Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Too noisy!” stated Becky with a frown. “Uncle Jake, will you play Frisbee with me?”

  “Come on, princess,” agreed Jake. “Let’s hit the beach.”

  Hand in hand, Jake and the little girl headed down the path towards the sand. Lifting her screaming son, Maddy nodded to Paul to pick their daughter up. Despite their parents’ best endeavours neither baby would settle.

  “We’d better head home,” began Maddy anxiously. “Before these little monsters out stay their welcome.”

  “You don’t have to rush off,” replied Lori. “We’ve all heard babies cry before.”

  “Thanks, honey, but I’m getting tired too,” confessed Maddy. “It’s been fabulous to get out of the house for a while.”

  “You know you’re welcome here anytime.”

  “I know,” said Maddy with a smile as she fastened Hayden into his car seat. “Paul, have you got Wren sorted over there?”

  “Almost,” he replied as he clicked the harness into place. “Got it!”

  While Maddy lifted the diaper bag, Paul lifted both car seats and gently swung them in a final attempt to soothe the twins.

  “Lori, can I leave the truck here until tomorrow?” he asked. “I’ll be back first thing for rehearsal.”

  “Leave it as long as you want,” declared Lori. “As long as you’re not blocking me in.”

  “No, you’re good,” he assured her. “Thanks for today.”

  “See everyone later,” called Maddy as she headed off round the side of the house.

  As the sun set and more coals were added to the BBQ, conversation inevitably turned to writing, rehearsing and recording. Worn out after playing on the beach, Becky had curled up in the sun room watching cartoons, leaving the adults to talk in peace. Both Jake and Grey were in agreement that the band needed a few sessions together to work on the material they had written so far. It helped that they could email music files to each other, but they really needed to get some quality rehearsal time under their belts.

  “How’s the schedule looking for the week?” asked Gary as he sipped on a beer.

  “I’ve committed to a two-day workshop at the high school Wednesday and Thursday,” replied Jake casually. “I can do evenings those days though. I’m fine for Monday and Tuesday.”

  “Monday and Tuesday work for me. I’m heading out of town on Friday afternoon,” added Grey. “Becky and I are going to my cousin’s wedding in Chicago. We’ll be back Sunday night.”

  “Any idea of Rich’s plans?”

  “He’s at the school with me both days,” explained Jake. “And if I can talk him into it, I’d like Paul there on Thursday. You too, Grey, if you can spare a few hours.”

  As he put more burgers on the grill, Jake added, “Two full days should give us a good start here, Gary. There’s no need to panic yet.”

  “I know,” replied the band’s manager. “Do you need me out here this week?”

  “Well, “suggested Grey. “Why don’t we all meet on Friday morning for a couple of hours to review where we’re at?”

  “Fine by me,” acknowledged Jake, flipping the burgers over. “Lori, are you ok with all of this?”

  “Sure,” she answered with a smile. “I’m not cooking for you all though. I’ve work to get on with too. Deadlines to meet.”

  “We’ll take care of ourselves, li’l lady,” promised her fiancé.

  “Just keep the coffee pot filled, Lori,” teased Grey. “We’re all going to need it!”

  “Not a problem.”

  ♫

  An immense creative cloud covered the house for the next forty-eight hours as Silver Lake ensconced themselves in the basement studio, while Lori worked in her own small studio space. Both projects progressed rapidly. Silver Lake pulled together seven definite tracks to put towards the new album from the stockpile of ideas they had gathered. Lori worked on her additional skeletal zombie pieces, occasionally drawing her inspiration from the snatches of powerful, heavy rock music blasting up from the basement. On the whole, she kept out of the band’s way while they were working, but there were points during the day when she would meet one or other of them in the kitchen or they would pop by her workspace to ask her a question. Late on Tuesday afternoon, Todd, Jake’s protégé, arrived at the house. When Lori explained that the band were rehearsing, he said that Jake had called him to come over. Without a backwards glance, he too disappeared down into the basement.

  Eventually, well after dark, the band plus Todd came stomping up from the basement, all debating whether one band was better than another. They drifted into the kitchen and, from her drawing board, Lori could hear them cracking open the beers and debating what to do about dinner.

  “Lori!” called Jake loudly. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

  “No,” she called back, as she slid her chair back and got stiffly to her feet. “Are you sending out for food?”

  “I was going to run into town for it,” shouted Paul. “What do you feel like?”

  “Anything,” stated Lori as she joined them in the kitchen. “A beer would be a good start.”

  Passing her a cold bottle of beer, Jake said, “What about Chinese?”

  Everyone agreed and, as Paul scribbled down a note of what they all wanted, Lori noticed Todd standing quietly in the background. He hadn’t stated a preference yet. After another moment or two, Lori said quietly, “Todd, what about you?”

  “I’d better head back to Kate’s,” he began awkwardly.

  “Stay for dinner, kid,” instructed Grey sternly. “You’ve earned a free meal and a beer today.”

  “Ok, but I don’t want to intrude,” he replied, still looking out of place in the midst of the older musicians.

  “What do you want, Todd?” asked Jake warmly.

  “Some Hong Kong style shrimp and noodles would be great,” answered the younger man shyly. “I can’t stay long though. I’ve an assignment to finish for the morning.”

  “We’ll have you home for ten,” promised Jake. “What subject?”

  “American History.”

  “Is that all the orders?” asked Paul as he wrestled the truck keys out of his pocket.

  “Don’t forget the fortune cookies,” called Lori.

  “Won’t be long, folks.”

  While the Silver Lake drummer was fetching dinner, the others spilled through into the sunroom, continuing the music band debate from earlier. Leaving them to it, Lori went through to set the table in the dining room.

  “Need a hand, Miss Hyde?”

  The voice behind her startled her.

  “Thanks, Todd,” she replied. “And it’s Lori. Can you fetch some napkins from the kitchen? They’re on the countertop near the coffee pot.”

  “Sure. Anything else?”

  “No, that’s all, I think,” she answered. “I’ve already put some plates in the oven to heat.”

  A few seconds later he was back with the napkins. The teenager still seemed a little awkward and nervous.

  “How are things, Todd?” asked Lori softly. “You ok? You seem a bit out of sorts.”

  “Things are ok, I guess,” replied the boy. “Kate’s folks are great. It’s just not home. I tried to talk to my mom at the weekend, but she blew me out.”

  “That’s not so good,” said Lori taking a seat at the table. “Is school still ok?”

  “School’s great. Work’s fine. Mr Power, I mean, Jake’s been really cool,” he began taking a seat beside her.

  “But something’s missing?”

  The boy nodded.

  “I’m not sure Jake or I can help. Would it help if he tried to talk to your mom? Tried to mediate?” suggested Lori, out of her depth with the subject of teenager versus parent.

  “I doubt it,” he said sadly. “She’s given notice on the apartment and moves to Atlanta next month.”

  “Without you?”

  “Yup,” stated Todd, forcing a smile. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

  “How long can you stay at Kate’s fo
r?”

  “I don’t know. Things are a bit tense between me and her. If we break up, I don’t know what will happen.”

  “Have you applied for the college course we were talking about?”

  “Yes,” he replied instantly. “And I don’t know how that’s going to work out either. I need to talk to the school about it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford the tuition if I get in.”

  Their heart to heart was interrupted by Paul as he arrived back with a large box of food.

  The interrupted conversation with Todd was still preying on Lori’s mind when she went to bed that night. Beside her, Jake was lying propped up on the pillows reading a magazine. Hard as she tried to concentrate on her book, Lori couldn’t shake the image of Todd’s anxious face as he’d explained his predicament.

  “Hey, li’l lady,” began Jake quietly, putting the magazine on the night stand. “What’s eating at you?”

  “Todd,” she replied flatly. “I was talking to him earlier, while Paul was away for the food. The kid’s worried. Did you know his mom’s moving away?”

  “Without him?” asked Jake sharply.

  Lori nodded. “She’s going to Atlanta.”

  “He never said. I put him to work as soon as he arrived. I never really spoke to him today.”

  “Are the band going to hire him as part of the crew?” Lori asked, closing her book and laying it aside.

  “I spoke to Gary about it, but he couldn’t promise much,” admitted Jake. “I was thinking about paying him myself. He’s a good kid.”

  “I was having a similar thought,” confessed Lori. “I’d like to sponsor him through college if he gets accepted for the course. But, if you guys employ him, he might not go to school.”

  “I hear what you’re saying,” said Jake seriously. “What if we made getting into school a condition of summer employment with the band?”

  “That might work,” she agreed. “Can you talk to him? Find out how much his tuition fees will be, living expenses and things like that. Get me a ball park figure and I’ll set something up with David.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but, if he feels this is charity, he might refuse it.”

  “Fair point. It’s up to you to sell it to him in the right manner. Lay down some ground rules if need be,” said Lori. “I just want to help him out. He deserves a break.”

  Reaching out to hug her, Jake said, “You are too soft hearted sometimes.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Don’t ever change, li’l lady,” he said, kissing her gently. “I love you. Soft heart and all.”

  “Oh, while I remember,” she began. “I spoke to David earlier. He’s sending an architect out next week to look into converting the attic. He also said the studio idea looked to be a potential gold mine.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes. I called Jason to say to count me in.”

  “Why didn’t you say earlier?”

  “I wanted to tell you before the others heard,” she explained, kissing him softly. “You’re sure you’re ok with it?”

  “I told you I was. It’s just a business deal, Lori,” he said, pulling her close to him. “Just don’t let Jason and Dr Marrs railroad you.”

  “I won’t,” she promised. “I’m not putting this in Hyde Properties name though. It’ll be in my own name.”

  “Whatever David has advised is good for me,” assured Jake. “Will it be ready for us to record in?”

  “Jason seems pretty confident it will,” she said. “Time will tell.”

  Time seemed to fly by, as April moved swiftly into May. Silver Lake, or various parts of the group, spent several hours most days down in the basement working on material for the new record. Like the late spring weather, sometimes temperatures and tempers ran high and at other points things were quite cool. Two or three times a week, Todd would come over after school and, on Jake’s instruction, split his time between chores round the property and time down in the studio with the band. In preparation for the boy’s intended college course, the band were trying to involve him in the more technical aspects of their job. The teenager was a magician at tuning guitars and setting them up. It was a natural talent that never ceased to amaze all the members of Silver Lake. Having bided his time and chosen his moment carefully, Jake had finally spoken to him about sponsoring him through college. Tears of relief and gratitude flowed freely down the boy’s cheeks as he gratefully accepted the generous offer. Together with Lori, they spent time working out the costs of the sponsorship. With an educational trust fund set up, Todd promised faithfully to give his total commitment to the course and to Silver Lake over the summer.

  While the band were pulling everything together, Lori was kept fully occupied. The architect that David had sourced visited the beach house in early May, listened to what she hoped to achieve and said he would go and see what designs he could come up with. In theory, he hoped it would be possible, but he was concerned about the amount of glass Lori was hoping to put in, commenting that there may be structural issues with the weight. He left, promising to get back in touch by the end of the month. Plans for the studio were moving at a far faster pace. All the paperwork and contracts were completed by the 10th May and the contractors started work on the 13th. Their deadline for completing the main recording studio was the 7th of June, with the band scheduled to start work with Dr Marrs three days later. A second, smaller rehearsal studio was planned and the house required a degree of upgrading too. The target completion date for the whole project was mid-September. Leaving Jason and Jim Marrs to decide on the structural and technical aspects of the project, Lori was tasked with selecting interior décor and artwork for both studios and the house, plus the design of the logo. After a lengthy debate on the name, they had finally agreed to keep it simple – JJL Studios.

  Aside from these projects, Lori spent her time between her Mz Hyde commissions and in visiting Maddy. The friends met up twice a week for lunch and the occasional shopping trip. Despite adoring motherhood, as the weeks wore on and work with the band gathered speed, Lori could sense her friend’s growing frustration at being on the periphery of the business end of things. On one of Gary’s regular trips out to the beach house, Lori cornered him and asked if he could catch up with Maddy to keep her in the loop. At first he had been very defensive, but quickly warmed to the idea when Lori reminded him of the extensive network of contacts Maddy had, especially in relation to the summer rock festivals.

  Mid-May, Jake and Rich had run another two-day workshop out at the high school. The first one the previous month had been deemed a huge success and had seen them put together two rock bands, comprising of various junior and senior students. Not surprisingly, Todd was playing lead guitar with one, while Kate was nominated as lead singer. The second workshop was a follow up with the same group of students, this time with the aim being to get them prepared for a charity fundraiser event at the school. As the two former teachers were packing up on the Friday evening, the school principal, Dr Jones, came into the music department looking for them. After exchanging pleasantries, he cut to the chase.

  “We need something to get people engaged with this fundraiser. I was wondering if you could both perhaps perform for us?”

  “Not the whole group?” asked Rich curiously.

  “My thinking was to keep it linked with the workshops you’ve done,” began Dr Jones a little awkwardly. “Perhaps a more acoustic performance on this occasion?”

  With a smile, Jake said, “I get it. More melody, less noise?”

  Laughing to cover his embarrassment, the principal confessed that he had hit the nail on the head.

  “We’d need to clear it with the others,” said Rich, not wanting to offend their fellow band members. “But we should be able to do something.”

  “Even if you could perform half a dozen songs it would help sell tickets.”

  “Are you auctioning anything on the evening to raise more funds for the charity?” asked Jake as he fastened his guitar case.r />
  “We’re starting to gather a few items together. If you can donate any items that would be fantastic.”

  “Sure,” agreed Rich. “That’s not a problem at all. We can even throw in a couple of one hour guitar lessons.”

  “Perfect,” declared Dr Jones, relieved that they were supportive of the event. “And if Miss Hyde wants to contribute anything…”

  “I’ll ask her,” promised Jake. “Now we’d better make a move. What date is the fundraiser?”

  “June 7th.”

  “Ok,” nodded Rich. “We’ll get back to you next week to firm up the arrangements.”

  “Thanks, boys.”

  “Pleasure as always, sir,” added Jake as they prepared to leave.

  When the rest of the band heard the proposal for the charity fundraiser, Paul and Grey were more than happy to let Jake and Rich take to the stage without them. All four of them agreed to donate an hour’s music tuition as an auction item and to throw in a Silver Lake goody bag, including a signed guitar as a further item. When Jake told Lori about the event, she too agreed to donate a piece of artwork to the cause.

  The day of the school fundraiser dawned warm and clear. With their album rehearsals more or less complete, the band had agreed to take a few days off before relocating to the newly completed JJL Studio. Not wanting to waste a minute of the beautiful morning, Jake set out on a long run along the beach before breakfast. The fresh, sea air was good for his soul and, as he pounded his way along the shore, his mind thought on ahead to the set list for the evening. It had been almost four months since they had last played live and far longer since either he or Rich had done an acoustic set. Originally they had agreed to perform half a dozen numbers, but, after a bit of persuading, Dr Jones had talked them up to ten songs that should take them about an hour to perform. The two student bands that they had helped to form would each play for half an hour, with an auction slot between them, then there would be a second slot before Jake and Rich played, with a final silent auction for the major items at the end of the evening. If the update Rich had had from Linsey was accurate, tickets had sold out and the fund raising target was ten thousand dollars. A steep ask for the school, but one that would benefit local charity groups.