Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Ready?” he called out to the booth.

  “Still recording. Keep playing.”

  Jake resumed from where they had left off, totally unaware that his acoustic jam session had been recorded.

  Despite his lack of sleep, Jake nailed the vocals at the first time of asking and they finished up five minutes before their six o’clock deadline. Grey and Paul had bailed out and gone home. Rich was asleep on the floor, with his head resting on his guitar case. Satisfied that his presence wasn’t needed any more, Jake lifted his cases, grabbed his leather jacket and was heading out the door, when one of the recording gurus gave him a shout. He stopped and turned back. The guy tossed a USB stick to him.

  “First cut,” called the other guru. “Rough but it is all there. We’ll get the final cut to Rich by Wednesday night.”

  “Thanks. Night, guys,” muttered Jake, pocketing the flash drive. “Or morning. Or whatever.”

  He was dead on his feet. He hadn’t slept since Friday. Blindly, he drove out to the beach house, abandoned his truck under the tree, then crept round the side to the sun deck. It was too early to waken Lori, so he lay down on the lounger and was almost instantly asleep.

  Even though she had kept herself busy all weekend with her business email clear out and the beginnings of the resurrection of Mz Hyde, Lori had counted the hours until Jake was due to arrive. Before she had left on Saturday, Lori had asked Mary to take her food shopping, as she wanted to be sure she had everything for a perfect Sunday breakfast. With the refrigerator fully stocked, the housekeeper had left her to wait patiently. Over the last few days, Lori had been sleeping better, less nightmares disturbing her, so it was almost eight when she woke. While she showered and washed her hair, she sang to herself, feeling happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. Even as she massaged the oil that the surgeon had recommended into her scars, she kept singing, determined that nothing was going to destroy her good mood. She dressed casually in a soft pair of well-worn jeans and a vest top, then went through to start up the coffee machine. As she passed the front door, she spotted Jake’s truck parked outside. Immediately, she guessed where he was.

  Out on the sundeck, Jake was curled on his side snoring softly. His leather jacket was draped over his shoulders as a make-do blanket and his hair was straggling over his face. Quietly, Lori went into the sunroom to fetch a proper blanket. Carefully, she spread it over him. The lounger was in the shade and it was still cool out. Jake stirred slightly, but remained asleep, as she lifted off his jacket and snuggled the blanket round him. He looked so peaceful. Leaving him to sleep, she went back indoors to fetch herself a coffee, then came out onto the deck with her laptop to do some work while he slept.

  It was after midday before Jake finally stirred. The squeaking of the lounger’s springs caused Lori look up from the computer screen in time to see him stretch and yawn. He reminded her of a cat stretching itself out in the sun. He sat up slowly, pushing his hair out of his face, then looked round as though he didn’t know where he was.

  “Afternoon, sleepy head,” said Lori coming over to sit beside him.

  “Morning,” he yawned.

  “No, afternoon,” she corrected. “When did you get here? I found you out here about eight thirty.”

  “Not long after six,” Jake explained. “I didn’t want to wake you, so I came round here.”

  “You ok?” asked Lori, concerned by the dark shadows under his hazel eyes.

  “Nothing a shower and some coffee won’t cure. It’s been a hell of a long weekend. I did two ten hour shifts at the pizza place and two all-night studio sessions. I’m getting too old for that shit.”

  Lori laughed, “Go take a shower then and I’ll make some lunch.”

  “You sure you don’t mind?” asked Jake.

  She shook her head, “Make yourself at home. There’s clean towels in the cupboard in the bathroom.”

  “Thanks,” said Jake, helping her to her feet before getting up himself. “God, my back’s killing me. You need to get a more comfortable lounger, li’l lady.”

  Lori giggled and confessed it wasn’t the best for napping on. Together they went indoors and, while Jake went out to his truck to check if he had a change of clothes in his gym bag, Lori went into the kitchen to fix them some lunch. She had her iPod plugged into the dock in the kitchen and switched it on while she prepared some tacos and a salad for them. It took several trips through the house for her to transport everything out to the table on the sundeck but she was pleased with herself that she managed it without spilling or dropping anything. She could hear the shower running and Jake singing in the bathroom. It made her smile.

  She was sitting at the table, sipping a beer, when he finally walked through from the sun room. His long hair was hanging damp around his shoulders and he was stripped to the waist, his clean t-shirt clutched in his hand. Lori tried and failed not to stare at his half naked body admiringly.

  “Thanks,” said Jake, sitting beside her at the table. “I feel almost human again.”

  “Not a problem,” said Lori, still studying the tattoo on his left shoulder. “Sorry, I shouldn’t stare.”

  He shrugged and declared, “Signs of my misspent youth.”

  “They’re well done,” said Lori, nodding approvingly.

  “Go with the territory, I guess. My own personal art gallery.”

  “So,” said Lori changing the subject. “How did it go in the studio?”

  While they ate their lunch, Jake filled her in on the details of the recording sessions. He seemed confident that Silver Lake had accomplished all they could have hoped for in the hours that they had available. It was a relief that none of their egos had got in the way and he was happy that they had pulled together as a team. Briefly, he outlined the plans for the next couple of weeks leading up to the Surfside Park gig.

  “What’s the next step?” asked Lori.

  “I don’t know. We hope the radio station that’s sponsoring Surfside will pick up on our stuff and maybe we can get some air time.”

  “Have you ever approached any of the agencies or record companies?” she asked, casually.

  “This is the first we’ve had a professional demo to take to them. We need to talk it through as a band. I want to push it, but Grey has commitments here. Rich has his teaching job. Paul might be up for it.”

  A plan was forming in the back of her mind, but she didn’t want to over-step the mark.

  “When do I get to hear the result of all your hard work?”

  Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out the flash drive, “Now, if I can use your laptop. It’s only the first cut.”

  “Sure,” said Lori, keen to hear Silver Lake’s first recording. “Let’s go inside and I’ll hook it up to the theatre sound in the sunroom.”

  Ten minutes later, they were both listening to the recording. As far as Jake knew, there were only four tracks completed, but the file marked “SL” looked to have six in it. He was critical of the music as he listened to it first time through then stopped dead when his solo acoustic piece filtered through the speakers.

  “What the….” he began.

  “Shh,” said Lori. “This is great.”

  He was shocked to find the second acoustic track recorded. Part of him was anxious as to how the rest of the band would feel when they heard it, but a bigger part of him was thrilled to hear how solid it sounded. They played the tracks through again. This time, Jake was less critical, but was also making mental notes of bits he would change next time he played the pieces. When silence filled the sunroom again, Lori decided to push her luck and asked if she could keep a copy of the file. Jake shook his head and politely refused. “I’ll bring you a finished copy as soon as I get one, Promise. I can’t give you this without the guys approving it all. Band politics.”

  She understood and, reluctantly, passed him back the flash drive.

  “Do you need to work today?”

  “No,” said Jake. “My next shift isn’t till T
uesday night,” then added, “I don’t know how many more I can cope with.”

  “If you can’t be a full time rock star yet, what do you want to do?” she asked, curious to learn the answer.

  “Teach music,” he replied, without hesitation. ”I did music in college and took my teaching diploma, but have never managed to get a job. I did a few supply slots for a year after college and that’s been it. I’ve done some private tuition, but not a lot. It doesn’t pay enough to pay the rent.”

  “Could Rich not help you out with something?” she asked. “He teaches, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Jake replied. “He’s mentioned me to the principal. There might be an opportunity for some part-time stuff. He’s looking for help to run an out-of-school group too. I’ll wait and see what happens, but it’s pizza till then.”

  Lori laughed.

  “So what are you going to do for work?” asked Jake, seizing the opportunity to quiz her.

  “I’m not sure yet,” confessed Lori. “I’ve been going through my business emails and there’s a couple of projects I hope I can explore. I can’t do the memorabilia bit for now as there’s too much travelling involved with that. I don’t want to leave here either for now.”

  “Can you do the artist bit from here? The Mz Hyde stuff?”

  “If I can get the commissions, I think so,” she said hopefully. “I’ll need to get some of my stuff sent down from New York but that’s no big deal. My studio is all set up in my apartment in the city.”

  “I didn’t realise you still had a place in New York,” he commented.

  “It’s a long story for another day,” said Lori, closing the door on the conversation. “Do you fancy taking a walk on the beach?”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon down on the beach casually chatting and getting to know more about each other. As they walked, Jake noticed that Lori seemed more confident than on their previous outing and steadier on her feet. She spotted the dolphins off shore and they stopped to watch them for a few minutes, before continuing on their way. The beach was busier than the previous weekend, with more families out on the sand and more fishermen spaced out along the water line. All of these were signs that the summer season was nearly upon them and that the tourists were making their way back into town. By Memorial Day at the end of May, the town would be swamped again.

  “Can we head back?” asked Lori quietly.

  “Sorry. Have I dragged you too far down the beach?” said Jake with some concern. “You should’ve said sooner.”

  “I’m ok but I can feel my leg starting to protest,” she admitted. “I’d feel happier if we turned around.”

  “Of course.”

  When they finally reached the house, the pain was etched into her face. Lori excused herself and headed straight to the bedroom in search of some pain medication. It was tempting to take something stronger, but she stuck to the over the counter drugs and silently prayed they would take effect quickly. Back in the sunroom, Jake had switched on the TV, selected a classic rock channel and fetched them both a beer from the fridge. Lowering herself onto the couch beside him, Lori apologised for being so pathetic.

  “Stop being so hard on yourself, li’l lady,” he scolded. “Now why don’t you stretch out and I’ll sort some dinner for us?”

  “Mary’s left a lasagne in the refrigerator,” said Lori. “You could heat it up. I think there’s some garlic bread in the freezer.”

  “That I can manage,” agreed Jake. “Do you want to eat indoors or out?”

  “Let’s stay in,” she said, as she lifted her leg onto the couch and eased it out straight. “If you fancy some wine, there’s a bottle in the cupboard next to the front door. I got Mary to move the wine rack up from the basement.”

  “Red?”

  Lori nodded.

  After their meal was over and the dishwasher loaded up, Jake said he had to leave. He could tell that Lori wanted him to stay a while longer, but he confessed, somewhat awkwardly, to having some chores to do at home, including his laundry. That made her laugh and she reluctantly agreed that they should call it a day. Together they debated what to do the next day. Lori had her usual Monday morning session with Jo so Jake agreed to come over at lunchtime and maybe take her out for a drive in the afternoon.

  Once his truck had pulled out of the driveway, Lori settled herself in the study for a couple of hours at her drawing board. Listening to the Silver Lake demo tracks had sparked a few new ideas and she wanted to make some rough sketches. She paused only to fire off a quick email to one of her girlfriends from New York. It had been a couple of months since they had caught up, so Lori invited her down to Rehoboth for the weekend, deliberately choosing the weekend of the Surfside Park event. She left her emails open on the screen while she sketched and, just before she was ready to call it a day, Maddy replied that she would love a weekend at the shore.

  ♪

  The two weeks in the run up to the Surfside event saw a few milestones for Jake and Lori. Their relationship continued to blossom slowly. Neither of them wanted to rush it and ruin a good thing. They used the time to become more relaxed in each other’s company and to learn more about their pasts. Lori’s accident was still a tale off limits, but she did open up a little more about her life in New York. As good as his word, Jake brought her a copy of Silver Lake’s finished CD as soon as he got his hands on it. She was impressed with the results and shared in his boyish delight when the radio station sponsoring Surfside agreed to add it to their playlist. After a bit of persuasion, Jake had agreed to get her tickets for the charity gig. He was worried it would be too long a day for her and he pointed out he wouldn’t be free to spend much time with her until after the band had played. In an attempt to allay his concerns, Lori explained that she had a friend coming down for the weekend and that Maddy would look out for her. Eventually he relented and promised to try to secure some privilege passes for them.

  The biggest milestone for Lori came at the start of the week. When Jo arrived for their therapy session, she brought two walking canes with her.

  “Time to move on,” she said, handing them to Lori. “Let’s see how this goes.”

  Lori was hesitant at first, feeling vulnerable and unbalanced. Patiently Jo explained to her how to adjust her way of walking, convincing her that the canes were as strong as her crutches, and with practice Lori was soon coping well. Jo caveated the progression by advising that she stick to her crutches if she was alone down on the beach. Her aim, she declared, was to get her down to one cane by the 4th of July. It was a challenge Lori accepted.

  The two canes, that Jo presented her with, were plain black. With a streak of artistic rebellion, Lori had Jake take her out to the hardware store to purchase some primer paint then she spent the next two evenings customising them with her own designs. The end result was fabulous and, when Jo returned on Friday morning, she could only agree it was an improvement and that they were now more suited to Lori’s character.

  “I’ve a present for you,” said Lori, as Jo was leaving that day. “Silver Lake are playing at Surfside tomorrow. Jake gave me two extra passes for you and John. If you fancy going along that is.”

  “Thanks,” said Jo, with obvious delight. “Are you going?”

  Lori nodded. “I’m having a house guest for the weekend so we are both going.”

  “Well, maybe we will see you there. I think that Beebe has sponsored one of the afternoon acts. One of the nurses, if I remember right.”

  “I’ll look out for you,” promised Lori. “I’m not sure how early we’ll go along. I’ll see what Maddy wants to do.”

  It was early evening before Maddy finally roared up into the driveway in her black Mustang. Anxious in case her friend missed the house, Lori had been sitting on the rocking chair on the front porch watching for her. The car door opened and Maddy stepped out into the driveway. She was a vision in black- short spiked hair, shaved at the sides, skin tight black mini skirt, black and purple corset style top and her cus
tomary spike high heels.

  “Lori!” she screamed in delight at seeing her friend.

  “Hi,” called Lori, from her seat on the porch. “How was the drive down?”

  “Lord, it took forever,” called Maddy bringing her holdall, appropriately black and purple zebra stripes, out of the car. “I left the city at two.”

  “That’s about right, I’d guess, for Friday evening traffic,” said Lori. “Come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “You’re looking fantastic,” complimented her friend. “Some colour in your cheeks. Such an improvement on that white skeleton I visited in the hospital.”

  Lori laughed as she got to her feet and led her friend through to the guest bedroom. She left her to freshen up and went back to the kitchen where Mary was finalising dinner. In return for staying late, Lori had given her the whole weekend off. The housekeeper was keen to leave, as she was going to stay at her sister’s in Lewes to get away from the Surfside event. Her apartment was near the park and she had declared she could not face a whole weekend of noisy music and traffic chaos.

  “Thanks for staying late,” said Lori warmly. “I really appreciate the help.”

  “I heard your friend arrive,” stated Mary. “Is she some kind of a rock chick? What’s with that noisy car?”

  “Sort of,” confessed Lori. “You’ll meet her in a minute or two. Can we eat out on the deck?”

  “I’ve already set the table and lit the lanterns. I’m guessing you girls will be out there till after dark.”