both. If your recording artist career or acting career takes off, you can replace yourself as CEO. Make sure you have good candidates. And don’t say Pete because he’s semi-retired as it is.”
She grinned. “Funny how you read my mind on that one. Pete does outstanding work.”
He shook his head to dismiss it. “He wants nothing to do with the CEO seat. He’s made that perfectly clear time and time again. That’s why he’s been my head of A&R for almost two decades. He’s passed it off to his protégée, Ryan now. The guy does decent work. Talk to Pete, Kitten. He’ll probably sign you. Throw a single or two his way.”
She laughed. “I can’t do that! It’s unsolicited!”
Lew chuckled. “Spoken like a true record exec. Start shedding that smaller exec shell and find the bigger artist shell. Y’know, like hermit crabs do.”
She frowned and giggled, curiosity ensuing as she wondered where he was going with this. “Hermit crabs?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I recently learned more about them than I would have liked spending time with Hannah, my granddaughter, Jonathan’s oldest. Anyway, she told me the story of how they outgrow their shells. When they do that, they’re a little naked and vulnerable for a time as they look for their new shell to make a new home.”
He leaned forward and met her eyes to make his point as he spoke persuasively. “Let go of your old shell, Kit. You’ll probably feel a little vulnerable and naked like that crab, but it’ll be worth the adventure. Have Spence cut a development deal with us. Hell, try for a whole one off record deal. You know the drill. Stop acting like you don’t. Diamond Publishing has done so many development deals with KMK. Why not you?”
She shook her head. He was right. She felt deeply vulnerable and self-conscious at the thought of making such a huge shift in her career at this point in her life. “We’ll see, Lew.”
He grinned. “Fair enough. Just write one song, cut the demo and give it to me. That would make me happy. Can you do
