Love Amplified (Heavy Influence Book 3)

by Ann Marie Frohoff

  Nadine sulked, but without a word, she walked back inside the store. I leaned against the trunk of the car, waiting in the muggy heat. She came back out shortly and nodded her head yes and my heart bounced wildly, as if shocked by electricity.

  “She lives here.”

  “No way.”

  “Yep. Part-time.”

  “I can’t believe it. Do you know where?”

  “She lives right around the corner from here, on Cornish Lane.”

  Nadine drove past the house at a snail’s pace. It was a tiny, one-story home, painted white with teak wood shutters framing every window. The trees and foliage encased the plantation style home. A short little wooden gate closed off the path to the front door.

  She stopped the car. “You wanna go knock on the door?”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Well, what the hell are we doing, anyway?”

  “I don’t know.” I slumped in my seat. “Let’s just get the groceries back to the house and maybe Marshall will have some ideas.”

  “Aly, the only way to do this is to go up and ask her what the fuck is going on.”

  How was I going to tell Jake?

  12

  Jake

  Interviews – I fucking hate them.

  I sat alone with my palms damp, in the greenroom of London’s No.1 hit music station, Capital FM, waiting for Bobby to come out of the bathroom. The last time I was there, I was on top of the world with my band, Rita’s Revolt. Now, a few years later, I was a washed-up frontman trying to make a new name for myself as a solo artist, at least that’s how I felt. The reality was my new single, Ghosts of Us, was hitting hard and fans were responding with love, but it didn’t take away the sharp edge of what loomed ahead.

  Songs that come from my personal drama resonate, just like reality shows make stars out of nobodies…a sad fact.

  With my history, there were bound to be uncomfortable questions, especially with what I had planned to bring up – Sienna’s book. Not forgetting the rumors and paparazzi pictures of Grace and I making the rounds. I was also sure Aly would be brought up, too, for all I knew there were new pictures captured while we were on our ice cream date.

  What if what Aly said was true?

  My stomach turned into one tight knot, sour like I’d eaten something bad. I held my acoustic guitar between my legs, thinking of the song I’d written just three days before – Life Cycles. I was about to perform it on live radio. England would be the first to hear it, an exclusive. A bomb drop on my new record label, but I didn’t give a shit, especially now. My label will make millions off me if the news is true. Good, bad, or otherwise, every time I had a scandal, my record and merchandise sales jumped tenfold.

  Maybe I was destined to never have the happy ending I wanted with Aly. My mind whirled with the echo of her voice, a whispering trepidation – “The little boy looked just like you, Jake.” – “His eyes are your eyes.” – “It makes sense that Sienna disappeared like she never existed.”

  I hadn’t told Bobby. I kept pinching myself, unbelieving. Aly’s news changed how I was going to handle the book. Sienna’s narrative in those last chapters made sense now. Vague to anyone who didn’t know the meaning, perhaps suspect to anyone close to the situation.

  How could I have missed it with the picture? It never even crossed my mind.

  Bobby walked back in the greenroom saying, “We’re on in fifteen.”

  “I wish Marty was here.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “I want this documented, on my terms.”

  “I have my GoPro.” Bobby offered, totally clueless of what I was about to share. “I can set it up.”

  I nodded, hanging my head, readying myself for a shit storm. I gave a little chuckle, because it was so unbelievable. Or maybe it wasn’t. I knew in my gut that it was true, just like Aly said.

  “That call with Aly?”

  “Yeah?” Bobby dug in his backpack, not looking at me, taking out the GoPro.

  “Marshall hasn’t told you?”

  “No.” He stopped what he was doing and the groove between his eyes deepened. “What?”

  “Aly ran into Sienna.”

  “What? Concern deepened his voice. “What happened?”

  “You know that picture I showed you? The one with her sister…and the kid?”

  Bobby stared blankly at me, blinking, waiting for me to continue. The long seconds ticked by without a word from my mouth. Bobby’s eyes were locked on mine and I gave him a somber nod. His eyes widened and he winced like he’d just stepped on a piece of glass.

  “No.” He said, deflating into the seat next to him. “You’re not saying what I think you’re sayin’.”

  “I’m not saying it, Aly is.”

  He shook his head in dismay. “Do you think it’s possible?”

  I rubbed my face in an attempt to wake from a bad dream. “Of course it’s possible.”

  “Dude.”

  “Yep.”

  Silence was the chord until we were called into the studio. Part of me wanted to tell it all. Every. Single. Thing. Fuck it. I couldn’t take the weight of it any longer. Bobby tapped my knee as we settled into our seats, putting on our headphones and mouthed “Not a word about it.” He pointed at me, shaking his head adamantly.

  About what? What part?

  I sat stiff with a fake, tight-lipped grin and my mind reeling. I glanced at Bobby who eyed me with fierce conviction. He meant not to bring up anything about Sienna at all. I gulped and panic reached its tentacles through me. Now what would I talk about? When the station’s slogan music hit my ears and the DJ’s voice made our introduction, my vision turned bright white. I barely recalled a word I said as I felt the insincere laughter rising from my chest when I answered a question. He’d asked what I’d been up to. I vaguely recalled him asking about Grace. Not directly, but about what inspired my solo trek. He asked about my demons and I said they were finally dead, for the most part. Then he asked how Bobby and I were getting along without Dump – aka Victor De Luis, Sienna’s dead husband and one of my best friends who’d saved my life a hundred times over.

  I sang Ghosts of Us.

  I wanted to throw up.

  I’m not sure how I got out of there. Bobby pushed me along with my guitar strapped to my back and out the front door of the station to an unexpected throng of fans. Their faces blurred. I was bombarded by pictures and pens waved in my face. It’d been too long since I’d dealt with a crowd and it instantly knocked me into reality. I instinctually grabbed the pen and paper from a girl with dark brown eyes and cat-like eye makeup, smiling as I scribbled my name. She said something as she lifted her phone. A selfie. She wanted a picture with me.

  I pasted a fake smile onto my face, over and over again. Touching every person I came in contact with, and even wiping away an excited tear or two from cute young faces. Faces of people who said I changed their lives with my music. Boys, who were on the verge of manhood, who said I’d inspired them to get help for their addictions. Those were the faces that stuck with me. I hoped it to be true and hoped that those faces wouldn’t be saddled with life changing commitments because of their poor choices, as I thought about Aly’s revelation for the millionth time.

  I didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was substantial by the dome of grey sky above. We’d slowly made our way to the tube entrance with a sprawling wake of fans behind us. Bobby grabbed my arm, shoving me into a cab instead.

  “Wow.” He laughed. “That was exhilarating.”

  Overwhelmed, I combed my hand through my hair, looking out the window. “I didn’t expect that.” I’m not sure why I was shocked considering the past. “How…”

  Bobby stared at his phone. “The station posted on their social media. It’s blowing up.” He lifted his head to look at me, smiling, then his smile faded, melting sadly like hot candle wax.

  We watched each other as our bodies swayed to and fro with the stop and go of the car. He waited for me to say wor
ds that never came.

  “Look, Jake, you don’t know if what Aly says is true. So, don’t borrow trouble. We have two more days…”

  “No,” I interrupted, “We’re leaving as soon as possible. I have to confront this. I don’t want Sienna disappearing again.”

  There was no more discussion about it. Bobby understood the gravity of it. We were at London Heathrow International Airport three hours after we left the radio station. Bobby took charge by calling Notting and giving him some bullshit story – or maybe the truth.

  I called Aly.

  She answered on the first ring, “Jake?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.” It was the middle of the night in the States.

  “I can’t sleep.” She said, faintly.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Really?” Her voice perked up. “When will you be here?”

  “I couldn’t get a direct flight. We fly through New York. Land in Miami at about 10 AM.”

  “New York? You know Marty is coming, too?”

  “What?” I had no idea.

  “Yeah. Nadine set a date for their wedding…and it just turned into this…celebration.” Her voice went to a whisper. “That was before our discovery.”

  “Does Marshall know…about what you saw?”

  “I don’t think so. I decided not to say anything yet, until we know more. Nadine doesn’t quite believe it. She thinks I’m crazy.”

  I hope you’re crazy, too.

  “I told Bobby.”

  Silence.

  “I had to. I didn’t know how this interview was going to go…I wanted to…”

  “You don’t have to explain to me, Jake.” She interrupted, changing the sore subject. “It’s about a four hour drive from the airport to Key West.”

  The thought of seeing Aly again, with all the uncertainty hovering over us, sent a stampede of emotion through me and I swallowed it down. What would happen now? Would she still want me if I had a…? I was too afraid to even think of it, too afraid to ask. I was surprised by Aly’s mild temperament. If what she thought was true, I was bracing myself for abandonment, the final fuck you, but she didn’t seem to be running away from this at all. I glanced at Bobby sitting across from me at the airport terminal. He had his headphones on and his eyes closed. I pulled my cap further down my forehead, fearful to look around. I didn’t want to lock eyes with anyone. It was late and there were only a few other people at Gate 327. Not even the gate agents were there yet.

  The flight to Miami was comfortable; it should have been, First Class was all that was left.

  It’s only money, right?

  I wasn’t ready for the east coast heat, the type of heat that fills your lungs with moisture. By the look on Bobby’s face, he didn’t like it either. We met up with Marty at JFK and by 11 AM, we were standing next to our rental car in Miami.

  “This is gonna be great!” Marty’s happy enthusiasm caught my attention. I watched as he stretched tall. His arms spread wide with clinched fists, looking like he wanted to pound at his chest. Then his arms dropped and shoulders slumped when he looked in my direction, explaining, “I used to come to Palm Beach all the time before my grandfather died. We moved my grandma back to New York.” He sighed with a nostalgic look in his eye. “Some great times out here when I was a kid.”

  “Yeah…memories.” I said, under my breath, as I wheeled my luggage to the car. Hoorah.

  We met eyes. “Sorry.” He frowned. “Don’t be so serious. You don’t know what’s really going on yet.”

  I sighed, grunting as I heaved my lugged into the trunk. “I hope you’re right.”

  Boy, I hope you’re right.

  “Don’t be such a limp dick, dude!” Bobby chided. “Fucking Marty’s getting married! We should be celebrating!”

  Shoving aside my daunting uncertainty, I smiled at Marty. I grabbed him by the shoulder, giving him a hard squeeze. “Man…congratulations.” My attempt at sounding sincere failed and he gave me a stiff nod.

  Numb by worry, I was unaware of my condition until we settled into the cool confines of the car. Sweat trickled down my neck, beading everywhere fabric wasn’t. I wiped my face by the hem of my t-shirt. Marty drove off by way of Siri’s GPS voice and Bobby sat in the back. I wondered what would happen between Aly and I if it were true; what would happen to everyone involved?

  After an hour of driving, Marty cleared his throat. “First call to order is locate Sienna, correct?”

  “No!” Bobby scoffed. “First thing we’re doin’ is stopping at a beachside bar and having a celebratory drink! When’s the wedding?”

  Marty pushed his glasses up his nose, staunchly saying, “I appreciate your congratulatory mood, Bobby, but I think Jake’s situation is more immediate.”

  Bobby’s lips flapped with his heavy exhale. He leaned forward between the seats. “I think we can celebrate and discuss how we’re gonna nab this…this...”

  “Harpy?” Marty suggested.

  “She’s not a harpy.” Marty’s choice of word gave me a laugh.

  “Sure, she is,” Marty insisted. “She’s hoarding a child all to herself and she’s a greedy money grubber trying to use your story for financial gain.”

  I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “You’re imagination is script-worthy.”

  “Your whole life’s been script-worthy.” He scoffed. “You left London early to get to the bottom of something that’s so salacious, tongues’ll be wagging soon.” He shot me a steely glance.

  My stomach turned. “Harpy’s the wrong word.” I rebutted lamely, sinking deeper into my seat, watching the tropical blue ocean speed by my window.

  “I need a ciggy. Talking about this shit stresses me out.” Bobby slapped the headrest. “Pull over.”

  “No, no pulling over.” I objected. “It’s a serious accusation Aly’s making. I just wanna get there and get to the bottom of it.”

  I might be a father.

  13

  Jake

  The wind whirled Aly’s sun streaked hair around her head. Her back faced me and I could see the outline of her slender figure through her billowing white dress. I had a clear view through the house. I stood on the narrow walkway, looking through the front door, as Aly embraced Marty and Bobby in a warm greeting. I expected her to look over her shoulder for me, but she didn’t. I watched them interact excitedly with each other. I didn’t know what to make of her disinterest in my whereabouts, but it made me not want to interrupt their joyful reunion.

  Grow up.

  I stuffed down feeling sorry for myself and left my bags on the front porch. I was curious as I glanced around the impressive compound of oceanfront cottages. Every bush, plant, and tree stood strong and vibrant in color; alive and thriving in the humid tropical conditions. Insects buzzed everywhere. The sound of the ocean breaking whispered in my ears and I walked toward its sound, taking the paved path around the side of the house. I could see Aly and the others had made their way into the kitchen as I passed one of the windows. I arrived at a gate and peeked over it. A small swimming pool sat in the middle of a grey-bricked patio, surrounded by lounge chairs and umbrellas. The ocean was just on the other side, an unobstructed view.

  Reaching over the gate, I unlatched it. As I closed it behind me, I caught Aly’s eye through the back door. Her eyes lit with happy recognition, giving me an instant warm buzz. A weak smile formed on her face and she waved as she walked out to meet me. My heart raced.

  “What are you doing?” She looked at me oddly, wondering why I was creeping around.

  I shrugged, feeling silly. “I don’t know. I just…walked this way, looking around.”

  She kept her distance. Our usual wire tight connection was limp. I wasn’t going to force our contact. She was hesitant to give me a warm hello like the others, but the way she stared at me was weaved with sympathy and concern. I smiled stupidly at her and looked out at the ocean. This meeting between us was different.

  No shit, id
iot. What did you expect?

  I walked to the pool’s edge and slipped off my sneakers and socks and dipped my foot in. It was warm. “This place is pretty bad ass.”

  “Marshall’s gift to all of us, in celebration of Nadine and Marty and…us…being here together.”

  I glanced sideways at her wondering if she meant us, as in her and I, or all of us. She held my stare and the question popped out. “As in you and me?”

  It took her a second to nod yes. I couldn’t stand the heat or the pressure any longer and wrestled the shirt off my back. “It’s too fucking hot here.”

  “Take your jeans off.” She giggled and walked behind me, sitting on a lounge.

  Hearing her little laugh released the strangle hold from my windpipe. I glanced into the house. No one was in view. I was dripping with sweat and could feel it running down my legs. I rarely wore underwear. Fuck it. I unzipped my jeans and with my bare ass facing Aly, I pushed them down and stepped out of them. I dropped my shirt on top of them and looked over my shoulder at Aly.

  She smirked saying, “Nothin’ I haven’t seen a million times.”

  I gave her a corny grin and took one step into the pool with barely a splash. The water was like cool silk against my hot skin, giving me instant relief. I popped my head up from the water, running my hands over my head and face. Aly’s head tipped to the side, watching in amusement. She looked so beautiful. She was the same girl I’ve always loved, just more mature in ways that made me want her even more.

  “Come in here. Let’s talk.” I cocked my head. She sighed, looking down at her lap, and ran her hand over the fabric of the lounge.

  “What do you wanna do?”

  “I don’t know.” My hands gave a reactionary splash out of the water. “Get to the bottom of it. Hope it’s not true.”

  She stood up, slipping her white dress over head, exposing a skimpy white bikini. Her glorious body took my breath away. I wanted to feel her up against me. I wanted her to hold me, to tell me that no matter what, we’d be together. She jumped in at the opposite end of the pool, gliding underneath the water. I backed up against the side of the pool, hitching my elbows up on the cement lip, watching her shadow come toward me beneath the surface. She popped up in the middle of the pool. We stared at each other and I could feel our connection strengthening.