Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  A breeze blowing in off the ocean was keeping the beach from being unbearably hot. Lori had put on her bikini and tightly fastened a broad sarong around her hips to cover her thigh. Deciding to err on the side of caution, she took both her canes with the wide base plates securely in place. Feeling the sun on her back as she walked eased away the day’s tensions, and she was soon smiling to herself. It was a beautiful afternoon and she wished Jake were there to share it with her. Right on cue her cell phone that she had securely tucked into her bikini top, began to ring.

  “Hello,” she called brightly as she answered the call.

  “Hi, li’l lady,” came Jake’s warm voice. “How’s your day been?”

  “Emotional. Mary resigned. I’ll tell you about it when I see you,” she began. “I was just thinking about you. I’m down on the beach. It’s gorgeous.”

  “Lucky you,” he said. “We’ve just arrived at the venue. It’s huge!”

  “Is it sold out?”

  “More or less as I hear it. About sixteen thousand. It’s all a bit scary if I’m being honest. The State Fair is as big a crowd as we’ve played to and that wasn’t a quarter the size of this.”

  “Once you’re out there, you’ll be fine. How’s your knee?”

  “It’s ok,” said Jake, a little evasively. She could hear Maddy yelling in the background. “Look, I need to go. I wish you were here.”

  “Me too,” she replied. “Have a great show tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Love you, li’l lady.”

  “Love you too.”

  On Friday morning Lori made the drive out to the medical centre for her appointment with Jo. It had been a couple of weeks since her last physical therapy session and Jo had been insistent that this session be held out at the medical centre instead of the house stating that she wanted to run some tests. Even being close to the medical centre made Lori nervous, but she tried to remain calm as she walked across the parking lot and into the air-conditioned building. Following the overhead signs, she eventually found the right department. Jo was standing talking to another therapist as she walked in.

  “Hi, Lori,” she called. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

  While she waited Lori wandered over to read a bulletin board rather than take a seat.

  “Sorry about that,” apologised Jo coming over. “You look great. How’s the leg?”

  “Good actually,” said Lori. “Still the odd bad day, but I can cope with that.”

  “Right, let’s get you through to the gym. Did you bring gym clothes like I asked?”

  Lori nodded and Jo escorted her through to the changing rooms. Once she had changed and completed a gentle warm up routine Jo put her through a rigorous series of stretches, resistance and balance tests. It took the physiotherapist almost an hour to satisfy herself as to Lori’s range of movement and fitness.

  “Ok, we’re done,” she announced at last.

  “Thank God for that,” gasped Lori. “I’m about done. That was tough going.”

  “No pain, no gain, Mz Hyde,” declared the therapist, passing her a cup of water. “You did great.”

  “So what’s the verdict?” Lori asked, sipping the ice cold water.

  “Well, I think my work is done,” stated Jo with a smile. “You’ve made great progress and I don’t feel there’s anything else I can do here.”

  A look of disappointment descended on Lori’s face. She hesitated before replying, “So is this as good as it’s going to get?”

  “I’m not saying that, Lori,” explained Jo calmly. “All I’m trying to say is that the therapy sessions aren’t adding anything. If you keep pushing yourself the way you have been then you could see more improvement.”

  “But I could be stuck with the cane?”

  “You could,” admitted the therapist. “How often do you feel that you need to use it?”

  “If I’m out on my own. If I have to walk any distance or stand for a while. Pretty much most of the time I’m out of the house,” answered Lori quietly. “I’m scared of falling.”

  “That’s understandable,” agreed Jo, sensing her fear. “When’s your next appointment with John?”

  “In three or four weeks.”

  “Here’s my suggestion then,” began Jo. “See how you get on until then. Once John’s examined you, if he thinks you would benefit from more therapy sessions, we can set them up.”

  “Sounds fair I suppose,” conceded Lori trying to find a smile.

  “Good,” said Jo looking at her watch. “Would you like to grab a coffee before you head off? I’m due a break before my next client.”

  “That would be good,” smiled Lori. “Let me get changed first.”

  A short while later the two women were sitting in the medical centre’s coffee shop with two large coffees and Italian pastries on the table in front of them. It was surprisingly quiet with only one other table occupied. As Lori bit into her pastry, Jo asked after Jake and the band.

  “They’re in Sacramento tonight,” said Lori with a proud smile. “They got three support slots with Molton out on the west coast. He’ll be back on Sunday night.”

  “That’s a far cry from Surfside and Milford,” laughed Jo.

  “It sure is. They played to about sixteen thousand in Phoenix on Wednesday night. I think it freaked them out a bit.”

  “How’s Jake’s knee?” asked the therapist. “He was lucky it wasn’t a lot worse from what I’ve heard.”

  “It’s ok as far as I know. It could’ve been a whole lot worse,” Lori agreed with a sigh.

  They chatted idly for the next few minutes, then Jo spotted her next client arriving and apologised that she would need to go. Lori sat on at the small table finishing her coffee. In her bag, her phone chirped. Quickly she grabbed it and, as she’d hoped, it was a text message from Jake.

  “Miss you. J x”

  “Miss you too. L x” she typed quickly.

  “Will call in a couple of hours. Radio show this morning. J x”

  “Look forward to it L x”

  Despite the lure of the “sale” signs Lori resisted the temptations of the outlets as she drove back into town. She had calculated that she had less than four hours until Becky arrived to stay for the weekend and she still had a few hours’ worth of work to finish off on her second project. The design was finished, but she had some intricate calligraphy to add. Uninterrupted, she hoped to have it done in about three hours. When she arrived home, she parked her car next to Jake’s truck then went round the back, entering through the back door. Pausing only to grab a sandwich, Lori headed straight through and sat at her drawing board. Calligraphy always posed a challenge for her. Carefully, she drafted out the wording on a spare piece of paper. It took her a while to get the angle and the balance of the pen right, but once she was settled into her rhythm, the lettering flowed smoothly. The detailed capital letter took a bit more practice, but soon she had a feel for it and was confident enough to sketch it out on the finished design. She had just finished the outline when her phone rang.

  “Hi, Jake,” she called cheerfully. “How are things?”

  “Crazy!” he replied, sounding tired. “This is a crazy rock circus. Not what we expected at all.”

  “It’s going ok though?”

  “Show was great in Phoenix. Tonight’s looking good. Slightly smaller crowd,” he replied. “I don’t know how these guys do this for months on end.”

  “Well hopefully you’ll find out soon.”

  “I don’t think I could cope,” he laughed. “Has Becky arrived yet? Grey’s missing her.”

  “She’s due here around four. Still a couple of hours yet. I’ve some work to finish off before she gets here,” replied Lori glancing at the time. “How’s the knee?”

  “Puffy and sore. I’ll need to tape it up for tonight. We arrived at the venue a few minutes ago, so I’ll deal with it after our sound check,” said Jake.

  “When’s that at?”

  “In half a
n hour,” he replied. “I have to go, li’l lady. Time to re-join the crazy train.”

  “Ok. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll try to call about the same time. We’ve a tight schedule tomorrow to get up to Seattle so, if I don’t get a chance to call, I’ll call from the airport before we fly out on Sunday.”

  “Be careful,” she said softly. “Love you.”

  “Love you too, Lori. Say “Hi” to Becky for me.”

  “Will do.”

  And then he was gone.

  Crazy train. Crazy rock circus. The words echoed round in her head as she pondered what kind of tour Silver Lake had joined. Resisting temptation to call Maddy, Lori returned to her calligraphy. Time was running away from her and she still had a fair amount to finish off. One of the letters didn’t quite sit right and she had to disguise it and re-do it at a slightly different angle. The progress was slow as her mind kept wandering back to thoughts of Sacramento and Silver Lake and crazy rock circus trains. Just before four o’clock she applied the finishing touches and set the design aside for the inks to dry before she scanned it into the computer. Now that her commission was almost done, she emailed Maddy to check up on Jake and the band. Almost instantly she got a reply – “Don’t worry. They are having an educational experience. Some more than others. I am keeping an eye on them.”

  “And that’s meant to help!” Lori mailed back.

  “Jake safe and missing you. He’s not looked at another girl. He’s been tucked up in bed early each night with an ice pack and pain meds. He’s barely even had a beer all week. Relax. M x”

  “Thanks.” she mailed back, wondering if she could believe her friend.

  The crunch of tyres outside announced the arrival of her small house guest. She could hear the little girl’s excited voice chattering then a firm older voice suggesting that she may want to calm down a little. Becky was just reaching up to knock the front door when Lori opened it.

  “Lori!” she squealed, flying into her arms and hugging her tight. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, honey,” said Lori then turning to face the older woman who was coming up the steps. “Hi, you must be Grey’s mom.”

  “Hi and you must be Lori. I’m Annie,” replied the older woman. As she stepped up onto the porch Lori could see the strong resemblance to Grey, especially across the eyes. “I’ve heard all about you from this little miss.”

  “I’ll bet,” agreed Lori. “Come on through. Would you like a juice or a coffee?”

  “Coffee would be great,” replied Annie “And can I use your bathroom?”

  “Of course. Down the hall to the right,” directed Lori. “Becky, take your things into the bedroom at the end of the hallway.”

  Pulling her small pink wheeled suitcase behind her, Becky ran off down the hallway. As ever, her American Girl doll was tucked under her arm. With a smile Lori went through to the kitchen to fetch the coffee and some apple juice for the little girl. She had just poured the coffees when Annie entered the kitchen.

  “You have a beautiful home here,” she complimented.

  “Thanks. It was the family holiday home when I was little,” Lori explained. “Could you give me a hand here, please?”

  Annie lifted the two mugs of coffee while Lori took the juice through to the sun room. Becky was already stationed in front of the TV and thanked Lori for the juice.

  “Let’s go out on the deck,” suggested Lori.

  “Oh, this is stunning!” gasped Annie as they sat outside a few minutes later. “I’d love a view of the ocean.”

  “It’s why I came back here,” confessed Lori. “Have you heard from Grey today?”

  “He called just as we were getting ready to leave. Sounds like some tour they are on!”

  “Jake called earlier. I got the same impression,” said Lori, concern evident in her voice. “I checked with Maddy. She said they’re ok.”

  “I’ll be glad when he’s home,” admitted Grey’s mother. “After what happened to Jake the other week I worry so much when they are playing.”

  “Me too.”

  “You’ve certainly made a big impression on Becky,” commented Annie warmly. “And thank you for agreeing to have her over this weekend.”

  “She’s adorable and good company. We had fun when we were in New York the other week. It’s nice to see her relaxed and happy after what happened to her mom.”

  “She’s been great about that,” agreed Annie. “I always got the feeling she was scared of Sandy. It’s a very un-Christian thing to say, but she’s better off without that girl.”

  Lori smiled, but resisted the temptation to comment. Instead, she asked Annie where she was going for the weekend.

  “Atlantic City,” confessed the older woman with a girlish giggle. “Once a year a group of us from church go for the weekend. We save up our quarters all year for the machines. We love it!”

  “Good for you,” laughed Lori, picturing the bus load of senior citizens hitting the casinos.

  “So have you any plans for the weekend?”

  “Not really,” admitted Lori. “We might go shopping tomorrow and I thought we could go into Rehoboth for dinner and a stroll along the boardwalk. Maybe go to the arcade for a while.”

  “Not the beach?” asked Annie with a hint of surprise to her voice.

  “Maybe on Sunday. I’m not too steady on my feet on the sand.”

  “Oh, of course!” blushed Annie. “Sorry, I didn’t mean….”

  “It’s ok,” interrupted Lori with a smile. “I assumed Becky or Grey had said.”

  “Grey said you were recovering from a leg injury,” replied Annie. “I’m guessing it was a serious one?”

  Lori nodded, then said quietly, “Yes, it was,” then added, “It’s kind of how I met Jake. He rescued me after I fell while walking on the beach one day.”

  “Ever the hero is Jake,” commented Annie with a smile. “He has a heart of gold that boy.”

  “He sure does,” agreed Lori softly.

  “Oh Lord, look at the time!” exclaimed the older woman. “I’d better be making tracks.”

  Lori and Becky went out to the front porch to wave goodbye to Annie then turned to go back indoors.

  “Ok, honey,” said Lori closing the door. “I have a little work to finish off. Can you watch TV for half an hour until I’m done?”

  “Can I help you?” asked Becky hopefully.

  “Well,” began Lori thinking on her feet. “You could do your own drawing for your daddy while I finish mine?”

  “And sit at your desk?”

  “The little desk,” conceded Lori. “I’ll clear you some space.”

  When they went through to the study, Lori tidied away some of the books from the smaller desk, found a spare drawing board and set the little girl up with a large sheet of paper, some pens and some coloured pencils. As Lori sat back down at her own drawing board, Becky declared that she was going to draw her daddy and her Silver Lake uncles on stage. The little girl worked studiously on her drawing, while Lori scanned and mailed her work to the agent. As Becky was still engrossed, she decided to check her emails to see if there was any feedback from Jason about the Silver Lake pieces. There were two emails from him – one asking her to tweak one of the merchandising designs and another asking for an additional design to use as a belt buckle and badge. He had given her a deadline of Monday morning. There was no way she could meet that and she fired back an email saying the changes and the new design would be with him by noon on Wednesday. She also quickly sent a text to Jake saying that Becky was with her if Grey wanted to call.

  “How’s that drawing coming along?” she asked as she switched off her laptop.

  “It’s not finished yet,” replied the little girl seriously, without looking up,

  “Do you want to work on while I make dinner?” Lori suggested, moving over to admire the little girl’s efforts.

  “What’s for dinner?”

  “Is lasagne alrig
ht?” Lori asked hopefully.

  “Sure,” replied Becky before innocently adding, “Mommy used to make it.”

  “I can’t promise it will taste exactly like hers.”

  “That’s good. Her’s was kind of yucky.”

  With a smile Lori left the little girl to her artwork and went through to the kitchen to prepare their meal. Three quarters of an hour later as they were just sitting down to eat, Lori’s cell phone rang. She didn’t recognise the number but she guessed it was Grey.

  “Hello,” she greeted cheerfully,

  “Hey Lori. It’s Grey. How’re things?”

  “Hi. I thought it might be you. We just sat down to dinner. How are things in sunny Cali?”

  “Hectic,” he laughed. “Rich and Paul are loving this crazy lifestyle. Jake and I are a bit out of it. Our party days are behind us. He’s icing his knee before the show. Is my princess there?”

  “Of course,” said Lori, passing the phone to Becky. “It’s your dad.”

  “Daddy!” shrieked the little girl down the phone.

  She chattered away to her daddy about staying with Lori and doing a piece of “art” for him coming home, then passed the phone back to Lori, “He wants to say goodbye to you too.”

  “Ok,” said Lori taking the phone back.

  “Lori, she sounds great,” said Grey. “Thanks for having her this weekend. Now don’t spoil her.”

  “As if I would do that,” laughed Lori, winking at the little girl. “We’re going to watch a movie with some popcorn after dinner. We’ll be thinking about you guys.”