“Terrified,” confessed Jake openly. “Once we were part way through the first number I was fine though.”
“Still insane,” muttered Kola. “Crazy musicians!”
They were back at the studio for four o’clock and, after a shortened warm up routine, Jake was ready to make a start on the vocal track. As with the guitar tracking, he opted to do the acoustic version first. He kept it very clean, exactly the same as when he had sung it for Jason. There was a natural warmth to the tone of his voice and both Kola and Dr Marrs nodded appreciatively when he was finished. At the producer’s request, Jake sang it through three more times. Recording the non-acoustic styled vocal ran just as smoothly.
“Thanks for that, Jake,” called Dr Marrs warmly. “We’re done here.”
“Glad to hear it,” joked Jake, reaching for his bottle of water. “Do you need me back out here tomorrow?”
“You’re good till Monday,” assured Jim Marrs. “Unless you want to come in.”
“I’ll see what tomorrow brings,” suggested Jake as he gathered up his belongings. “Lori and I might take a run out in the afternoon.”
“We’ll be here.”
“Right, I’m out of here,” declared Jake. “Don’t stay too late, guys.”
In the half light of dusk, Lori sat out on the deck, surrounded by lit candles. She had opened a bottle of wine after Jake had called to say he was on his way home with some Chinese food for dinner. Sipping her wine, Lori listened to the noise of the waves crashing in on the beach. One of the neighbouring houses was having a party and she could hear the bass rhythm of their music, accompanied by loud voices. It sounded like teenagers having fun. A typical summer beach resort evening soundscape. Silently, she reflected on the progress she had made workwise during the day. In a few short peaceful hours, she had accomplished more than she had for the last week or more. She hoped Jake’s day had gone as smoothly and productively. When her current project was complete, the Silver Lake art work was next in her schedule.
So lost was she in her thoughts that Lori never heard Jake’s truck pull up out front. When he stepped out onto the deck behind her, she let out a squeal of fright.
“Sorry, li’l lady,” he apologised, setting the bag with their food down on the table. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No harm done,” she laughed. The enchanting, musical sound made him smile. “Just a little spilled wine. I was miles away.”
“How was your day?” asked Jake, as he sat across from her. “Productive?”
“Very,” replied Lori as she poured her fiancé a glass of wine. “Yours?”
“Same,” he answered. “Jason wanted a rush job on one of the new tracks. Paul and Grey did their bit last night. Rich is going in tomorrow.”
“And is your bit done?”
“All done,” he declared proudly, raising his glass. “Jim Marrs is in for a long weekend. Kola too.”
“Poor guy,” sighed Lori then turning her attention to the bag of food in front of them she asked. “What did you pick up for dinner?”
“Your favourite noodle dish.”
As they ate, they chatted about how the recording was going, the themes emerging from the record and the timescales for the remaining tracks to be completed. A few of Jake’s comments gave Lori flashes of insight for her forthcoming commission. She had asked him about the track Jason wanted rushed through and he confessed he had written the lyric about Grey’s situation.
“Has he realised?” asked Lori quietly.
“I don’t know,” confessed Jake a little awkwardly. “He’s obviously heard the lyrics, but I don’t know how closely he listened.”
“Maybe you should tell him.” suggested Lori, concerned that the rather private bass player might be offended by the sentiment.
“Let me play it to you and you can judge for yourself,” countered Jake. “Once you’ve heard it, if you think Grey will be angry, I’ll call him.”
Lori tidied up the dinner debris, then settled herself on the couch in the sun room while Jake fetched a guitar from the basement. His favourite acoustic was out at JJL so he opted for one he occasionally used on stage. It was a more expensive instrument with beautiful mother of pearl inlays, but he hadn’t developed a close relationship with it yet. Stretching his long, denim clad legs out in front of him, Jake settled himself on the floor, leaning back against the closed patio doors. He refined the guitar’s tuning, flashed a smile at his fiancée then began the gently picked intro to the song. The warm tone to the vocal when Jake began to sing sent tingles down Lori’s spine as she sat entranced by what she was hearing. Instantly, she could tell why Jason was so excited by the song. Jake had written something truly special. Despite her initial concerns, the lyrics were beautifully subtle and, if you didn’t already know the bass player’s personal circumstances, then you wouldn’t guess it related to him. When he finished the song, Jake sat still with his head bowed, his blonde hair falling carelessly over his face.
“That was fantastic,” enthused Lori, a huge smile lighting up her face. “Stunningly beautiful.”
“Not going to offend Grey then?” asked Jake looking up slowly.
“Not at all,” assured Lori. “But answer me one question.”
“What?”
“Is he falling for Kola?”
“He’s not said as much, but I suspect so,” replied Jake, laying the guitar back in its velvet lined case. “I also suspect the feelings are mutual.”
As she had anticipated, Lori received a phone call from Jason early on Monday morning. She was still finishing her first coffee of the day when the phone rang. The Englishman was polite but cut straight to the point.
“Mz Hyde, I need a design for Silver Lake’s next single by Friday noon,” he stated bluntly.
“Jason, I’ve a midweek deadline on the Molton cover,” replied Lori, her tone equally blunt. “And I’m not finished it yet.”
“Fine, but I need a cover for their single by Friday.”
Taking a deep breath and counting to ten before she spoke, Lori stated, “If I do this, then the fee is double due to the unrealistic timescales here and the design will be quite straightforward. Nothing overly complex or detailed.”
“Double!” exclaimed Jason sharply. “It’s your boyfriend’s band. What happened to mate’s rates?”
“Not applicable when you expect at least a week’s work in two days, Jason.”
There was silence on the line for what felt like an eternity.
“Alright, Lori, you win,” conceded the Englishman. “Speak to Gary and the band. Get a feel for what they want, then call me.”
“Leave it with me, Jason,” replied Lori, feeling pleased with herself for holding her ground.
With Jake out of the house planning a late night at JJL laying down guitar tracks, Lori set to work finalising her Molton commission. Barely stopping to eat, she was still at her drawing board when Jake finally came home at midnight. The design was almost finished. When he saw how pale and tired she was, he insisted she call it a night.
“I need another couple of hours,” protested Lori, as he lifted her off her chair and carried her through the house. “Please, Jake.”
“You’re exhausted, li’l lady,” he stated firmly. “I promise I’ll waken you when I go out for my run in the morning but you need sleep.”
Realising it was futile to resist, Lori snuggled into his shoulder and allowed him to carry her off to the bedroom. In her heart, she knew he was right. She was mentally and physically exhausted from focusing on the detailed drawing. There were so many layers to the design that drew the viewer’s eye into the tunnel of rooms that it was a challenging piece to focus on for long periods of time. Gently, Jake sat her down on the bed and, before she could protest, he slipped her jeans off her and removed her T-shirt. With warm, nimble fingers, he removed her underwear, then carefully slid the T-shirt she wore to sleep in over her head. Pulling back the lightweight summer duvet, he settled her down like a mother would a child
, tucking her in.
“Sweet dreams, li’l lady,” he whispered, kissing her forehead, her eyes already closing.
“Night, rock star,” she mumbled sleepily.
By the time Jake had removed his own clothes and climbed into bed beside her, she was fast asleep, a half smile on her face.
Sun was streaming into the Mercedes as Lori drove out to JJL the next afternoon. With the Molton project emailed off for approval, she had decided to lunch with Maddy and the twins before heading out to the studio to talk to Gary and the band. Lunch had been chaotic out at the farmhouse. Both she and Maddy had tried to eat their salad while balancing a grizzling baby on their lap. The twins, at ten weeks old, had had their first vaccinations and were grumpy and out of sorts. It was with a pang of guilt that she had left her friend with the babies, but she knew she had to get out to the studio and time was short enough on this impromptu Silver Lake project. Having parked the car beside Jake’s truck, Lori made her way into the building. A cool blast of air met her in the entrance porch and the building beyond was delightfully cool inside. From the foyer, she heard Rich and Jake playing a powerful sounding duet. Trying to be as quiet as she could, Lori slipped into the control room beside Jim Marrs.
“Hi,” she said softly, taking a seat beside him at the mixing desk. The vast array of buttons, switches and dials never ceased to amaze her.
“Afternoon, Mz Hyde,” replied the producer curtly. “Were we expecting you?”
“Surprise visit to get some inspiration for his Royal Highness’ rush job,” joked Lori with a smile. “If I’m interrupting though I’ll go.”
“Too late,” commented Dr Marrs. “You’ve been spotted.”
Looking through to the live room, Lori saw Jake and Rich waving at her like two naughty school kids.
“Sorry,” apologised Lori, trying hard not to giggle at their antics.
“No harm done,” sighed the producer. “We were due to take a break. You’ve got thirty minutes, Mz Hyde. Not a minute over.”
“I’ll be quick,” promised Lori sincerely. “Thanks for this, Jim.”
“Go on through before I change my mind.”
As she reached the door into the live room, Jake opened it and wrapped her in his arms. Nuzzling into her neck, he whispered “Boy, am I glad to see you, li’l lady.”
“Rough day?” she asked quietly.
“Something like that,” he sighed softly. “Anyway, what brings you out here?”
“The car,” she joked with a mischievous giggle.
“Very droll, Mz Hyde,” he groaned. “I heard Jim say you’ve got thirty minutes. You’d better get in here quick.”
After a quick round of greetings and a general grumble about the lack of progress, Silver Lake were ready to listen to Lori. Keeping it brief, she explained that she wanted something quite stripped back and bare for the single cover design, but if there was to be a theme for the remaining album artwork then she wanted to pick up on it as soon as possible. Grasping her dilemma, the band exchanged glances. There were shoulder shrugs and a couple of non-committal grunts.
“Guys,” began Lori, sounding a little desperate. “I’m looking for a hint here. I’m quite happy to go with my own interpretation, but I felt you might want some input.”
“You’re right,” acknowledged Rich as he lifted a bottle of water. “We’re just a little frazzled just now. What were you thinking of doing?”
“I’ve had two thoughts,” revealed Lori calmly. “One was to use photography for a change. A black and white shot of either sunrise or sunset shadows. The other idea was to create a “character” for the album and have him or her emerge from a dark place into bright sunlight. Something a bit creepy and evil looking.”
“I like the sound of them both,” confessed Grey with a yawn from his reclined position on the couch at the side of the room. “As long as it doesn’t look like me or Kola.”
Jake blushed, then said, “You knew?”
“Yup,” said the bass player. “Don’t shit yourself, Jake. I’m flattered. It’s an awesome song.”
“I like the idea of a creepy character,” said Paul. “A kind of Gollum thing. Something we could tie back to the Celtic knot and stuff.”
“Perhaps,” agreed Lori hopefully. “I just don’t have much time to play with here.”
“When does Jason need it for?”
“Friday,” she stated. “And we’re already almost through Tuesday.”
“Can you come up with a Silver Lake imp in that time?” asked Jake, taking her hand. “I kind of like that idea. We could carry it through the album cover, merchandise. You know, all that shit.”
The boys nodded in agreement.
“Ok, imp it is,” said Lori, relieved that a decision had been reached.” Leave it with me.”
“And you’re sure you can do it in the time frame?” checked Rich. “It’s not too big an ask?”
“I’ll do it,” promised Lori with a smile. “Now get back to work, boys. Dinner at the house on Friday?”
“Deal,” called Grey from the couch. “I’ll bring beer.”
“Bring Kola,” invited Lori, with a wink to Jake. “I’ll see you all later.”
Leaning heavily on her cane, she walked out of the live room without a backwards glance. Once back out in the hallway, she met Gary, who was chatting on his cell phone. She started to head past him, but he reached out to stop her and mouthed, “Wait a minute, please.”
Lori nodded and took a seat on the smart couch that dominated the small reception area. Within a few seconds, Gary had sat down beside her and was clearly winding up his call. Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he apologised for delaying her.
“No problem,” replied Lori warmly. “You ok?”
“I think so,” replied the band’s manager. “I’ve decided to stick with Silver Lake. I was just cancelling the other job.”
“And are you ok with that?” asked Lori, noting the confusion written all over his face.
Gary nodded. “It’s the right decision.”
“You don’t sound too sure,” commented Lori, trying to get him to open up to her. “I sense a but.”
“It’s a stupid but,” he laughed, looking embarrassed. “I’m homesick for England.”
“Why not go back for a few days?” she suggested. “The boys would understand.”
“I’m needed here until the end of August. Jason has me under strict orders to be working for this band twenty-four seven,” Gary explained quietly. “I’m going to call my sister. See if she’ll come out in August. Maybe I’ll be able to fly back with her for a week or so. I miss my young brother too.”
“I hate to see you unhappy, Gary,” began Lori. “But there’s not a lot I can do, is there?”
“You’re doing it, Lori. You’re listening,” he said with a sad smile. “Don’t say anything to Jake or the others. I’ll be fine in a day or so.”
“I won’t,” she promised. “But I think you should tell them. They’ll understand. They’ve all got family.”
“Maybe,” he conceded, then changing the subject, asked if she’d started on the design for the new single.
“No, but I have a plan and some inspiration,” she replied. “I’m heading home now to start work on it. Come over on Friday night. The boys are all coming. I’ll reveal the design then.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Gary smiling. “Scott’ll be back by then too. Can I bring him along? He’s out in LA on a video shoot until Thursday.”
“The more the merrier,” declared Lori, getting to her feet. “I’ll see you both on Friday.”
“Looking forward to it.”
There were discarded sketches scattered all over the sun room floor when Jake arrived home after dinner. Pausing to gather them all up, he saw that they were various incarnations of the Silver Lake imp. Some of them were really evil looking characters, but none of them were finished off. Carrying the pile of half-finished drawings, he wandered out onto the deck where Lori was sitting
, focussed on the sketch in front of her.
“Evening, li’l lady,” he said softly, his voice a little husky after spending the previous two hours making a start on the vocals. “Are you winning yet?”
“Yes,” she replied, without looking up.
“Can I see?” asked Jake hopefully, trying to sneak a peek over her shoulder.
“Not yet. Patience, rock star.”
Ok, I can take a hint,” laughed Jake backing off. “I’m going to watch TV. Can I get you anything?”
“No thank you,” replied Lori only half listening to him.
In front of her, in the half dark and candlelight, the wizened face of the Silver Lake imp was taking shape. After many false starts, she had finally settled on a male imp with a wistfully wrinkled and scarred face. At first, she had wrestled with the colour of his eyes before deciding the whole face looked best with milky white cataracts over the eyes. She had clothed him in a midnight blue, tattered, hooded cloak with a brooch holding it fastened at his chest. The brooch was a miniature version of the circular Celtic knot that she had given to Jake just after they met. Eventually, she was satisfied with her creation.
On the table beside her, the candles had almost burnt out and the air had grown chilly. Gathering up her sketches and pencils, Lori headed back indoors. Jake was stretched out on the larger of the two couches sound asleep, a baseball game playing on the TV. He looked incredibly peaceful in slumber. It was unusual for him to nap like this, but Lori guessed it had been a long day out at JJL. Trying to be quiet, she reached for the remote to turn off the game, but accidentally knocked over an empty glass with her foot. The clatter startled Jake.
“Wha’? Who won?” he muttered sleepily.
“Game’s still on,” replied Lori, resisting the temptation to hit the red button. “You were asleep, rock star.”
“Long day and a bit of a migraine,” confessed Jake sitting up. “Did you find our imp?”
“I think so,” she replied with a smile. “Now, bed for you, rock star.”
“Can I see him?”
For a moment Lori hesitated, then decided to let Jake take one quick look at the character she had created. Passing him her sketchbook, she watched to gauge his reaction.”
Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2) Page 13