Shattered Hearts Page 9

  “This is Dorrian,” introduced Becky, her cheeks flushing scarlet. “Dorrian, this is Jake. My dad’s friend.”

  “Friend?” echoed Dorrian, instantly star struck. “Rock God more like, Becca!”

  “Not today,” laughed Jake, shaking the boy’s hand. “I’m off duty. Today I’m just their dad and Becky’s Silver Lake uncle.”

  “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

  “So, where are you guys headed to?” checked Jake, trying to subtly determine just what Becky was up to.

  “We’re going for pizza then I’m meeting Kola at the daycare place. We’re going to the outlets for a couple of hours. I need clothes for going back to school.”

  Nodding, Jake said, “Sounds like a fun afternoon.”

  Rolling her eyes, Becky said, “You think?”

  “I’ll plead the fifth on that,” laughed Jake. “Go and enjoy that pizza.”

  “Thanks, Jake,” replied Becky, giving him a hug. “You’re the best. And remember, you never saw me.”

  “Saw who?”

  Still giggling, Becky led Dorrian away.

  A gentle breeze blowing in from the ocean caused the citronella candles to flicker as Jake sat on the swing set working on his lesson plan. After dinner, he’d called Dr Marrs to check if JJL had any free days during the second week in August. When he explained the background to the request, Jim had offered to shuffle a few sessions around to free up Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Between them, they gauged that would be enough time to pull Jake’s plan together. A lot of it depended on the ability and commitment of the students but Jake felt confident that he could prepare them for the three-day recording session in the time he had available.

  “Homework assignment?” quizzed Lori as she stepped out onto the deck carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  “Lesson planning,” revealed Jake, closing over his diary.

  “You worked out what you’re going to teach those kids?” she asked softly as she poured the wine. “Did Rich leave you any hints about his intentions?”

  Jake shook his head, “Dr Jones gave him free rein. Trusted him. Basically, I have ten seniors who want to go to college to study either music performance or production to teach for ten days. One hundred hours of study max.”

  “That’s a lot of time to fill.”

  “Sure is but I’ve got it more or less worked out,” said Jake, accepting the glass from her. “Rough plan is to spend the first day getting to know each other. Find out their strengths and weaknesses and musical ability. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put them in pairs to work on a songwriting assignment. I’ll teach where I’m needed whether it’s vocals, guitar, songwriting, arranging. Then, all going to plan, we’ll head out to JJL for a couple of days. Let them experience the studio and record their songs.”

  “That sounds great to me,” enthused Lori, genuinely impressed by the simplicity and fluidity of the plan. “What’ll happen to their songs?”

  “Hopefully a CD that can be used to raise funds for the school.”

  “Brilliant!”

  “I hope so,” laughed Jake nervously. “All Dr Jones advised was that the goal wasn’t to form a band and put on a show. These kids want a real-life experience. With Dr Marrs and maybe even Garrett onboard plus Grey and Paul, we can give them the experience of a lifetime.”

  “That’s a lot of work for one teacher,” mused Lori as she sat down beside him.

  “I’ve that base covered too, li’l lady,” revealed Jake, draping his arm around her slender tanned shoulders. “Dr Jones is going to ask his new head of the music department to come and assist.”

  “Who’s that then?”

  “No idea,” laughed Jake. “But I’m not turning down any offers of help here.”

  Together, they sat in silence for a few moments listening to the waves crashing onto the beach in the darkness. Forgetting about the dressing on her husband’s chest, Lori rested her head against him. He winced at the weight touching his fresh ink.

  “Sorry,” apologised Lori, immediately moving her head. “I forgot you had snuck off to see Danny.”

  “It’s fine. Just a bit tender,” replied Jake. “Want to see it?”

  Lori nodded.

  Setting his glass down first, Jake stripped off his vest t-shirt then gently peeled away the tape to reveal the new crossed arrow tattoo.

  “Simple. Nicely done,” commented Lori as she gazed at the clean lines of the basic design.

  “It’s the Native American symbol for friendship,” explained Jake, pressing the tape back into place. “Spooky story attached to it. I went to see Dan with this design in mind. My tribute to Rich. Apparently, Rich had been emailing him a few weeks ago about a new design he wanted. Native American symbols. This particular arrow was the design in that larger piece. Danny tricked me. I didn’t want to see the piece that Rich had been designing. Danny gave me three templates to choose from. The one I chose he’d copied from Rich’s piece.”

  “That’s beautiful. It’s the perfect tribute and it balances out the knot.”

  “Dimensions are the same.”

  “Danny’s done a great job,” acknowledged Lori, admiring the definition of the design. “Think the others will get matching designs?”

  “Maybe,” said Jake, kissing her on the forehead. “Time will tell on that one.”

  “I was chatting to Maddy earlier. Do you think there should be a musical tribute to Rich? I said I’d ask you,” began Lori quietly. “Both her and Jethro are getting pressure from Jason and the media.”

  “Too soon, li’l lady,” stated Jake instantly.

  “That was what I said.”

  Pulling her close, Jake added, “I know we need to speak to them. The fans deserve something from us too. Maybe at the end of next month.”

  “You can’t wait till the end of next month to give the media an interview or a statement. That’s too long.”

  “I know. I’ll talk to Jethro and the others next week. You’re right. We need to give some sort of press statement. Maybe even a video or something,” relented Jake, knowing in his heart she was right. Then, changing the subject he asked, “Have you bought a chocolate birthday cake for Jesse?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I had a very long in-depth conversation with our son earlier. He has high hopes of a chocolate cake tomorrow.”

  “A long in-depth conversation with a three-year-old?” giggled Lori, snuggling into his side.

  “Yes,” laughed Jake. “Actually, he was really sweet but he’s expecting a chocolate cake.”

  “Shit,” muttered Lori, hating the thought of disappointing her son. “I’d better call the restaurant and beg a favour. I’ve booked a table for us for dinner in Baltimore.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve booked a table at the Hard Rock Café!”

  “Might have done,” replied Lori, feigning innocence. “And I better call them about sourcing us a chocolate cake.”

  It was late morning before the Power family reached Baltimore. Trying not to swear at the traffic, Jake negotiated the unfamiliar roads as he searched for a car park within easy walking distance of the National Aquarium. Eventually, he found one and, with the truck safely parked, the family set off on foot. Not wanting to take any chances of Jesse escaping, Jake hoisted the birthday boy onto his shoulders and carried him along the waterfront walkway to the large building.

  “Daddy,” asked Melody as she skipped along between her parents. “Where are we going?”

  “That big building at the end beside the submarine.”

  “What’s in the building?”

  “Fish,” replied Lori with a wink at Jake.

  “And sharks and dolphins and rays and jellyfish,” continued Jake.

  “Nemo?” quizzed Melody hopefully.

  “Well,” began Lori, taking her daughter’s hand. “We’ll need to find him first.”

  “Dolphins!” squealed Jesse, wriggling excitedly on Jake’s shoulders. “Real dolphins? And sharks?”

&
nbsp; “Lots of them,” promised Jake, lifting the little boy down. “But you need to stay beside Mommy or me all day. No running off. Understand?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “That goes for you too, Miss M,” cautioned Jake firmly.

  Once they were inside the large building, the foyer was crowded with groups of children in colour coded t-shirts from various daycare centres, plus the normal summer tourists. Organised as ever, Lori picked up some maps and kiddie packs along with their tickets then pointed in the direction of the first hall they were going to visit. She had pre-booked two shows for them and kept a close eye on the time as well as their location in the building as they meandered through the exhibits.

  When he saw the enormous shark tank, Jesse screamed in delight. Eyes wide, he watched the huge sharks swimming past, pointing each one out to Jake. Less sure of the large menacing looking creatures, Melody stayed close to Lori, whispering, “They’re scary. I want to look for Nemo instead.”

  “We’ll get to Nemo, I promise,” assured Lori as they wandered on ahead of the boys. “We need to find Mr Ray first.”

  “OK,” sighed the little girl impatiently.

  “Jake,” called back Lori. “We’ll get you at the top.”

  With a nod, Jake confirmed he’d heard her then turned his attention back to Jesse, who was pointing to a hammerhead shark swimming towards them.

  At the top of the ramp, Lori found a bench to rest on while Melody stood watching the large manta rays swimming gracefully near the surface of the deep water. Rubbing her thigh, Lori sighed wearily. Their day had barely begun and already she was in pain. Discretely, she rummaged in her bag for some painkillers, swallowing two Vicodin when Melody wasn’t looking. Suddenly, she was aware of being watched and turned to see Jake staring at her. He whispered something to Jesse, who scampered off to join his sister watching the rays.

  “Hey, li’l lady,” said Jake softly as he sat on the bench beside her. “Struggling?”

  Lori nodded, “I’ll be fine. We’re heading into the dolphin show in ten minutes. That’ll help.”

  “You sure?”

  “Sure,” replied Lori, carefully getting to her feet. “I should’ve brought both canes but I’ll be ok. I’ll take it slowly. I’m not ruining Jesse’s day out, Jake.”

  “I hear you,” he said with an understanding smile. “Just don’t push it too far. We can take plenty of breaks.”

  “Thanks,” replied Lori, taking his hand. “Seven years on and still hurts like a bitch.

  Jake squeezed her hand as they walked over to join their two children.

  Eventually, late in the afternoon, they reached the final hall of their visit and much to Melody’s delight found a tank full of Nemo’s. Both Jake and Lori smiled as they watched their daughter stand gazing into the large cylindrical tank, mesmerised by the brightly coloured clownfish. Even the birthday boy stood in silence beside his older sister, content to watch the small fish dart in and out of the anemones.

  Putting his arm around Lori’s shoulders, Jake said, “They’ve both been great today.”

  “They have,” agreed Lori, resting her head on his chest wearily. “They’re hard work but they’re fabulous little people.”

  “They sure are.”

  After a lengthy visit to the aquarium’s extensive gift shop, Jake and Lori led the two small children back along the harbourside. Again, the submarine caught Jesse’s attention and he begged to visit it too.

  “We’ll come back another day to see it,” promised Jake, hoisting his son onto his shoulders. “Now, who’s hungry?”

  “Me!” squealed Melody, jumping up and down beside Lori.

  “Hungry for chocolate cake,” stated Jesse.

  “You need to eat dinner first, young man,” said Jake firmly. “No dinner means no cake.”

  “I eat,” promised Jesse with a tired smile.

  “Glad to hear it,” said Lori as they reached the Hard Rock Café. “We’re eating in here.”

  Both children shrieked with excitement. They associated Hard Rock Cafes with Silver Lake and loud rock music “like Daddy plays.”

  “Best behaviour, kids,” cautioned Jake as he lowered Jesse back down onto the sidewalk. Taking each of them by the hand, Jake and the children followed Lori into the restaurant. They were a few minutes early for their table so Lori indulged the kids with a trip to the “Rock Shop” while they waited. By the time one of the hostesses came to fetch them, Lori had bought t-shirts for the kids and badges plus a top for herself. As an afterthought, she added a vest t-shirt for Jake, not wanting him to feel left out.

  As she had requested, the family were shown to a discrete corner table away from the main hustle and bustle of the popular restaurant. Two large balloons were tied onto Jesse’s chair and two kid’s entertainment packs were laid out on the table. While the children busied themselves with the crayons and colouring sheet, Jake and Lori checked the menu. They had barely started to read it over when their server appeared to take their drinks order. The young college student smiled shyly when she realised who she was serving. When Jake flashed her a smile as he ordered a beer, she blushed scarlet before thanking them for their order.

  “You embarrassed her,” giggled Lori.

  “I just smiled at her,” laughed Jake, knowing how Silver Lake fans tended to react when he smiled.

  Gazing round the displays of memorabilia, he pointed a beaten-up guitar out to Lori, “That’s Mikey’s from the early days of Weigh Station. One of Garrett’s is to the right of it. One from his Royal Court days.”

  “Daddy,” said Melody, looking up from her colouring sheet. “Are any of your guitars here?”

  “No, Miss M,” he replied. “I think they have one of my stage outfits from the Impossible Depths tour. They’ve got one of Grey’s basses too somewhere.”

  “Why don’t they have one of yours?”

  “Well,” began Jake slowly. “Would you give your guitar away if they asked for it?”

  “No!”

  “That’s how I feel too,” replied Jake honestly. “I really don’t like parting with my guitars.”

  “I’ve noticed,” teased Lori. “How many are there in the basement? And how many more are out at JJL?”

  “A few,” he confessed with a wink.

  “And how many do you actually play?” challenged Lori playfully.

  “A few,” repeated Jake.

  Innocently, Melody asked, “What will happen with Uncle Rich’s guitars? Will they go on the wall here?”

  A fresh bolt of grief stabbed Jake. He swallowed down the ball of emotion that formed in his throat then answered, “I’m not sure, Melody. Maybe. It’s not up to me.”

  “Look,” said Lori, distracting their inquisitive daughter. “Can you see that album cover over there? The one to the left of the red guitar.”

  Melody nodded.

  “That’s the first one I designed for Weigh Station.”

  “You draw scary pictures,” said Jesse seriously, without looking up from his drawing.

  His blunt comment was enough to lighten the mood once more.

  Over dinner, Jake asked the kids what had been the highlight of the day.

  “The sharks!” declared Jesse without hesitation.

  “The Nemos,” said Melody. “They are so cute.”

  “I loved the rays,” added Lori, taking a sip from her wine. “They always seem so gentle and peaceful.”

  As they ate, both Jake and Lori encouraged the kids to talk about the different things they had seen and to remind them of the facts that they had learned. As the waiters cleared the table at the end of their meal, Jesse declared it had been the best birthday ever.

  Before the family could order dessert, the servers and hostesses formed a circle round their table and began to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesse. As they reached the end of the song, the restaurant manager arrived carrying a large chocolate cake with sparklers and candles on it.

  “Make a wish, son,” reminded Jake
as an over-excited Jesse moved to blow out the candles.

  Both kids fell asleep within ten minutes of setting out for home. Within half an hour, Lori too had dozed off in the passenger seat. Turning the volume down a little on the stereo so as not to disturb them all, Jake smiled. It had been a good day, a great day. It had been the perfect antidote to the recent tragedy. He glanced over at Lori, noting how pale she looked as she slept. The trip had taken its toll on her and it hadn’t escaped his sharp attention that she had discretely swallowed two more painkillers as the birthday cake had been served. He hated to see her suffering but understood there was little he could do to alleviate the pain that was the legacy of her accident.

  When he reached the Coastal Highway and drove past JJL, Jake sighed. So many memories linked back to the recording studio; so many memories of Rich linked back to the recording studio. He spied that the lights were still on and figured that Garrett was putting in a late night. Seeing the studio got him thinking about what the band should do about granting an interview to the media. There was no denying it - it had to be done. With a heavy heart, he resolved to call Jethro in the morning to set something up.

  Once the wheels were set in motion, the Silver Lake machine took over. After a short band meeting in the basement at the beach house, the three remaining members of Silver Lake agreed to release a short video to the media. Before any of them could change their mind, Scott was summoned and, by the end of the afternoon, they had a five-minute video clip to share with the world. With the band’s approval, it was released at midday the following Monday on the group’s social media sites.

  Within twenty-four hours, Jethro was on the phone to Jake to discuss giving a face to face interview. Sitting out on the deck in the soft haze of dusk, Jake admitted, “I don’t know if I can, Jethro.”

  “One journalist. Someone you know. We’ll keep it low key and local,” promised the band’s manager. “The record label and Jason need you to do it. Like it or not, Jake, as frontman, you are the public face of Silver Lake.”

  Knowing the old man was right, Jake didn’t waste his energy arguing. “Who did you have in mind?”