“Quick work, Ms Hyde. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks,” said Lori, feeling herself blush at the unexpected compliment. “Now, if Becky can keep the kids entertained for the next two days, I can hopefully finish this.”
“Not sure who’s got the bigger challenge there,” laughed Grey as they heard Melody running down the hallway shouting for Becky.
Checking his watch for the tenth time in half an hour, Jake paced restlessly around the music store. It was almost time to close up the shop for the day and Riley was already three hours late. He’d called the school, spoken to Dr Jones, who had put him in contact with Riley and her dad. It had taken a bit of persuading but, eventually, her father had given his consent for the young songbird to travel to New York to perform with Garrett. They had arranged that Riley would arrive around mid-afternoon on the Saturday before the show and would be Garrett’s guest at the gothic palace for the week. Understandably, her father had been anxious at the idea of his daughter spending a week with two musicians that he had barely heard of never mind met but, after a further intervention by Dr Jones, he’d relented. Now though, Jake was growing anxious as Riley had failed to arrive as planned.
“Relax, Jake,” called over Garrett from the acoustic section of the store. “She’ll be here.”
“Her timekeeping is worse than mine!” muttered Jake, checking his cell for any new messages from his former student.
“How was she travelling up here?”
“I think she was taking the train from Wilmington,” replied Jake. “Her father had said he would drive her as far as Wilmington.”
“She’ll be here. Stop worrying.”
Five minutes before the music store was due to close, the door flew open with such force that the chimes above it fell to the floor.
“Jake!” shrieked the young, green-haired girl frantically. “Jake! You here?”
“I’m here. I’m here,” said Jake, rushing over to her. “You ok?”
“Oh, I’ve been so scared!” she sobbed, throwing herself into his arms. “These roads are fucking crazy! I got so lost. The engine was boiling up. I’m almost out of gas. I thought I was never going to get here!”
Hugging her close, Jake said, “You drove? I thought you were taking the train?”
“My dad got wasted. Couldn’t take me to Wilmington,” replied Riley tearfully. “I had no choice. I knew I had to get here. This is too big a chance to mess up.”
“You drove that beat-up car of yours all the way here?”
With fresh tears welling up in her eyes, Riley looked up at him and nodded.
“Just shows miracles still happen,” teased Jake in an effort to calm her down. “I can’t believe it made it past Smyrna! I also can’t believe you made it here!”
“Neither can I.”
“Where have you left said car?” asked Garrett calmly, having closed up the store.
“Outside.”
“Give me the keys,” instructed Garrett. “I’ll take it round to the garage before it gets towed. Your bag in the back?”
Riley nodded, “You’ll need to thump the trunk twice before it will open.”
Smiling, Garrett said, “Sounds a bit like mine. Jake, take our guest upstairs. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Keeping a supportive arm around the trembling teenager, Jake guided Riley through the store towards the elevator. Once upstairs in the gothic palace, the opulence caught her attention and she gazed around wide-eyed as Jake ushered her into the kitchen.
“Coffee? Juice?” he asked, indicating she should take a seat.
“Water, please,” she replied quietly. “Where’s the bathroom? I need to pee real bad.”
“Second door on the right down the hallway.”
“Be right back.”
Still barely able to believe that the tiny teenager had driven all the way from Rehoboth on her own, Jake poured her a tall glass of water then fetched two beers and a bag of chips. He had just opened the beers when Riley came rushing back in.
“That bathroom is stunning!” she enthused. “Marble and gold and…. shit, this place is like a palace!”
Laughing at her excitement, Jake said, “You’ll get the tour later, Miss Riley. Grab a seat and let’s get you calmed down first. I still can’t believe you made it all the way up here in that wreck of a car you drive.”
“Me neither,” she admitted. “The temperature gauge has been through the roof since I drove through that tunnel. I never knew the drivers up here were so crazy either! Those roads are insane!”
Jake nodded, “I’ll confess something to you. I hate driving up here too. Lori, my wife, is fine with it. She grew up here but I’m shit scared driving around Manhattan.”
“The Coastal Highway is going to feel like a deserted back road after this!”
“I’m just glad you made it safely. I was getting worried,” admitted Jake warmly.
“How big is this place?” asked Riley, starting to look round as her nerves settled.
“Huge,” declared Jake with a grin. “It is truly a gothic palace. Not sure what room Garrett is putting you in. I think you’re the floor above me. Jethro, the band’s manager is staying here too. He’s out for dinner tonight so you’ll meet him later on or tomorrow. We’ll sort out some dinner when Garrett comes back.”
“I’ve never been to New York before,” revealed Riley shyly. “Can we go out later? See some of the city?”
“Sure,” agreed Jake. “It’ll be cold out and dark but we can take a walk around. I’ll show you the theatre where the show is.”
A few minutes later, they heard footsteps echoing down the hallway then Garrett wandered into the kitchen. He sat Riley’s suitcase and her guitar case down on the floor then handed her the car key.
“I hope you don’t mind but I called my mechanic. I’ll get him to check your car out before you drive it anywhere else,” Garrett said warmly. “How old is that sedan?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Riley said, “It was my grandma’s. I think it’s about twenty-eight years old. My mom learned to drive in it.”
“How old’s your mom?”
“She’s dead,” said Riley, her voice barely a whisper then added, “She’d have been forty-six this year.”
“Hey, I’m sorry,” said Garrett, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s cool,” replied Riley, smiling up at him. “She died when I was twelve. Cancer. My grandma stayed with my dad and me but she had to go into a nursing home last summer. She’s got Alzheimer’s. I got the car when she stopped driving last year.”
“I still can’t believe your father let you drive all the way up here,” commented Garrett bluntly. “Have you called him to let him know you’re here safely?”
Riley shook her head. “He’ll be out of it until tomorrow. I’ll message him.”
Exchanging glances, Jake indicated to Garett to let the subject drop.
Deciding to humour their young guest after dinner, Jake told her to grab her jacket and to wrap up warm. They took a cab up to Times Square and, when the teenager saw all the neon signs and bright lights and hustle and bustle, she squealed in delight. Her child-like enthusiastic reaction made Jake smile as he strolled along beside her. She stayed close to him, tugging on his sleeve occasionally if she wanted to stop or to explore a store. Slowly, he guided her down Broadway before turning right along W 50th Street.
“Radio City Music Hall!” she shrieked when she saw the iconic building. “I’d love to see a show in there.”
“Someday,” replied Jake with a grin. “Let’s take a walk round the Rockefeller Center then I’ll point out St Patrick’s Cathedral.”
“Oh, I hope I have time to visit all of those places before I need to head home,” sighed Riley. “I’ve dreamed about visiting New York for as long as I can remember.”
“We’ll see what we can work out,” promised Jake, remembering how he felt when he first visited the city with Lori. “It’s gett
ing late. We should head back. You ok to walk back?”
“Definitely! I want to see as much as I can!”
Caught up in her infectious enthusiasm for the city, Jake tried to show her as many landmarks as possible on the way back to the gothic palace. He detoured them off Fifth Avenue so that she could experience Grand Central then, as they re-joined Fifth Avenue, pointed out the New York Public Library with its famous lions. When they reached the Empire State Building, Riley begged and pleaded to be allowed to go up it. Her remonstrations as to the fact she would “die” if she didn’t get to see the view from the top reminded him of his own kids when they desperately wanted something. Realising that there was going to be no dissuading her, Jake relented and agreed to take her to the top of the iconic building.
Almost an hour later, they stood side by side on the 86th-floor viewing deck, gazing out over Manhattan.
“Thank you,” said Riley quietly, as she took a few photos of the incredible view. “This really is a dream come true.”
“Give me your phone,” suggested Jake.
“Why?”
“I’m going to take your picture, Miss Riley,” he laughed as she handed her cell to him. “Smile.”
He didn’t need to ask her to smile twice.
“Selfie,” she declared as he passed the phone back. “You and me.”
“No selfies!”
“Oh, come on, sir! Please,” she begged.
“Riley, I’m not the class teacher now. It’s just Jake,” he corrected as she put her arm about his shoulder and prepared to take the photograph.
“Just Jake,” she said with a mischievous grin, “Smile!”
Knowing it was pointless to argue with her, Jake smiled for the photo.
“Awesome! Thank you. I’ll share it online later!”
“If you insist,” sighed Jake. “Tag it carefully, please.”
Their last stop before returning home was the Gramercy Theater on E 23rd Street. Silently, Riley gazed across at the building, lost in her own thoughts.
“I can’t believe I’m going to sing in there on Friday night,” she said quietly.
“And sing at a sell-out show at that.”
“How many people will be there?”
“About five hundred,” replied Jake. “It’s an intimate venue. Garrett wanted to keep things low key. Perfect small venue for him.”
“Small! Five hundred is freaking huge to me!”
“It’ll feel kind of huge to me too when I step out to play my support set,” admitted Jake. “Still not sure how I got talked into that.”
“What? You’re playing too?”
Jake nodded, “I’ll do a solo set then support Garrett for his set. Sing a few for him. Play on a few. There’s a couple of other guests dropping by too.”
“Who?”
“Paul’s playing drums for him. Grey said he’d help out on bass. Mikey from Weigh Station hopes to be here to play on a couple too.”
“Who else is singing with him?”
“You and me. That’s it.”
As they stood gazing over at the small theatre, Jake realised that the enormity of the situation had just hit the tiny, green-haired songstress by his side. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he said, “Let’s get you back to the gothic palace, Miss Riley.”
Sun shining in through the bedroom window wakened Lori early on Sunday morning. She had worked late into the night on the Silver Lake cover but felt that she had made good progress. If Becky could keep the kids entertained till late afternoon, she hoped she would be able to finish the piece by the end of the day. While she had still been at her desk the previous evening, she had heard Melody creep up the stairs to the attic to join Becky. It warmed her heart that the kids treated Becky like a surrogate older sister.
“Mommy.”
At the sound of Jesse’s voice, Lori turned towards the door to see her young son standing there still more asleep than awake.
“Mornin’!” she said, wriggling to sit up. “You ok?”
“Where’s Becky?”
“Still asleep I think,” replied Lori as Jesse clambered up onto the bed.
“Can we play on the beach today?”
“Looks kind of cold out there.”
“But it’s sun shiny.”
“Well, maybe Becky could take you both for a walk later.”
“Daddy would play with me,” grumbled the little boy sourly. “I miss my daddy.”
“Me too,” said Lori almost to herself before adding, “He’ll be home soon.”
“Promise?”
Pausing, Lori thought for a moment before saying, “Promise.”
Smiling, the little boy wriggled closer, snuggling in for a cuddle. Running her fingers through his tousled blonde hair and feeling the baby stirring restlessly, Lori prayed that she had just made a promise she could actually keep.
“Lori,” began Becky over breakfast. “Can I beg a huge favour?”
“That depends what it is,” countered Lori, wondering what her teenage guest was about to ask.
“Can I invite a friend over for lunch? They could help me take Miss M and Jesse for a long beach walk after.”
“And who is this friend?” quizzed Lori curiously.
“Dorrian,” replied Becky softly.
“Dorrian?”
“He’s my boyfriend,” explained the teenager awkwardly. “Dad doesn’t know. Kola kind of knows.” She paused, “Uncle Jake knows him. Dorrian took his class.”
“I don’t know,” began Lori hesitantly.
“Please!” pleaded Becky. “You can meet him first. Check he’s trustworthy. We don’t need to go out. We can watch movies and play Lego or play games. Please, Lori?”
“Invite him over for lunch,” relented Lori, praying she wouldn’t live to regret it. “I’ll decide about the beach walk after I’ve met him.”
“Thank you!” gushed Becky, hugging her. “You’re the best, Lori!”
“Don’t let me down, young lady.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“Fine,” said Lori, getting up from the table. “Time I made a start on some work. You ok to tidy up in here and to help the kids get dressed?”
Becky nodded, already reaching for her cell to text the good news to Dorrian.
Once settled at her desk, Lori was soon engrossed in the fine details of the Silver Lake design. There were a few finishing touches to be made before she added the lettering. Restricted as she was by the size and font of the band’s logo, she deliberated long and hard as to how she could blend it in so that it complimented the rest of the design. On a separate sheet, Lori practised with a few different options, mainly playing about with the shadow effect to the letters. Time lost all meaning as she added depth and shading of varying degrees to the distinctive Silver Lake logo.
At some point in the background, she was aware of the back door opening and closing followed by voices in the kitchen. After much pleading from Melody, Becky was supervising the kids’ painting in the kitchen. The doors had been closed to muffle the noise but the all too familiar squeals and giggles had echoed through to her workspace.
“Lori!”
Becky’s voice broke through her concentration.
“Lunch is ready,” called out the teenager.
“Lunch? Is that the time?” quizzed Lori, looking up from the latest attempt at the lettering.
“It’s gone one,” replied Becky. “I heated the lasagne that was in the refrigerator and Dorrian brought in some Italian bread rolls.”
“Perfect,” said Lori, laying down her pencil. “Did you find the tub of parmesan?”
“Sure did.”
“Oh, you can come kiddie sit every weekend,” laughed Lori as she got stiffly to her feet. Her leg was aching after sitting for so long and she could feel her back joining in too, thanks to the growing weight of her baby bump.
When she entered the kitchen, Lori smiled to see Jesse sitting happily on the lap of a young long-haired boy that she presumed was
Becky’s boyfriend.
“Dorrian?” she checked warmly.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a smile. “Thanks for having me over.”
Laughing, Lori said, “No need to call me ma’am. Makes me feel old! It’s Lori.”
Their young guest blushed.
“Becky, do you need any help?” checked Lori, watching Grey’s daughter moving expertly round the kitchen.
“No, I’ve got this, Lori.”
Over lunch, the kids monopolised conversation by telling their mother all about the pictures they’d painted. Jesse got particularly excited as he told her about the shark Dorrian helped him draw.
“I thought music was your thing,” said Lori casually. “Not art.”
“It’s kind of both,” replied Dorrian shyly. “I draw cartoons mainly. Anime. Manga. That style of thing.”
“Tell Lori about your job,” prompted Becky, nudging him under the table.
“It’s not really a job as such,” he began awkwardly. “I sold a few designs to a tattoo parlour yesterday. Guy said if they prove to be popular, he might hire me to help out a bit. Wants someone in-house to draw the designs while he does the ink.”
“Guess who it is,” interrupted Becky excitedly.
“Danny?” suggested Lori with a smile.
“Do you know him?” asked Dorrian.
Lori nodded, “He does all of Jake’s ink. He’s done mine too. Talented guy. You could learn a lot from him.”
“I’m booked in for my first next weekend,” confessed Dorrian. “Just don’t tell my mom.”
“How’s the music coming on?” asked Lori, nibbling on the last piece of garlic bread.
“Good. A few of us that did the workshop have put a band together. Riley was doing vocals for us but she’s got a big break and has gone up to New York for a week or so. Gave us a weekend off,” he replied. “We learned so much from Jake last summer. Best class I’ve taken.”
“Jake enjoyed teaching it,” said Lori. “Spoke very highly of all of you.”
“Mommy,” interrupted Melody. “Can Dorrian and Becky take us onto the beach?”
“Please, Mommy,” pleaded Jesse instantly.
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