Fastening his jeans and hauling his shirt back on, Jake muttered angrily to himself under his breath. What had he just allowed to happen? Why had he just had sex with her? He was completely disgusted with himself for his lack of self-control. Kicking the chair that he had been sitting on angrily, it skittered across towards the guitar stand, sending his Mz Hyde custom clattering onto the floor.
“Fuck!” he yelled, rushing to pick up his beloved guitar.
A large chip had come off the edge of the body of the instrument.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
Picking up the broken piece, he shook his head. There was something Freudian in what had just happened. If Lori ever found out about what had just taken place, a chipped guitar would be the least of his worries. Vowing to glue the broken piece back into place, Jake righted the chair then sat down to attempt to resume his rehearsal.
Perhaps it was the anger coursing through him or the fear of Lori ever finding out that he’d been unfaithful but, for the next hour and a half, he played with a new found energy, adding an urgency and a sense of precision to the revised Epidemic solo.
His phone buzzing in his pocket brought him back to the present. It was a message from Grey that read simply, “Lunch.”
When he entered the lounge, Jake found Grey and Paul sitting at the table eating burgers and fries. He was relieved to see there was no sign of Nicole.
As he sat down, Paul said, “Your music teacher friend turned up earlier. She was asking where you were?”
“Did you tell her?”
“No,” replied Grey bluntly. “She’s trouble that one. Trust me.”
“She certainly seems to be hanging about here regularly,” commented Jake, unwrapping his burger.
“She’s doing a drum clinic out back this afternoon. First of several,” revealed Paul. “Jim wants you back in here with us after lunch.”
“Ah, that explains the three kits that are set up out there,” answered Jake. “I’ll grab my gear once we’ve had lunch. I’ve something to let you guys hear anyway.”
“Something new?” quizzed Grey.
“I’ve re-written the solo for Epidemic. Sounds better. Want to let you guys have your say though.”
“Ok, run through it when we’re done here.”
Changing the subject, Jake asked, “Do you know if Jim has any Gorilla glue around here? I chipped the edge off my Mz Hyde. Want to fix it before Lori finds out.”
“I’ve some in my truck in the toolbox,” replied Grey. “I’ll bring it in for you.”
As they ate, conversation moved onto the bass and drum tracking. Neither Paul nor Grey seemed happy with their performances, both adding that the producer hadn’t sounded satisfied either. Both of them implied that it hadn’t sounded “real” as they’d played.
“I wonder,” mused Jake, thinking out loud as he finished his sweet iced tea “Should we try tracking some of this live?”
“Live?” echoed Paul. “But we’re a guitar light?”
“We can add any extra tracks after. Remember we’ve the tracks from Rich’s laptop to add in,” proposed Jake. “I’ll admit, I’m struggling here too. Might be worth tabling a fresh approach to Jim. We can only try it. See if it works. We need to try something to get this back on track.”
“What about the vocals?”
“Might still need to track those separately…. well some of them.”
“Worth a try,” agreed Grey wearily. “Right, I’ll fetch that glue. You fetch your gear before that crazy-ass teacher heads back out here.”
When Jake came back with his guitars, he found the Gorilla glue sitting on the table but there was no sign of Grey. Picking the glue up, he headed into the live room. Paul was stretched out along the well-worn leather settee.
“Where’s Grey?” quizzed Jake looking round.
“Kola called. She’s gone into labour,” replied Paul. “Guess we’re back to plan A for the day.”
“Labour? The baby’s coming?”
Paul nodded, “Grey’s gone to take her out to Beebe.”
“What about the girls?”
“Becky’s got them till Annie arrives,” explained Paul. “It’s all systems go for baby girl number four.”
“He’s a pro at this now,” laughed Jake as he looked round trying to decide where was best to lay his guitar down to fix it. “Want to call it a day?”
“Yeah, might as well,” sighed Paul resignedly. “Better tell Jim though. He’s over at the house. He’ll be back in five.”
“OK,” agreed Jake. “I’m going back out to the lounge to glue this at the table.”
He was holding the shard in place when the door opened and Nicole walked in with two of the seniors from the high school. Neither of the students were kids that Jake recognised but they both stopped dead when they saw him, instantly star struck.
“Hi,” he said with a smile.
“Guys,” began Nicole. “Allow me to introduce you to Jake Power from Silver Lake. He used to teach at the school.”
Both students smiled and mumbled a shy hello.
“Running repairs?” asked Nicole, noticing the glue sitting on the table.
“Chipped it earlier,” replied Jake, avoiding making eye contact with her. “Wanted to fix it before my wife saw it.”
“Don’t stick yourself to it,” joked Nicole with a wink. “Right, kids, let’s leave Jake in peace. We’ve work to do and the clock’s ticking.”
As soon as he arrived back at the beach house, Jake dumped his guitars and book bag in the lounge and yelled through to Lori that he was going for a run.
“Have you heard from Grey?” she called back.
“Not yet,” he replied as he loped down to the bedroom to get changed.
With music blaring in his ears and hard-packed sand under his feet, Jake pounded out the miles north towards Gordon’s Pond. Still angry with himself, he ran hard and fast, pushing the pace until, as the two World War II towers came into sight, he thought his lungs would burst. How could he have been so stupid? The anger coursing through him fuelled his return leg back towards the beach house.
Why had he risked everything? The question ate away at him as he drew closer to home. During all the years of touring there had been plenty similar offers from obsessed fans but he’d never been tempted. He’d never so much as given any of them a second glance. So why had Nicole Tonriverdi been different? Why had he succumbed to her charms so easily?
He knew in his heart, if Lori found out, their marriage would be over. One thing that was sacrosanct to her was fidelity. For a few seconds of cheap sex, he’d broken that golden rule. Grey was right, he decided as the house came into sight, Nicole was trouble and he was going to have to deal with her sooner rather than later.
Slowing his pace, he ran past the house, adding an extra leisurely mile or so to the run by way of a cool down. His thighs were on fire, telling him it had been too long since he’d run so far.
Breathing heavily, he finally made his way across the soft sand to the path leading towards the house. As he walked up the narrow sandy path, he could hear Lori talking to the kids out on the deck.
“Daddy! Daddy!” shrieked Melody as soon as she saw him. “Kola’s baby has been born.”
Glancing over at Lori for confirmation, Jake said, “Has it?”
“It’s a girl!” declared Melody excitedly.
“A big girl,” added Lori. “Nine pounds ten ounces.”
“Everyone ok?” checked Jake.
“Mom and baby both fine,” reassured Lori, smiling at him. “Can’t say the same for Grey. He sounded shell shocked when he called.”
“He’s got his hands full now, that’s for sure,” said Jake. “House full of women. He’s no hope!”
“He wouldn’t have it any other way,” giggled Lori before adding, “You were gone awhile. Long run?”
“About ten miles,” replied Jake. “Been cooped up at JJL too long. Needed to stretch my legs. Clear my head. And now I need a shower.”
“Daddy smells bad,” said Jesse, grinning mischievously.
“Daddy does,” laughed Jake. “How about we walk into town for ice cream after I’ve got cleaned up?”
“Ice cream! Ice cream! We want ice cream!” chanted Melody, dancing round the deck.
“Ok, Miss M. Calm down. I’ll be fifteen minutes.”
It was late afternoon by the time all four members of the Power family set off along the beach. While the kids ran on ahead, Jake walked hand in hand with Lori, allowing her to set the pace. He could tell from the way she was leaning on her cane and occasionally sub-consciously squeezing his hand that her leg was troubling her. Seeing her in pain always tore at his heart.
“Want to grab an early dinner instead of ice cream?” he suggested casually, hoping that Lori wouldn’t realise he was making the suggestion so that she could rest before walking home.
If his wife sensed his ulterior motive, she never said but agreed that dinner sounded like a smart plan.
“You got any cash with you?” Jake asked.
“A little,” replied Lori. “But I can hit the ATM if you need some.”
“Let’s kill some time in Funland,” he proposed. “Been a while since we let them loose in there.”
After almost two hours of fun rides and playing games on the various arcade machines, Jake declared that they’d used all the quarters and that it was time to eat.
“Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” shouted Jesse, jumping up and down in front of Jake.
“Pizza?” quizzed Jake, raising his eyebrows.
“Pizza,” echoed Melody firmly.
Beside him, he felt Lori trying not to giggle.
“All the fabulous restaurants in town and you two want pizza?”
“And cheese fries,” added Melody, smiling up at him. “And a milkshake.”
“Pizza, cheese fries and milkshake?”
“Yes!” squealed both children excitedly.
“Lori, what do you want for dinner?”
“Well,” began Lori with a mischievous look on her face. “Pizza, cheese fries and a milkshake sound good to me.”
“Alright, pizza it is,” sighed Jake, pretending to be exasperated with them all.
Even after all these years, Jake was still warmly welcomed back at the restaurant where he had worked prior to resuming his teaching career and the band taking off. Several of the members of staff who had worked with him always made a point of stopping by their booth to say hello whenever the family were in.
“Can we get a quiet corner booth?” Jake asked his old boss when they entered the bustling restaurant. “We just want a quiet family meal.”
“What and hide our very own rock star in the corner?”
“Yes, that’s exactly where I want to be,” said Jake calmly. “I just want to enjoy some family time. No selfie hunters if you catch my drift.”
“I hear you, son,” agreed the older man warmly. “Follow me.”
The restaurant was busy as they followed the owner across the dining room to the booth in the back corner. Fortunately, no one seemed to give the family group a second glance and, within five minutes, they were seated, had placed their order and received their drinks. The kids had settled down contentedly with the children’s colouring pack.
“Are you going to take a few days off now that the baby has arrived?” asked Lori before taking a sip of her vanilla milkshake.
Shaking his head, Jake said, “No. I’ll stick to the plan. Try to get the guitar solos tracked. Maybe some vocals. We’d talked about trying a different approach. A more live sound but there’s still plenty work to be done. Still got some writing to do too.”
“Is it hard being out there without Rich?” she asked softly.
Jake nodded, not trusting himself to speak as an unexpected wave of grief hit him.
“Sorry,” apologised Lori, reaching across to touch his hand. “Dumb question.”
Forcing a smile, Jake said, “It’s weird. We’re working with so much of his music. He’s on almost every track on the board. He’s just not there. We all keep expecting him to walk in and start taking control. He’s left a hell of a gap to fill.”
“Must be tough,” agreed Lori. “Any ideas yet when you want the artwork done for or what you want?”
Jake shook his head again,” We’ll need to agree on the title and see if a theme emerges. Too soon yet, li’l lady.”
“Well, there’s space in my schedule for it when you guys are ready,” she replied. “Unless you want a different artist this time round.”
“Never.”
Before they could continue, their meal was served and, for the next half an hour, chaos descended on the table as the kids squabbled over pizza slices and cheese fries. Moments like these were precious to Jake and he found it difficult to reprimand them for just being kids. He’d missed so many family meals while touring that he treasured every one.
As the waitress brought the kids their ice creams a while later, Jake became aware that someone was watching him. Initially, he thought he was imagining things but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Uneasily, he glanced around, trying not to draw any undue attention to their table.
His eye fell on a table at the far side of the restaurant. There was only one occupant in the booth. Nicole. He could feel her green eyes boring into him. Seeing her sitting there, watching him, watching his family meal, made him uneasy. Something else caught his attention and his blood ran cold.
Nicole was wearing his missing shirt from the memorial show.
“Let’s get those ice creams put into cups to go,” suggested Jake, anxious to get out of the restaurant. “Time to head home, kids.”
“What’s the rush?” quizzed Lori. “They’ll be done in five minutes.”
“Just remembered something I need to do tonight,” lied Jake, not daring to look at his wife. “Five minutes then we need to make a move.”
On the walk back to the beach house, Jake barely said a word. Both kids ran on ahead of them, stopping to sit on a bench every few yards till Jake and Lori caught up with them. Leaning heavily on her cane, Lori watched her husband closely, trying to read his expression. Something had happened back at the pizza place but she had no idea what it was. Judging by the dark brooding look on Jake’s face, she knew better then to ask what was wrong.
Dusk had fallen by the time they arrived back at the house. Sliding the patio door open with its usual screech, Lori said, “Time for bed, kids. Go and find your pjs.”
“Not sleepy,” protested Jesse as a yawn threatened to swallow his words.
“Do as your mom says,” stated Jake sternly. “No arguments. Pjs, teeth and bed.”
“Daddy!” wailed Jesse shrilly.
“Bed!” roared Jake in an uncharacteristic display of anger. “Now! Right fucking now!”
Both kids fled through the house towards their rooms, leaving Lori standing in stunned silence in the sunroom beside her husband.
“I’m going downstairs,” said Jake bluntly. “Don’t wait up for me.”
“Jake….” began Lori softly.
“Leave it, Lori. Not now!” he snapped.
Feeling somewhat numb, Lori watched as her husband stormed down into the basement, slamming the door behind him. It was a clear “do not disturb” sign.
Letting out a long sigh, she headed through the kitchen and down the hallway to the kids’ bedrooms. She wasn’t surprised to find Melody’s door firmly closed. From the room at the end of the hall, she could hear Jesse grumbling.
“What’s up?” she asked as she entered the cluttered room, stepping over a pile of Lego just inside the doorway.
“Want my shark pjs,” said Jesse, his hazel eyes wet with tears.
“They’re in the laundry. They’re not clean yet,” replied Lori calmly as she smiled at the sight of her young son, who was standing on a box in front of the chest of drawers in his underpants. “Let’s find the dolphin ones instead.”
“Ok, Mommy,” he relented with another yaw
n. “Want to go back to see the sharks and the dolphins.”
“Back to the aquarium?”
The little boy nodded as a tear slid down his cheek, “Daddy wasn’t angry that day.”
“Daddy isn’t angry with you, Jess,” reassured Lori as she fetched his pyjamas from the drawer. “I’m not sure why he’s angry but I do know it’s not your fault.”
Her son looked at her, his eyes brimming with tears.
“Come on, Jess,” said Lori, lifting him into her arms and hugging him close. “No tears. Let’s get those pjs on then you can snuggle in bed with your toy sharks and dolphins.”
“All of them?”
“As many as you like,” promised Lori, desperate to keep him calm. “And tomorrow we can go down to the beach and watch for the dolphins after Melody comes home from school.”
“It’s a date, Mommy,” he said sleepily.
By the time Lori got Jesse settled in bed, happily surrounded by plastic and plush sea creatures, his earlier tears were gone. Closing his door over, she headed down the hall to Melody’s room. The door was still closed tight.
“Hey, Miss M, are you ready for bed?” asked Lori warmly as she opened the door.
Her daughter was sitting on her bed practising her guitar exercises. From the red blotches on her tanned cheeks, the little girl had been crying.
“You ok?”
Melody shook her head.
“What’s wrong?” Lori sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“Daddy scared me when he yelled,” said Melody quietly. “Daddy never yells at us like that. Never yells at me like that.”
“Angel, he didn’t mean to scare you,” assured Lori warmly. “I don’t know why he’s mad at something but I do know he’s not mad at you or Jesse. Now, time to stop playing and to get into bed.”
Carefully, the little girl climbed off the bed, placed her precious guitar on its stand in the corner then climbed back onto the bed beside her mother.
“Mommy,” she began seriously. “I think I know why Daddy’s mad.”
“And why’s that?” asked Lori as she pulled back the sheet to allow Melody to slip into bed.
Shattered Hearts Page 23
