Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2)

by McCallum, Coral

  “And the live shows?” prompted Kayla.

  “Unfortunately, we had to cancel the first one up in Bethlehem. Gary had lined up four or five shows for us and we owe it to him to try and be ready for them. Sadly, there was no way we could be fit enough to play at Bethlehem. I feel bad about that. The first one we hope to make is scheduled for August 10th. We should be ok for then. We can work the set around any lingering health issues. We owe it to our fans to get back out there too.”

  “You released a thank you message to your fans last night on social media,” commented Kurt, the youngest looking of the journalists. “There were over five thousand views showing against it by this morning. Does that surprise you?”

  “The support and the messages from our fans have been incredible. We all really appreciate it. My sister is one of the admins for the fan site and she talked me into the video thing. I kind of felt I owed the fans something. Time to give a bit back,” replied Jake, finishing off his juice.

  “Will there be more personal messages of that style?” Kurt asked. “So many stars connect with their fan base via Twitter and Facebook these days.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know,” said Jake, feeling a little awkward. “I don’t use social media on a personal level. I’m quite a private person and don’t feel the need to share my entire life with the world. Lucy will no doubt try to convince me to share some stuff though. She can be very persuasive.”

  “Returning to the new album,” said Dan, launching into his round of questioning. “What can the fans expect? Out of the Shadows has gone down really well since its release.”

  “To be entirely honest, I’ve not paid much attention to the single sales,” confessed Jake. “It was released two days after the crash and was the furthest thing from my mind. It’s not typical of the rest of the album. We’ve tried to develop our sound. Dr Marrs has been pushing us to try new things. Different arrangements. I hope the fans like it. We love it. There should be something on there for everyone.”

  “And will there be a UK tour this winter?” enquired Debbie. “We’ve heard the album is due out in early October and the rumour is that a UK tour will follow.”

  “We hope to play a few shows before Christmas,” he replied, then gestured over to Maddy. “You’d be better asking the boss that one.”

  “We’re working with a promoter to set something up,” revealed Maddy. “Perhaps a few shows across Europe too. Watch this space.”

  “It’s been a real rollercoaster of a year for Silver Lake,” said Ben slowly. “You’ve been kind enough to tell us about the recent lows. What have been the highs?”

  “Playing the UK shows last winter,” replied Jake with little hesitation. “Particularly the London show on my birthday. That was so incredibly awesome.”

  “How do you keep it all in perspective?” asked Debbie. “This time last year you were teaching in a local high school as well as playing with the band. Then, by Christmas, you were playing to crowds of fifteen thousand plus. What keeps you grounded?”

  “Good question,” acknowledged Jake, stalling for time. “Lori keeps my feet on the ground. Friends too. Keeping it all in perspective can be a challenge. Kids are good at that.”

  Lori smiled at her fiancé as he continued, “I’ll give you an example. The day I got home from the hospital, I couldn’t settle. I needed to have people round me. It was a really scary, fragile feeling. Anyway, long story cut short, Paul and Maddy came over with their twins and Grey came over with his little girl, Becky. She’s about six. She wanted me to take her down onto the beach like I usually would and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Eventually I agreed to walk down on the sand with her for a few minutes. She ran on ahead, splashing in the waves like nothing had happened. She begged me to come into the water with her. I tried to explain to her that I was too sore. I even used the excuse that my jeans would get wet. She quite matter-of-factly rolled my jeans up and took me by the hand and led me down to the water’s edge. As we walked, she said simply that she was sorry I’d been hurt, sorry that Rich had been hurt and sorry that Gary had been killed. Then, after a moment or two, she said maybe Gary was with her mommy in heaven and that her mommy would be buying him a drink at the bar. That made me laugh. It brought it home to me though that we all lose folk we care about, but that we can see a way forward too through the grief and the pain.”

  “I think that’s a good place to end this,” commented Ben with a smile. “Thank you for being so open and honest with us, Jake. Makes our lives so much easier.”

  “Pleasure,” replied Jake, relieved that the interview was over. “Thanks for going easy on me.”

  As the journalists packed up, Kayla asked, “What about photos? Is your photographer here?”

  “Not yet,” answered Maddy, checking the time. She had expected Scott to be there, but there was no sign of him and no word from him. “We’ll get them done and mail them on to you all.”

  None of the journalists seemed overly upset by this suggestion and, with a final round of thank you’s, all bar Debbie and her sound man, left the studio.

  “Are you free for a coffee or dinner tonight, Maddy?” asked the DJ hopefully. “I’d love to meet your twins.”

  “Come over to the farmhouse,” suggested Maddy. “I need to get back quite sharp.”

  “If you’re sure we’re not imposing.”

  “Not at all,” assured Maddy, gathering up her bag and cell phone. “Lori, do you guys want to join us?”

  “Not tonight,” replied Lori as she allowed Jake to help her up from the low couch. “We’ve plans for tonight.”

  “Ok. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be back out here first thing,” added Jake. “If you find Scott, send him out here late morning. He can do his photo shoot when we break for lunch. If we break for lunch.”

  A gentle breeze blowing in from the ocean caused the citronella candles to flicker, casting dancing shadows across the deck. Despite the lateness of the hour and the weariness that was blanketing him, Jake remained stretched out on the lounger. After dinner, Lori had left him alone while she went to do a couple of hours’ work, promising to be back to share a nightcap with him. The bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses sat untouched on the table. Staring up at the starlit sky, Jake reflected on the day. In spite of all of his anxiety, the interview had gone smoothly. It had been shorter than he’d expected, but he wasn’t complaining about that. Talking about the events of the last two weeks had been tough. On the drive home, he had sent a short text message to Maddy saying he wasn’t prepared to answer any more media questions about the accident. Chapter closed.

  With the decision made, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Reclining on the lounger in the dark, Jake felt calmer and back in control of his emotions for the first time in days. His focus was back.

  “You did a great job out there, Mr Power,” whispered a quiet voice in his head. “Time to let go.”

  It wasn’t the first time he’d imagined Gary talking to him.

  Stiffly, he got up from the lounger and poured himself a generous shot of bourbon. With a silent toast to absent friends, he downed the fiery liquid in one gulp. As he poured a second shot, he heard Lori coming through the house.

  “Sorry,” she apologised as she stepped out onto the candlelit deck. “I lost track of time.”

  “There you go, li’l lady,” said Jake, handing her a glass.

  “What are we drinking to?” she asked softly.

  “The past, the present and the future,” He declared with a smile. “Time to let go. Time to move on.”

  “To the future,” toasted Lori.

  Together they sat on the lounger, listening to the steady beat of the surf. Gently, Jake put his arm around her shoulder and began to kiss behind her ear. His feathery kisses continued down her neck, then he ran his tongue along teasingly along her collar bone. Cupping her breast in his hand, Jake kissed her on the lips, his tongue slowly continuing to tease her.

  “Time
for bed?” suggested Lori between kisses.

  “I want to make love to you out here,” he murmured hoarsely, as he began a clumsy attempt to remove her top with one hand.

  “Allow me to assist you, rock star.”

  Standing in front of him, Lori slowly removed her top, then slipped her cropped jeans down to her ankles, stepping daintily out of them. Wearing only her black lacy bra and panties, she motioned to her fiancé to stand up. Ever so carefully, Lori undid the knot in the scarf sling, then removed Jake’s shirt. She swiftly undid his jeans, sliding them down his snakelike hips with ease.

  “Think you can finish the job?” she teased as she removed the clip from her hair and shook it loose.

  “I’ll give it my best shot,” he replied, expertly unfastening her bra with one hand. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties and slid them down her slender, tanned thighs.

  The thin cotton of his boxers failed to disguise his erection. Stepping towards him, Lori bit his nipples sharply, then ran her tongue down the centre of his well-muscled stomach, pausing at the waistband of his underwear. Pulling his shorts down, she continued to explore his body with her tongue until she reached his blonde pubic hair.

  “Come here, li’l lady,” he instructed, taking her by the hand and directing her back towards the lounger.

  As soon as she lay down on the lounger, Jake was astride her and kissing her hard. The cool night air was electric with their desire for each other. In one careful movement, he was inside her. Their lovemaking was brief but all-consuming. Lori’s orgasm swept through her the instant Jake penetrated her. Feeling her so wet and ready for him, he had immediately surrendered to his own climax. Lying side by side on the narrow lounger proved impossible and it was Lori who stood up first. She reached for Jake’s discarded shirt, slipping it on over her cool naked skin.

  “I wish that could’ve lasted longer,” sighed Jake, rubbing his aching shoulder.

  Kissing him on the cheek, Lori purred, “Come through to bed, rock star.”

  ♫

  Out at JJL the air was blue by lunchtime next day. Straight after breakfast, Grey had picked Jake up and driven him out to the studio. Paul had collected Rich and the four of them arrived at the same time. A few minutes later, Dr Marrs came in with the obligatory tray of coffees and the five of them sat and worked out the schedule for the day. They decided to focus on the guitar tracking until lunchtime, then take a break before Jake did some vocals in the afternoon. Work commenced on the final guitar tracking for track three and, from the first note, it was as if someone was playing tricks on them – amps switched off; mics turned off; guitars slid out of tune. After an hour of mayhem, Rich’s temper flared and he slammed his guitar down on the floor, yelling “For fuck’s sake!”

  “Easy, Rich,” soothed Jake calmly. “Do you want to take a break?”

  “No, I fucking don’t!” snarled the guitarist. “I just need this shitty gear to fucking work!”

  From the control room, Dr Marrs calmly called through, “Let’s try that again, please, Mr Santiago.”

  Taking a seat on the couch in the live room, Jake watched as Rich took another five attempts to complete his share of the tracking to Dr Marrs satisfaction.

  “Well done, buddy,” complimented Jake when he was finished. “You ok?”

  “No,” snapped Rich, putting his head in his hands. “My head’s pounding. My ribs are killing me. I can’t breathe right through my nose. I feel like shit.”

  “Why not call it a day for today?”

  “Maybe,” sighed the guitarist. “I’ll hang around for a bit. Watch you squirm when Scott gets here with his camera.”

  “Thanks,” laughed Jake. “Jim, are you ready for me?”

  “Ready when you are, Mr Power,” called back the producer.

  Taking his arm out of the sling, Jake picked up his guitar and settled himself on a stool to play his part for track three. No gremlins this time and he was done in two takes.

  “How the fuck did you do that?” grumbled Rich as they headed out to the lounge.

  Jake shrugged, “Luck?”

  “Harrumph,” muttered Rich.

  After a relaxed lunch in the lounge with the band, Scott took Jake outside to do the photo shoot to accompany the interview of the previous day. Once again, Jake found himself sitting in the old rocking chair on the lawn in the sun. Scott made the shoot easy for him by simply asking him to sit back and relax. After what felt like only a few minutes, the photographer declared he was done.

  “Already?” asked Jake, sounding pleasantly surprised. “Thanks. That was painless.”

  “Pleasure as always, Jake,” said Scott, sitting down on the grass in more or less the same spot as Maddy had sat a few days before. “Need a favour from you?”

  “You do?”

  “Lucy wants some shots for the fans. Just a few of the band off duty. If you all agree, I could use some of the ones I shot over lunch, but she was kind of hoping for some studio shots too.”

  “Time I had words with my little sister,” muttered Jake, trying not to smile. “She knows I won’t say no to her. Right, you’ve got ten minutes after I run through my warm up. No more.”

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  As the week moved on, the Silver Lake machine gathered pace once more. In the studio, the four musicians pulled together, supporting each other and, with their usual stoic professionalism, had the recording finished by July 26th – back on track. It was Rich who finished first, staying on into the small hours of the Friday morning. He was scheduled for minor surgery on the Friday afternoon and knew he had to stay till his work on the record was done. Next night, it was Jake who was still recording in the wee small hours. When he had arrived at JJL late on Friday morning, Dr Marrs had asked if he would re-record two of the earlier vocals. Having listened to it all again, the producer felt the vocal track needed a few changes and, after a brief heated debate, Jake surrendered, bowing to the producer’s greater knowledge.

  Back at the beach, Lori’s focus was the artwork for the album. Her sketchbook was filled with different incarnations of the Silver Lake imp. The band still hadn’t decided on a title for the album and that was hindering her progress. From the tracks she had heard, it felt as though it was going to be a very dark album with an emphasis on overcoming life’s challenges. So far she had three rough sketches for the full cover. The first was of the imp cowering in a corner with a crowd of leering faces peering in the window of his hovel. Another was of him at the beach with a huge wave about to engulf him. The third, and her personal favourite, was of him crouched over a still pool, gazing at his own reflection, only the reflection staring back was a strikingly handsome man, a face that would match the “shadow” she had created for the single cover. While she waited with bated breath for the band to come up with a title, she worked on some ideas for the accompanying merchandising.

  It felt good to be back in a routine. A sense of the mundane was helping them both to move on.

  To celebrate the completion of the recording, Maddy arranged a Silver Lake dinner for Saturday night at their favourite sushi restaurant. The email invite had instructed everyone to be there for seven sharp or fines would be levied.

  “Jake!” called Lori from the kitchen. “We’re going to be late.”

  “Just coming, li’l lady,” said Jake as he walked into the room. “And yes, I know we’ll be late. Have you called a cab?”

  “Yes,” she replied with a smile. “It’ll be here any minute.”

  “You look stunning,” he complimented before gently kissing her on the forehead. “Beautiful.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” replied Lori, admiring his skin tight jeans and black shirt.

  “Thanks,” he said, his cheeks flushing red. Lifting his makeshift sling from the table and handing it to her, he asked, “Can you stick this in your purse in case I need it later? I’ll leave it off for now.”

  “Sure,” she replied as
they both heard a car draw up outside. “Time to celebrate, rock star.”

  When the cab pulled up outside the restaurant, Grey was standing at the door looking out for them.

  “You’d better have a good excuse, Mr Power,” he joked as Jake paid the fare.

  “No excuses. Just late,” confessed Jake with a laugh as they entered the crowded restaurant.

  The Silver Lake party were all seated at a long table running the length of the restaurant. In their midst were Alice and Tom. All of them gave Jake a round of applause as he approached the table, hand in hand with Lori.

  “Finally!” declared Maddy, trying to fake exasperation. “Grey, what’s the fine up to?”

  “Let’s call it a round two hundred bucks.”

  “What!” exclaimed Jake in mock horror. “How about we call it a round of drinks for the table instead?”

  “Sounds good to me,” agreed the bass player, retaking his seat beside Kola.

  When the waitress came over a few moments later, Jake ordered three bottles of champagne for them.

  “A toast,” he announced once they all had a glass. “To everyone who has helped to get this album finished.”

  “To absent friends,” added Grey softly.

  Dinner was a relaxed affair as they all laughed and reminisced together. Seated across from Alice and Tom, Lori asked how they had enjoyed their time in New York.

  “It was incredible,” marvelled Alice enthusiastically. “And your apartment is out of this world! We felt like film stars for the week.”

  “Thanks,” said Lori, blushing slightly. “I’m glad you enjoyed your visit. It is an amazing city.”

  “I loved Central Park,” sighed Alice wistfully. “Spending time there helped me to get my head straight.”

  “And I hear Jason took you to Vegas too?”

  “Yes. Oh, what a fantastic place!”

  “I don’t want to go home,” stated Tom sadly. “I wish I could stay here forever.”

  “When do you leave?” asked Jake, joining the conversation.