“More or less.”
“That’s achievable,” said Jake confidently. “It’s more time than we’ve had before.”
“I also don’t think you can record here,” Gary added as he looked round at the lack of space. “I’ve been looking into available studios in the area that are suitable but there’s not much.”
“What if we got premises and set up our own studio?” asked Paul hopefully, silently dreading the thought of being away from home to record the album.
“It’s an idea, but an expensive one.”
“Ok,” butted in Jake. “See what you can find that ties in with the dates. Are we agreed that we are staying with Dr Marrs on this record?”
Everyone quickly agreed to retain the producer’s services.
“On that basis,” Rich began, “Let’s book out his services from mid-June until the end of July.”
“Agreed,” added Grey, happy to have some concrete dates to work to. “Does he know of any studios around here?”
“I’ll check,” said Gary. “Now, Jason has emailed me some summer outdoor festival dates he’s booked you guys in for. I’ll send on what I’ve got from him so far so check your emails later and get back to me with any questions. That includes you, Jake.”
“Right, so the plan is to rehearse and write from now until mid-June. Record June and July. Potentially tour August into September assuming that’s when the festival dates fall. Aim to put the new record out in October,” summarised Jake. “Then what?”
“Tour,” Gary stated plainly. “Europe first, then USA then the rest of the world. Depends on promoters. Costs. Album sales. You know the score.”
“Yeah?” said Rich. “I guess that’s this year and most of next mapped out!”
“Pretty much.”
“Rock and fucking roll,” muttered Paul. “Are we going to rehearse today?”
“I’ll leave you boys to it for now,” said Paul, shutting over his laptop. “What’s the plan for tonight?”
“A meal in town, then some drinking,” answered Grey. “We’ve booked a table at the Turtle for six thirty.”
“See you guys there then,” agreed their manager. “Come on, Scott, let’s leave these guys in peace to work.”
Rehearsal time went slowly after the band’s manager left. All of them were more than a bit stunned by how direct the young Englishman had been. He hadn’t been the usual relaxed Gary they knew and loved. Out of all of them, Paul was the most frustrated. It was no secret that he loathed flying and the prospect of so much travelling scared him. He took his frustrations out on his drum kit. The calibre of his angry solo raised a round of applause from his fellow band members.
“We need to use that!” declared Grey with a grin. “Best I’ve ever heard you beat them skins!”
It broke the ice and the tension gradually dissipated as they worked on the new material. Jake played back the recordings he had made of the songs he had been working on. It was a relief to him to see his fellow band members nodding appreciatively to the tracks. The recording was stopped and started numerous times as Grey worked out a bass line, then Rich joined in with an alternative to part of the guitar track. Some of their ideas worked well immediately, while others felt clumsy and inept. By late afternoon all of them were growing tired and claustrophobia was setting in.
“Beer o’clock?” suggested Jake, laying his guitar down. “Let’s wrap this up and get the party started.”
“Music to my ears,” declared Grey loudly.
“I’ll call Maddy to check everything is ok at home, then I’ll be up,” said Paul reaching for his phone.
“Your beer will be waiting for you,” Jake replied as he led the way up the stairs to the house.
Out on the sun deck, Lori had spent the afternoon lying in the sun listening to music and reading her book. When she heard the boys coming through the house, she reached for her sarong and tied it round her waist so that the soft material covered her scarred thigh. Stepping out onto the deck, Jake let out a long sigh and handed her a cold beer.
“Mind if we join you, li’l lady?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the lounger.
“Not at all,” replied Lori sipping her beer. The ice cold beer tasted good. “How’d it go down there?”
“So, so,” replied Rich, stretching out on the other lounger. “It’s coming together.”
“Gary looked angry when he left,” she observed. “Is there an issue?”
“He was just laying a few things on the line,” defended Jake. “He was a bit direct. I’d guess Lord Jason has been putting pressure on him.”
As he stepped out to join them, Paul added, “Got it in one, Jake. I just spoke to Maddy. She’s had Jason on the phone. He’s wanting her back on board by the end of July. Doesn’t think Gary is working hard enough for us.”
“That’s a bit rough on the guy,” Lori commented quietly.
“It’s all politics,” Rich commented. “It’ll settle down once we’ve started pre-production and recording.”
“Christ, I hope so,” growled Grey into his beer. “I hate ill feeling in the air. Life’s so much easier when we’re one big happy Silver Lake family.”
“I’ll drink to that!” declared Rich raising his beer bottle. “And to Hayden and Wren.”
An early morning mist had rolled in off the ocean creating an eerie atmosphere along the beach. It had been early when Lori had crept out of the house to go for a walk. She did some of her best thinking alone down on the sand. Over the months her confidence and her physical strength had grown allowing her to walk along the shoreline without a constant nagging fear of falling. With the broad base plate attached, she still used her cane for support, psychological as much as physical. She had left Jake snoring loudly in bed, his long limbs spread out over more than his fair share of the mattress. When she had come down the hall, she had found Rich asleep on the lounge floor, his leather jacket serving as a blanket. As she wandered through the sun room, Lori wasn’t surprised to find both Paul and Grey asleep on the couches. The last two revellers hadn’t even made it indoors. Gary and Scott were dead to the world on the sun loungers outside. Someone had had the good sense to cover them with the fleecy blankets from the sun room. Images of the sleeping rock stars made her smile as she strolled along the sand. This early the beach was deserted and the pockets of morning mist created her own small private thought bubbles.
After two phone calls the previous evening she had plenty to think about. Shortly after the band had left to go into town, Jason had called her with a business proposition. Calmly she listened to what he had to say and freely admitted that she was interested, but that she would need a few days to chew it all over. In his usual domineering manner, he had tried to force her to commit to the proposal there and then, but, unfazed by him, Lori stated that either she was given three days or there was no deal to be done. Accepting that this was as much as she was prepared to commit to, he had promised to call her on Tuesday night. The phone was barely back in its base unit when it rang again. It was Maddy, who wanted to know if she had spoken to Jason and committed to his project. The two friends discussed the idea, the practicalities of it and the costs. Both of them knew that it wasn’t about the money, but Lori was not one to invest in anything without checking it out fully. There were pros and cons to the proposal. After her chat with Maddy, she had emailed David and asked him to look into the feasibility of Jason’s suggestion.
Now, as she walked along the shore, alone with her thoughts, Lori was torn about the project. She desperately wanted to discuss it with Jake, but, with the rest of the band camped out in the house, they were unlikely to get time to talk until much later. The mist was beginning to lift and the sun was burning its way through, promising another warm sunny day. Deciding she had walked far enough, Lori turned and began to retrace her steps. Before she was halfway back, she saw a shadow coming towards her through the mist. It was Jake.
“Hey, li’l lady,” he said hoarsely. “You’re a long way from
the house.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I just needed some fresh air and space to think. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“I wasn’t worried until I realised how far along the beach you’d walked,” said Jake, hugging her tight. “You’re almost out as far as the bath house.”
“Sorry,” she apologised quietly. “How was last night? I saw you brought the boys home.”
“We had a good night. Suffice to say we toasted the twins enough to last a while,” laughed Jake. “I stopped drinking about midnight, but the rest kept going till about two in the morning. Scott kept throwing up. That’s why he ended up outside for the night. They’ll all be suffering today.”
“And you’re not?”
“Maybe a bit,” he conceded with a grin. “Now what brought you out here so early?”
“Your snoring,” teased Lori playfully, dodging the issue.
“Li’l lady,” began Jake seriously. “What’s eating at you?”
“Let’s sit down for a minute,” suggested Lori. “Jason called last night with a business proposal.”
“Sounds ominous,” commented Jake as he helped her to sit down on the soft sand. “Shoot.”
“He wants me to invest in a joint venture with him personally and Jim Marrs. There’s a property for sale near here. A house with multiple large outbuildings. I believe it has its own private airstrip too,” explained Lori, drawing patterns in the sand with her finger. “The plan is…”
“To turn the outbuildings into a recording studio,” finished Jake. “Why did he approach you?”
“Hyde Properties,” she replied with a smile. “I’ve emailed the details to David and agreed to give Jason an answer on Tuesday. The property in question is vacant and, if he can pull the deal together, he wants to exchange contracts on it by the end of next week. He wants it fitted out in time for Silver Lake to record there in June.”
“That’s a big ask of you.”
“But not an impossible one,” she answered. “Would you have a problem with Hyde Properties co-owning the studio?”
“Why should I?” Jake asked. “If David thinks it’s a sound investment, then that’s all it is. It’s an investment like any other you make. A business deal.”
“I guess,” she sighed wistfully. “And you wouldn’t feel as if I was stepping on your toes? Interfering with your business?”
“No. Why would I? We’ll be in a studio for a month. Maybe six weeks. It’ll be hired out to other bands for the rest of the year. There could be money to be made on this deal, Lori.”
“That’s what Jason is forecasting,” she admitted. “He seems to think the secluded location plus on-site accommodation would be its unique selling point.”
“If David advises against it, what will you do?”
“I trust his judgement,” stated Lori. “If he says no, then there’s no deal to be done.”
“What’s the split? Is it an equal three-way thing?”
“No,” replied Lori. “Jason’s looking for a forty percent contribution from me. The rest is split equally between him and Jim.”
“Does he realise the risk he’s taking by putting you in control?” teased Jake, trying to lighten her mood.
“And what’s that meant to imply?” she exclaimed, giving him a playful shove.
“Nothing at all, li’l lady,” laughed Jake, pulling her closer to him. “Don’t stress over this. It’s too beautiful a morning to fret about Jason and money.”
“You’re right,” she agreed with a sigh of relief. “We’d better head home and see if our party animals have surfaced yet.”
The two sleeping beauties on the deck were still snoring in the morning sunshine when Jake and Lori returned, hand-in-hand. As they entered the house through the sunroom, Paul was beginning to stir on the settee. Fresh coffee aroma was filtering through and they found Rich and Grey sitting at the kitchen table, both of them with their heads resting on their hands.
“You look like the zombies from my last commission,” giggled Lori as she poured coffee for herself and Jake.
“I feel like one,” groaned Rich, his voice hoarse. “Remind me again why we started doing shots?”
“No idea, “muttered Grey. “It was a bad move. A really bad fucking move.”
“You’re getting no sympathy from me,” chastised Lori, tossing a packet of Advil onto the table. “Take two of these then go and walk off your hangovers along the beach.”
“Can I lie down and die in the sand?” asked Rich, pressing two of the pills out of the strip.
“If you feel you must,” said Lori, trying not to laugh.
Draining the last of his coffee, Grey said, “A walk’s probably not a bad idea. Do you mind if I ask my mom to drop Becky off here?”
“Not at all,” replied Lori. “Maddy’s bringing the twins over later. I’m sure Becky would love to see them again.”
“Christ, babies and the hangover from hell,” mumbled Rich getting to his feet. “I’m out of here. I’ll walk back later for the truck. I’m going to Linsey’s to die quietly on her couch.”
As Rich closed the back door behind him, Paul came staggering in from the sun room. Pale as a ghost, he started to speak, then dashed towards the bathroom.
“Another casualty?” Lori asked Jake. “What kind of lightweight rock stars did you bring home?”
“They’re no lightweights, li’l lady,” he laughed as they tried to ignore the retching noises coming from down the hallway. “Celebrating the arrival of twins involves a shit load of tequila.”
“You’d better go check on the other two,” suggested Lori, with a laugh. “I’m going to get showered and dressed before Maddy gets here.”
Midday sun had burnt off the last remnants of the morning’s mist and the temperature was starting to climb. Out on the sun deck, Jake had put up the parasol umbrella to create a shady spot for the twins. The BBQ coals were lit and a cooler full of juice and beers had been brought out. Feeling somewhat healthier, Grey had gone down onto the beach with Becky and, from the deck, Lori could hear the little girl laughing as she played Frisbee with her father. In the sunroom, Paul was asleep again on the couch, still suffering from the shots consumed the night before. Both Gary and Scott had left while Lori was in the shower, promising to wander back later on once they had freshened up.
The crunch of car tyres on the gravel out front announced Maddy’s arrival just after one. Pausing to rouse Paul on the way through the house, Jake went out to help her in with the twins.
“Lord, what a morning!” declared Maddy as she stepped out onto the deck.
“I’ll second that,” agreed Lori, hugging her friend.
“Just when I thought we were ready to leave, Hayden threw up everywhere. I had to strip him and start again.”
“Like father, like son,” quipped Jake as he came out carrying the two car seats with their sleeping occupants.
“Where is father of the year?” asked Maddy looking round.
“Bathroom,” replied Jake as he set the babies down gently in the shade.
“Suffering?” Maddy enquired, raising one well plucked eyebrow.
“Most definitely,” answered Lori, remembering the sound effects from earlier.
“Hell mend him!” laughed Maddy. “Where’s everyone else? I heard they all crashed here.”
“Grey’s on the beach with Becky,” began Jake. “Rich crawled off to die at Linsey’s. Our two English friends went home a couple of hours ago, but promised they’d be back later.”
“You seem very fresh, Mr Power,” observed the band’s manager. “No hangover?”
“I skipped the shots competition.”
“Ah,” nodded Maddy. “Explains it all. Paul and cactus juice don’t go well together.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” interrupted Lori with a mischievous smile. “He was rough this morning too.”
The idle banter and friendly, relaxed mood lasted for the rest of the day. Soon Jake had food grilling over the co
als and had fetched the girls a drink. Smelling the BBQ, Grey and Becky came back up from the beach. When she saw the babies, Becky squealed in delight, then went to sit in the shade beside them, announcing that she would look after them all day. Eventually Paul ventured out of the house to join them.
“Beer?” offered Jake with a cheeky grin.
“Fuck off,” muttered the drummer as he sat on the lounger beside Maddy. “I’m never drinking again.”
“Heard it before,” laughed Jake, passing his friend a sugar laden soda. “Drink this.”
Typically, the twins wakened for a feed just as Maddy had taken the first bite out of her hamburger. As she was about to put her plate down, Jake stopped her. “Where are their bottles? Grey and I’ll sort them out. You relax for a while, boss.”
“In the black diaper bag. End pockets,” replied Maddy, somewhat overwhelmed by the offer. “Thank you.”
Taking one baby each, the two musicians disappeared indoors to tend to their feeds. With her eyes wide in wonder, Maddy stared after them.
“They’ll be ok,” assured Lori softly.
“That just blew me away,” breathed Maddy with a smile. “If their fans could see them now.”
“It’s a good job their fans never saw them first thing this morning,” giggled Lori. “Trust me, it wasn’t a pretty sight!”
Late afternoon Gary and Scott arrived back at the house, bringing some BBQ supplies with them and a large bunch of flowers for Lori to say thanks for letting them stay the night before. She was touched by the gesture, immediately taking the blooms indoors to find a vase. Much to everyone’s relief, Scott had left his video camera at home, but he had brought his stills photography equipment, explaining that he thought Maddy might like some shots of the twins and some family shots. Having been reassured that these were private photographs, Maddy agreed to let him photograph the twins. Both babies were awake and content after being fed by their “Silver Lake uncles” so Scott seized the opportunity to capture the moment. Wren had spat up on Jake’s shirt after her feed and he had stripped it off, unable to stomach the sour smell. The first few images that Scott captured were of him with the little girl nuzzled into his bare shoulder. For almost an hour the twins tolerated being passed from person to person to be photographed. At Lori’s suggestion, Jake brought out a pile of cushions from the sun room and one of the blankets to create a “nest” for Becky to sit in with both babies. The little girl was thrilled to pose for Scott. Eventually Hayden’s patience ran out and he began to holler loudly. Upon hearing her brother cry, Wren joined in.
Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2) Page 6