Buddy snorted out a laugh. “It’s hard-ass work is what it is. I have no doubt you’ll be a sensation if you work really hard. You’re the whole package—you’re young and beautiful, and you have a voice that’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Plus you write your own songs, and you play the guitar. I can make you a huge star, but I want you to be prepared for the reality of what that means. You with me?”

Kate swallowed hard and nodded.

“First, everyone will want a piece of you. People you didn’t even know you knew will call and ask for money. Their kids will be sick, their mother will need an operation. They’ll break your heart, and you’ll want to help them all, but you can’t. Second, the day your single hits the charts—and it will hit the charts—your life as a private citizen is over. You won’t be able to set foot out your front door without security. Third, the demands on your time will be staggering. Publicity, music videos, appearances, performances, recording, writing, rehearsing. It’s nonstop.”

Kate studied the floor as she listened to him.

“Sweetheart, you need to look me in the eye and tell me you want all that. There’ll be no hard feelings between us if you just don’t have it in you. Not everyone does. I’ve seen a lot of talented people hit it big and then run for the hills when they get everything they thought they wanted, and it turns out to be a big pile of shit.”

He gave her a moment to consider that. “Before we go one step further, I need to hear you say you want this with everything you’ve got. If you say those words, if you say, ‘Buddy, make me a star,’ I promise I’ll take care of you. I’ll get you the best of everything—management, lawyers, accountants, musicians, publicists. And—this is important, now, darlin’—I promise you can trust every word that comes out of my mouth. I’ll never tell you anything but the truth, and neither will Taylor.”

Kate’s heart beat so fast, she wondered how it stayed in her chest. She thought about Reid and what they had together. The life Buddy described left no room for Reid or anyone else. It came down to a choice—one or the other, but not both. But maybe, just maybe, they could make it work. He promised he would wait for her. As she looked into Buddy Longstreet’s golden eyes, she hoped to God Reid was as good as his word. She was about to bet on it.

“Buddy,” she said softly. “Make me a star.”