Jonathan watched as he climbed the stairs and disappeared onto the next floor. He grinned, liking how his father was so happy. It had been a while since he had seen him so full of life and excited.
* * *
Although the nature of the day was emotional and chaotic, Kit welcomed being in the studio and focusing on one thing only—her vocals. It was a great distraction and exactly what she needed.
She elected to channel it all into her performance, pulling and using an emotional blend from her confusion and frustration with Sully. Having Bryan in the studio contributing his brilliant piano and keyboard stylings instantly made her feel assured and at ease as they started the first take.
An hour later, A-Dub had what he needed. Kit was free to go, but she hung around anyway, interested in Bryan’s flourishes—one of the reasons she had called him into the project in the first place.
A-Dub leaned in toward Kit. “You got a vocal coach?”
She shook her head and chuckled. “No. I don’t need one.”
He burst out laughing and then his face became serious and a sarcastic tone descended onto his words. “Yeah, right. Sure you don’t.” He shook his head as he continued. “That kind of attitude is what’s gonna get you blown out vocal chords by next year and mandatory surgery years from now. Not on my watch. Trust the process, Miss Kitty. We’re getting you a vocal coach. You will work with them or I won’t do your album. Deal?”
Her eyes were wide and a grin broke across her face. She was shocked, yet satisfied as she knew he was setting her up for success. “Yes. Got it. On board with the vocal coach.” She put two thumbs up.
His face then melted into a grin and he glanced through the glass at Bryan who was laying down keyboard tracks using a Hammond organ. It was a nice touch he had suggested to A-Dub who ate it up.
He turned his attention back to Kit and pointed at Bryan. “How did I miss this Bryan Donald guy? How was he not on my radar? He’s epic. Where’s he been hiding? I may want to steal him from you.”
Kit laughed loudly. She watched Bryan as he was navigating through the track, the sound engineer monitoring his every move. “Started playing piano at the age of four. Plays 5 instruments proficiently, sings, writes, arranges and composes. Classically trained at Julliard. Ended up in Gypsy Tango all these years as a keyboardist and recently as the musical director for the band on tour. And now, he’s a free agent. That being said, I’m sure he’d entertain any offers you may have for him. Maybe even a collaboration. As you can hear, he’s absolutely brilliant. His musicality is insane and he’s a very gifted composer.”
A-Dub looked through the glass at Bryan. “That’s an understatement. Yeah, I wanna talk to this guy more. I would have never had the idea to bring in a Hammond for that sound and it makes the song so much richer.”
He nodded to her. “Maybe I was a little hard on you with your producer hat.”
She giggled and playfully curtsied. “I gladly defer to you, however, I’m always happy to put it back on.”
He smiled. “If you want to bounce, you can. You’re done.”
She shook her head. “I’d really like to hear the playback once Bryan’s finished.”
He chuckled. “I don’t blame you. I’m looking forward to it to. Excited about what we’ll be diving into tomorrow.” His eyes lit up and he nodded. “Tomorrow, we start working on your album.”
Kit grinned, feeling a mixture of pure elation and heightened anxiety. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of an entirely new chapter—one she had dreamed of since she was a little girl.
After a successful recording session, they dropped Spencer off at The Plaza and headed to Alexa’s penthouse close by. The driver pulled up to the curb and helped them both out of the car. Kit followed closely behind Alexa while the driver and the doorman navigated their luggage.
The doorman took a moment to stop Alexa. He took her aside and discreetly whispered something into her ear. Kit noticed the look on Alexa’s face go from tired and subdued to alert and annoyed. Alexa said something back to him, handed him her keys and a folded twenty dollar bill.
She then spun on her heel and headed toward Kit, linking her arm in hers and navigating her back to the car where the driver opened the door for them.
Kit frowned. “I thought we were going home? I’m tired, Lex.”
Alexa ignored her and dialed a number on her cell phone. She spoke into the phone. “We’re meeting you in five minutes. Get your ass down to the Oak Room, grab us a table, we’re having a drink.” She shut the phone and released Kit while the driver helped them into the car once again.
Once they were situated, Kit stared at Alexa. “Would you mind telling me what’s going on? Are we doing some kind of covert meeting with Jonathan that I should know about?”
She shook her head. “No. We’re meeting Spence. We’re going to have a drink.”
Kit groaned. “Like I said, Lex…”
She met Kit’s eyes and interjected. “I know you’re tired, but Sully is camped out in my lobby right now and the doorman is handling it for us. I told him we’d leave and come back in an hour. He’s putting our luggage in the penthouse. Would you rather go back and deal with Sully or meet Spence for a drink?”
Kit sighed. “Shit. I didn’t expect him to show up here. I guess he chartered a jet
