She stared deeply into Kit’s eyes. “But he did it, Kit. He came back stronger than ever in our marriage. That was a turning point for us. Things had to change and they did. It took both of us being committed to our marriage and going to a new level of communication and understanding with each other plus getting our priorities straight. And well, you know how the story ends. Lew was the love of my life and I’m blessed that I shared forty years of marriage with him. We had an amazing son and some pretty great grandkids.”
She smiled. “We definitely had more sunshine than those rainy days when we were struggling in our marriage. We stayed focused on that sunshine, every single day.”
She forced a smile. “Kitty, just know that Lew wanted you to be happy and it was breaking his heart to see how unhappy you were in your marriage. You get to find out what that is for you—whether or not that includes Sully.”
Kit swallowed hard, feeling the impact of Sherri’s words. She wondered if others close to her felt the same way and hadn’t said anything for a while. She silently nodded.
Sherri continued. “Once again, honey, I’m not telling you these things to pressure you. I’m sharing what he and I discussed last night, hours before he passed on in his sleep. I thought you may want to know. Also, I wanted to pass something along to you.”
Kit was speechless. There was so much to take in and she was struggling to comprehend all of it at once.
She nodded slowly. “Ok.”
Sherri reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold ring with one small diamond in the middle. Kit recognized the ring. Lew wore it on his right pinky. Sherri held it up and grinned. “This is for you, Kitty.”
Kit shook her head in protest as tears welled up in her eyes. “No, no. I can’t take that, Sherri. He wore it all the time. You should have it.”
Sherri smiled warmly. “He would want you to have it. I know he would. I’m certain of it. I want to show you how I know this.”
She started with pointing out the word that was engraved inside the ring: “HITMAKER.”
She then pointed to the diamond. “He always used to say that this ring was the extension of his gut instinct. He wore it when he produced some of the greatest artists this world has ever seen. He wore it in his most crucial meetings. And he always wore it when he was working a deal. He had a habit of spinning it around on his finger when his was thinking up a big vision or a strategy for the company or a film or an artist.”
She chuckled at the fond remembrance and then continued. “He did that last night with this ring, talking about your career.”
Her eyes met Kit’s as she reached for her hand again. “You are a Diamond, Kit. He saw you as the daughter he never had and always wanted. Honestly, I agreed with him. After Jonathan was born, we tried again for years, but I wasn’t able to conceive. He really wanted a little girl. A powerhouse that would give the boys a run for their money, he used to say. We had given up. And then you came along decades later and won his heart.” Sherri extended the ring to her. “This was meant for you.”
Kit gently grasped it and tried it on her right pointer finger where it fit perfectly. Her new north star lighting her way. Her eyes filled with tears and she was unable to hold back. She started sobbing.
Sherri got up from the table and came over to embrace Kit as they shed tears together. Kit finally pulled back and forced a grin. “I’m very grateful for this, Sherri. I’m truly humbled by it too.”
Jonathan opened the doors to the dining room and poked his head in. “Mom, Chris is back. Kit, when you can, we’d like to speak with you.”
Sherri offered her a kind gaze and nodded. “Go ahead, dear.” She leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
Kit smiled at her and wiped her tears as she walked out of the room, spinning Lew’s ring on her forefinger self-consciously. She entered the study where Spencer was leaning on the back of one of the sofas. Alexa was sitting on the other sofa, talking on her cell phone and taking notes.
Jonathan looked at her. “How are you holding up?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Ok, I guess. How about you?”
He shook his head. “Hasn’t hit me yet. I’d imagine when it does, it’ll feel like a Mac truck running me over. As you know, we’re on a tight schedule. We can continue to push ahead or we can put it on hiatus. It’s your call. If my dad were here you know…”
She interjected. “He’d want me working on the album or writing or doing something with a video. I get it. Let’s move. What’s next on our agenda?”
Spencer met her eyes. “Video shoot. We’ve got a team and location on call. If you’re up for it, your call time would be in two hours at a soundstage, Kaufman Astoria, in Midtown. Lex has been on the phone with designers. We have two possibilities for wardrobe. Hair and makeup are on call. They’re seasoned artists that have worked on several Diamond films. All we need is a go from you.”
She sighed recalling the last twenty-four hours in rapid speed in her mind. She knew she could use it to shoot
