Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Welcome home!” she called cheerfully.

  “It’s nice to be back,” admitted Lori, giving Mary a hug. “How are things?”

  “Not good,” sighed Mary. “I’ll tell you all about it later. I’ve just made a pot of coffee.”

  “Music to my ears,” declared Lori heading indoors.

  “Hi, Mary,” called Jake from the far side of the car, flashing her a smile.

  Much to his surprise, the older woman came round to hug him, “Nice to see you back too, son.”

  “Thanks. I’ve missed the ocean.”

  “Not a city lover?” she asked with a smile.

  “It’s ok for a visit,” replied Jake, following her into the house.

  All three of them sat out on the deck with their coffee, enjoying the late afternoon sun and between them Jake and Lori filled Mary in on how the trip had gone and the sights they had seen. Both of them reassured her that Lori had not pushed herself too hard. As he drained the last of his coffee, Jake excused himself to fetch Lori’s luggage from the car. Once alone, the two women began to chat about how Rehoboth has been while they had been out of town.

  “Mary,” said Lori softly, touching the housekeeper on the arm. “What’s wrong?” I can tell you’re worried. Is it your sister?”

  The older woman nodded and began to weep, “She’s back in hospital. The tumour was malignant. The doctors are doing further surgery on Friday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? You should’ve called me, Mary,” scolded Lori, her voice filled with concern.

  “I didn’t want to bother you, honey,” said Mary, wiping away her tears. “You’ve been so good to me. I wanted to be here when you got home. Needed to know you were ok.”

  “Oh, Mary,” sighed Lori, hugging her tight. “I’m so sorry about your sister. Remember your family comes first not me.”

  “You’re almost family to me,” said Mary. “I worry about you too.”

  With a smile Lori thanked her, then said she should be at the hospital or with her sister’s kids.

  “I know I should,” agreed Mary. “I just wanted to see you safely home first.”

  “Mary, no arguing. Take whatever time you need here. I’ll be fine.”

  The housekeeper nodded, “I’m scared, Lori.”

  “I know. I wish I could tell you it will all be ok,” said Lori softly. “If there’s anything I can do, you only have to ask.”

  “Thank you,” whispered the older woman, tears welling up in her eyes. “If it’s ok with you, I’ll wash the cups then go. I’ll call you on Friday to let you know how things go.”

  “Leave the cups,” stated Lori firmly. “Go home, Mary. Be strong for your sister. You know where I am if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, rising to leave. “I’ll see you soon.”

  A few minutes later, Jake came back out onto the sun deck and announced that her bags were in the bedroom and her studio stuff had been left in the lounge for now.

  “Mary looked upset as she drove off,” he commented casually.

  “Her sister’s still in hospital. It doesn’t sound good,” replied Lori. “I’ve told her to take some time off.”

  “You’re too soft,” he said with a smile. “Feel up to a walk along the beach?”

  “Sounds good,” agreed Lori. “I’m stiff after sitting in the car for so long.”

  The beach south of the house was deserted. It felt good to have sand underfoot again as opposed to the hard city sidewalks and to hear the waves crashing ashore. As they walked, a breeze got up and they could see storm clouds gathering ahead of them. Still lacking balance in the soft sand, Lori had resorted to her crutches for their stroll. Jake silently suspected the change back to her crutches was an attempt to hide the pain she was in. An occasional grimace crossed her face as they meandered along the shoreline. Jake knew better than to suggest they turn back before she was ready, however the first drops of storm rain made the decision for them. Before they made it back to the shelter of the house, the heavens opened, soaking them both to the skin. Dripping, they dashed into the sun room out of the storm, just as the first rumble of thunder boomed overhead.

  “Jeez, where did that come from?” laughed Jake, stripping off his wet T-shirt.

  “A great welcome home that was,” giggled Lori. “I’ll fetch you a towel.”

  Tossing him a towel from the kitchen, Lori limped down to the bedroom to get changed out of her own wet clothes. She pulled on a T-shirt and jeans, rubbed her hair dry, then wandered back through to the sun room. Jake was sitting on the couch searching the TV channels for a news broadcast to see if there were any severe weather warnings on the way.

  “I brought you a dry T-shirt,” said Lori. “It’s one of mine, but it should be ok.”

  She tossed him a black T-shirt.

  “Thanks,” said Jake pulling it on over his damp hair. “I hate to say this, but I need to go back to my place. Do you mind?”

  “No. Yes,” stammered Lori. “What about dinner? Mary’s left us her special chicken pasta to heat up.”

  Kissing her gently Jake asked, “Can you give me a couple of hours? I’ll come back for dinner, but I’m not staying the night.”

  “Be back for eight,” said Lori, trying hard to hide her disappointment. “Dinner will be waiting.”

  “I’ll see you then,” he promised, kissing her once more.

  ♪

  The truck’s windscreen wipers struggled to clear the rain that was hammering down as Jake drove back to his apartment. Lost in his thoughts, he nearly missed his turn off. It took him two trips to get his gear back into his small apartment and Jake was soaked through again by the time he was done. He had dumped his holdall in the living room before gently laying his guitar cases down on the couch. The apartment smelled stale so he threw open the sliding doors that led to his tiny balcony. Outside the rain was gradually easing up. It felt like he had been away from here forever. The apartment might not be Upper West Side material, but it had been his home for a long time. During the last week it had been so easy, so natural to slip into Lori’s luxurious world; stepping back out of it was proving to be harder. With a sigh, he opened his holdall and sorted out all the laundry in a pile on the chair.

  “How very rock and fucking roll,” he muttered to himself as he put the first load of clothes into the washing machine.

  When he had unpacked the last of his gear, Jake decided to take a shower and try to lift his flat mood with some hot steamy water. As he stood under the hot power shower jet a few minutes later, he felt the last of the city dust wash away. He sang to himself as he washed his hair, finding new lyrics to go with the melody he had been playing with the night before. All too soon the water started to cool down and he stepped out of the shower dripping all over his tiny bathroom floor. Wrapping a towel round his waist, he wandered, still dripping, through to the kitchen to fetch a beer. A glance at the clock on the microwave told him he had an hour left before Lori expected him for dinner.

  As he pulled on a clean pair of jeans – his only remaining clean pair- Jake thought back to Lori’s revelation about her accident. In her position, he hoped he would have acted the same. But to watch a child die in front of you – how did you begin to pick up the pieces mentally after that, never mind recover from the physical injuries? She had spoken so candidly. Her emotions had very obviously been raw. Even the simple act of crossing at the same crosswalk with him the day before. When he had written the lyrics to “Stronger Within” about her, little had he realised just how true they were. Slipping on a white shirt he marvelled about how caring a person she was in such a relaxed natural way. Without a second thought she had opened her home to him and the rest of the band, taken a week out of her life to look after Becky without being asked and been the perfect hostess throughout. In fact, she was always the same, he realised. Rarely had he seen her flustered- apart from their initial meeting. Lady Luck had been shining down on him the day she brought Lori into his life. “Lady
Luck,” he mused thinking back to the new piece of music that was forming in his head. “That might just work as a title.”

  Grabbing a pair of sneakers, Jake decided that as the rain had stopped, he would walk back along the beach instead of taking the truck. He slipped his wallet into his pocket and his phone, deciding to pick up some wine to go with dinner. Yes, Lori the perfect hostess would already have a bottle prepared, but he felt it was the right thing to do. Just as being with her felt like the right place to be.

  Along at the beach house, Lori was having a not dissimilar experience. Slowly she had unpacked her bags, hanging up the few clean items of clothing and sorting the laundry into two piles – light and dark. She returned her toiletries to the bathroom, deciding to take a quick shower before dinner. Travelling always made her feel grubby and the feeling of the hot water gliding over her washed all those miles away. It had felt good to be driving her car again, but she was sore from sitting for so long. The hot jet of water helped ease the tension from her neck and shoulders. As she shampooed her hair, her mind wandered back to Jake’s question about her accident. Subconsciously her left hand moved to finger her scars. Now he knew all the scars weren’t just physical ones. In a weird way it had been a relief to tell him. It was not an easy tale to tell, but it was all out in the open and she was glad she had told him. It meant they could move on with no secrets between them.

  Once out of the shower and wrapped in a towel, Lori wandered back through to the bedroom in search of something to wear. Her favourite faded jeans lay over the back of the chair so she opted for them and a baggy white shirt. Having brushed out her long wet hair, she scooped up the first bundle of laundry and carried it through to the utility room. With the washing machine happily churning away, she began to prepare dinner. Mary’s chicken bake was one of her favourites. While the oven heated up, Lori set two places at the dining room table and lit two small votive candles. Much as she loved her New York apartment, it was good to be home; much as she had loved having a house full of guests, and love and laughter, she was glad that tonight it was just her and Jake. Having set out two of her favourite crystal wine goblets, she fetched a bottle of red wine from the rack in the hall cupboard. With practiced ease, she removed the cork and set the bottle down on the table to breathe.

  Shortly after eight Lori heard the sun room doors slide open.

  “Lori!” called Jake, closing the door back over with its distinctive squeak.

  “In the kitchen,” she called back.

  Following the delicious aroma of dinner, Jake wandered through the house, noting the set dining table with a smile. When he saw Lori standing by the sink, rinsing the salad leaves and heard the rumble of the washing machine, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Were we both down to the last of the clean clothes?”

  “Great minds,” she giggled. “Don’t tell me you went home just to do your laundry!”

  Jake blushed and handed over the bottle of wine he’d brought, “I might have done.”

  “Maybe we both need to go shopping,” she laughed, passing him the salad bowl to take through.

  “I hate shopping,” muttered Jake, taking the bowl through to the table.

  Still giggling, Lori asked him to bring the pasta dish out of the oven for her. She was anxious about carrying things like that in case she tripped and burned herself. Her confidence in moving about the house without her cane was growing, but her balance was still fragile, especially when she was tired. Jake more than happily dished up their meal while she poured the wine.

  “Welcome home, rock star,” she declared, raising her glass to him.

  Jake laughed, “Someday I hope.”

  “Well, rock stardom is closer than it was a week ago,” said Lori warmly. “How do you feel about it all?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted, staring down at his dinner. “I love performing and writing music. Being in the studio was amazing. But fame scares me. I’m not good at the people bit off stage.”

  “I may be wrong, but I think Maddy has big plans to push you guys. I’ve seen her do this before,” said Lori. “And I’ve seen her succeed. You’re under her wing now and she doesn’t like to fail.”

  “I guess,” agreed Jake. “Rich and the others are stoked about it. Grey sees it as his best option of a good life for Becky. I don’t want to let them all down.”

  “I get it,” admitted Lori, pausing for a sip of wine. “It’s one of the reasons I retired as Mz Hyde. Just remember who you are on the inside. At the end of the day, it’s a job. Put the uniform on and play the game.”

  “That’s a good way to look at it,” he conceded with a smile. “So what’s next for Mz Hyde now she’s out of retirement?”

  “I’ve a new commission,” Lori stated proudly. “I checked my voicemail just before you arrived. More album artwork.”

  “Anyone big?” Jake asked curiously.

  “Now you know I can’t say yet,” she scolded playfully. “When I can tell you I will. Client confidentiality and all that important stuff.”

  “Not even a clue?”

  “No!”

  Despite her protests, Jake insisted on clearing the table and stacking the dishwasher when their meal was over. There was just enough wine left for half a glass each so, while Jake was busy in the kitchen, Lori took their glasses through to the sunroom and turned on the TV, flicking through to one of the rock music channels. She was trying to stifle a yawn when Jake came through to join her.

  “You need an early night, li’l lady,” he said softly.

  “You might be right,” she admitted sleepily. “The sea air has hit me.”

  “Nothing to do with ten manic days in New York then?” teased Jake.

  “They might have something to do with it,” she giggled. “But they were fun.”

  “Ok, here’s the deal,” began Jake. “I’m heading home in a few minutes. I’ll be back by early afternoon tomorrow, but only if you agree to get to bed as soon as I leave and rest until lunchtime tomorrow.”

  “And if I don’t?” challenged Lori with mischief glinting in her blue eyes.

  “I won’t let you take me shopping.”

  Lori laughed and hugged him. “Deal. If I take it easy till lunchtime, you’ll come with me to the outlets tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Deal,” he agreed reluctantly.

  After Jake left to walk home a short while later, Lori was as good as her word. As she headed off to bed, she lifted her laptop and her sketch book. There was nothing in the deal that said she couldn’t do a little work while she was “resting”. Climbing into her big familiar bed, all thought of work left her. Jake had been right – she was worn out. Within minutes she was sound asleep, snuggled down deep in her crisp white cotton bedding.

  There was a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean as Jake walked home along the cold sand. “Fame and fortune,” he thought as he meandered along just out of reach of the waves. Was he ready for them? That was the million dollar question and he suspected that Lori was right- it was out of his control. The boundary line had been crossed and that scared him. Keeping an eye on the waves washing in at his feet, he thought back to all the gigs and festivals he had been to over the years where he had longed to be the one up there in front of the crowd. Maybe it was the right time to step up out of the crowd and take centre stage.

  It was the dull ache in her leg that finally wakened Lori next morning. She bent and straightened it a few times, then surrendered and reached over to the nightstand for some painkillers. A glance at the clock informed her it was ten thirty. It had been a long time since she had slept so late and so soundly. Jake had been right – she had been worn out. Stiffly she got out of bed to visit the bathroom and to fetch a drink of water to wash the pills down. Having gone through to the kitchen to make herself some coffee, she returned to bed with her mug and switched on her laptop. Sipping the coffee slowly, she checked her emails, deleting the junk and marking the business ones that needed a response. Eventually she found the one she had be
en expecting. The voicemail she had listened to the previous day had informed her to expect the details via email and there they were on the screen in front of her - the details of her commission from Jason Russell; the artwork commission for Silver Lake’s album. Keeping quiet until she had the rough proofs ready for the band’s approval was going to be a challenge, but she was sworn to secrecy.

  Among the emails she had tagged as “business” were details of two other potential commissions. She read over the details for both of them, checked her calendar to work out the scheduling and figured, if she could extend one of them by a week, she could accept them as well. The more work she had decreased the chance of letting slip about the Silver Lake project.

  Once she had amended the acceptance emails to her satisfaction and sent them to David to approve the financial aspects of the deals, Lori went back through to the kitchen to fetch herself a late breakfast. The painkillers had finally kicked in. After such a good night’s sleep, she felt steadier on her feet than she had since the accident. With a hot coffee in one hand and a toasted cinnamon bagel in the other, she returned to bed to finish up her emails.

  Beside her, her mobile phone chirped, signalling a new message.

  “Hope you are being a good girl. J x”

  Smiling, she texted back, “Still in bed Lx”

  A second chirp and she was rewarded with a smiley face and “see you at 3 J x”

  Figuring she had about three hours to herself, Lori shut down her laptop and picked up the sketch pad. Thinking back to the tracks she had heard the band rehearse in New York she was struggling to determine a theme. The memory of Jake playing “Lady Butterfly” struck a chord. It was a start. She already had the butterfly she had designed a few weeks ago. An idea of how to morph it into a “rock butterfly” began to form and she started to sketch. Once she became engrossed in the task at hand she lost all track of time. The pencil outline began to take shape and Lori was soon lost in adding detail to it.