Star Maker Read Online Free PDF Page A

smart.”
    He
chuckled. “Ha! I do have talent, yes. I am a damn good guitarist. I’ll own
that. Top of my class at Berklee…”
    She
interjected. “You should have stuck it out and graduated, Joe.” She chugged
her beer.
    He
frowned. “Now see, there you go. You’re being my dad right now. Not cool.
Anyway, before you rudely interrupted me, I was going to say that I am skilled
with a guitar and social proclivities, but when it comes to common sense and
all things academic excluding music, I am an epic failure. And I’m totally ok
with that. Made my choice easy growing up. It was all about the guitar for
me.” He smiled wide.
    She
surveyed him carefully. “I think you underestimate yourself.”
    He
chuckled and sipped his beer. “You think way too highly of me. My accountant
would disagree with your theory. I can guarantee that. Do I have to remind
you of all the times you helped me with my homework when we were kids?”
    Before
she could provide another rebuttal, Alexa walked into the room. The moment she
noticed Joe sitting at the table she screamed out at the top of her lungs with
delight and charged toward him with arms outstretched.
    He
laughed and bent down to hug her. “Now, that’s what I call a greeting!” He
kissed her on the cheek and pulled back. “How are ya, Lex? I’ve missed you,
girl. It’s been way too long. Kitty tells me you’re on your way to being this
big PR guru. Grad school at USC? That’s ambitious!”
    She
giggled. “A drop in the bucket when you want to build a big media empire. You
know how it goes, Mr. Guitar God.”
    Kit
stood up and smiled. “And guitar god he is.” She beamed with pride. “Tell her
the news, babe.”
    Joe smiled wide and Alexa’s eyes darted from him to Kit and then back
to him. She sensed it was good and squealed loudly. “What? Tell me now!”
    Kit
pulled her car into the lot and parked. She glanced over at Joe and grinned.
“You ready to do this?”
    He
forced a grin. Nervousness was clouding his vision. He had waited for this
moment for years and now that it was upon him, he didn’t feel completely
prepared. He chuckled. “Y’know, maybe I should just blow it off. I’d really
like to be in a band where I can contribute and be one of the primary
songwriters. I…”
    She
shook her head. “Don’t do this, Joe. No more self-sabotage. This is your
dream being handed to you on a silver platter. This is your time. And if you
really want to be a songwriter, talk to them about it. If they pick you, and
there’s no doubt they will, I’ll make sure it’s written in your contract. It’s
completely workable. Don’t make excuses. It’s ok to be scared. This is big.”
She sighed and then smiled. “It’s showtime for you, Joe, and your star is on
the rise. Let’s go.”
    Kit
watched proudly as Joe’s attitude shifted the moment he opened the door to the
rehearsal studio with his guitar case in hand. He had mastered the attitude of
fake it ‘til you make it and carried himself like a pro. He held his head high
and embodied an impressive presence she had never seen before. She couldn’t
help grinning from ear to ear.
    He was
well received by the band. He waved her over and grinned. “Guys, this is my
manager, Kit McKenna.” He went through great pains to introduce each band
member to her before they got down to business. She could immediately tell
that none of them took her seriously, but she shrugged it off, not wanting to
create waves that may capsize Joe’s big opportunity.
    As Joe
took the stage and Kit took a seat on a black, leather sofa in the back, she
glanced over and noticed a huddle of men talking in hushed tones and two female
assistants scurrying in and out of the room like nervous mice trying to dodge a
hungry cat. One of the men was talking on a large portable phone. She grinned,
recognizing exactly who they were—the record label was in the house
tonight.
    She
watched them carefully and wondered if she would be like them one