Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “Certainly, Miss Hyde,” he promised, pressing the button on the next elevator for them.

  The doors opened to reveal a spacious elevator with a deep pile carpet. The three would-be rock stars looked at each other, suddenly wondering what kind of apartment Lori owned. She entered a six digit code into the control panel, the doors closed and they were on their way up. From the display Jake saw there were fifteen floors plus a penthouse suite. As the elevator glided past fifteen, he too was wondering where she was taking them. Soon the doors opened and the four of them stepped out into a private marble floored lobby with two ornately carved oak doors at the end. Entering another code into a digital pad, Lori opened one of the large doors and led them into the apartment.

  “Home sweet home,” she said brightly, walking through to the living room and dropping her handbag onto the couch.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Rich, as he walked over to the window and looked out over the city.

  “Make yourselves at home.”

  “Where will I put the bags?” asked Jake, gazing round at the sheer size and luxury of the apartment.

  “Put them in the hall for now,” said Lori. “Let me show you all where everything is.”

  As she turned to leave the lounge area, Lori explained that the kitchen and dining room were straight ahead. A broad oak staircase led them down to the bedrooms. At the foot of the stairs, Lori suggested Rich and Paul take the two bedrooms to the right then she led Jake towards the master bedroom.

  “What about Grey and Becky?” asked Jake.

  “They can have the room next to us. It has its own en suite,” said Lori. “I told you there was plenty room for everyone.”

  “And you weren’t kidding, li’l lady,” he said, as she opened the bedroom door and showed him in. “This place is stunning.”

  “Thank you.”

  The master bedroom was more traditionally furnished than the living area with a large Colonial style four poster bed as the room’s centre piece. The rich dark red curtains and bed spread complimented the antique style of the room. Lori stopped in the middle of the room and gazed round, taking in all the familiarity. Her hair brush and perfume were still on the dressing table where she had left them. A novel sat on the nightstand, half read.

  “You ok?” asked Jake, taking her into his arms.

  She nodded, then buried her face in his chest. He held her as she sobbed quietly for a few minutes.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered without looking up. “It feels weird being here.”

  “I understand,” soothed Jake quietly, running his hand through her hair. “You’ve done the hard bit though. You’ve come home.”

  “I guess,” said Lori pulling away. “Time to start a new chapter here.”

  Jake sat down on the bed, sinking into the plump duvet. He looked round, noting the en suite and walk in dressing room. Never had he dreamed of staying in such a luxurious room.

  “Lori,” he began, “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “You said you moved here after college. How could you afford this as a first apartment?”

  “The bank of daddy,” she replied, a little embarrassed by the question. “He saw it as a good investment and it has been.”

  “Smart man your dad,” mused Jake, with an appreciative smile. “And a wealthy one it would seem.”

  “You’d have liked him,” said Lori wistfully. “Now, let’s go back upstairs and you can help me to fetch everyone a drink and a snack.”

  By the time Grey arrived with Becky an hour later his fellow band members were stretched out in the living room watching the sports channel on TV. While the boys watched the baseball game, Lori showed Grey and Becky to their room. The little girl skipped and danced down the stairs and along the hall, squealing with delight when she saw the room she was to share with her daddy. There were two queen sized beds in the room and on one sat a brand new American Girl doll.

  “Is she for me?” cried Becky, hugging the doll.

  “She sure is,” said Lori, glad that she had thought to get the doll delivered. “I thought we could take her with us when we go to the American Girl store.”

  “Can we?” squealed the little girl.

  “Of course,” said Lori then turning to Grey she said, “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all, Lori,” he said, just happy to see his daughter so happy and excited. “This is some place you have here. A veritable palace.”

  Lori blushed, then admitted that it was quite nice to be back for a few days.

  “I just hope the guys treat it with respect,” added Grey. “This is one hell of a way to pay it forward for Jake scraping you up off the sand at the beach.”

  His comment made Lori laugh. “It’s just somewhere for you guys to crash while you’re here. Nothing special. I’ll leave you to unpack. Come upstairs when you’re ready.”

  When the baseball game on TV came to an end, the band began to discuss what to do for dinner.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” said Lori. “But I’ve taken the liberty of booking us a table for dinner.”

  “What time for?” asked Paul. “I’m starving!”

  “I booked it for seven so we’ve an hour or so to wait. I can call and see if they’ll bring the reservation forward.”

  “Seven’s fine,” stated Jake, shooting Paul a dark look. “Do we need to change?”

  “No,” she said. “Everyone’s fine as they are.”

  “So where are we off to?” asked Rich curiously.

  “The Hard Rock Café,” replied Lori with a smile. “A bit cheesy I know, but I thought it would be a fun place to start.”

  “Sounds good to me,” laughed Rich. “It’s in Times Square isn’t it?”

  “Sure is. So you can all experience some of that too.”

  Times Square was crowded when they got out of the two cabs that had brought them downtown. Seeing the four guys' faces filled with childish delight at their surroundings brought a smile to Lori’s face. All of them were talking at once and pointing to this and that. Grey had lifted Becky onto his shoulders and was pointing to the big Toys R Us store on the opposite corner. The little girl’s eyes were wide with amazement at the scale of the whole thing going on around her. Carefully they made their way through the crowds to the Hard Rock Café. They entered under the huge neon lit guitar, walked through the gift shop and down to the restaurant. The restaurant welcome area cum mini rock museum was dimly lit. Lori walked up to the meet and greet desk and said she had pre-booked a table for six in the name of Hyde. The hostess apologised that there would be a short ten minute wait and that they would be called as soon as their table was ready. She advised Lori to keep an eye on the board announcing the tables being called.

  “Ok, boys,” she said, as she walked back over to join the others. “You’ve got ten minutes to play in here.”

  “Yes, mom,” joked Jake as he headed off with Rich to browse the displays.

  Only Becky stayed with her, holding on to her hand nervously. The little girl seemed unsure of the dark surroundings and the crowds of people milling about the small enclosed space. After a few minutes the guys wandered back over and then posed beside the wall of guitars taking photos with their mobile phones. As their name reached the top of the board, they headed through to the restaurant, stopping only for a souvenir photo to be taken. Their waiter showed them to a large table at one side of the restaurant, took their drinks order and left them with the menus. Around them on the pillars were video screens showing the rock videos that went with the songs being played. From the happy childlike faces seated round the table, Lori reckoned she had made a good choice for dinner.

  “Maybe someday it will be our video on the TV,” joked Rich as he gazed round.

  “I hope so,” said Lori. “But who will be donating their guitar to the memorabilia collection?”

  “Paul,” said Jake and Grey together, laughing at the drummer’s expense.

  The good humoured
banter continued all through dinner. Seeing them all relaxed and happy in each other’s company helped Lori to relax about being there. The waiter had given Becky a kid’s entertainment pack and she was quietly colouring in a picture while the adults chatted around her. When the meal was over, Grey called the waiter over to ask for the bill.

  “Sorry, sir. It’s been taken care of already.”

  “Lori?” said Grey quite firmly.

  “Tonight’s on me, boys,” she replied with equal firmness. “Welcome to New York.”

  After they had all thanked Lori and protested that she shouldn’t have done that, the group took their leave. On the way out, they all stopped to play tourist in the gift store, buying T-shirts, key-rings and lapel badges. Once back out in the crowded street, Lori felt her nerves return. It had been a long day, an emotionally draining day, and her leg was starting to ache. As the guys started to head towards the toy store at Becky’s insistence, Lori called Jake back.

  “What’s up, li’l lady?” he asked with concern.

  “I’m going to head home,” she said softly. I’ll get a cab. Will you guys be ok to make your own way back?”

  “I’ll come with you,” offered Jake instantly.

  “No, you stay out for a while,” insisted Lori. “I could do with a couple of hours to myself. Do you mind?”

  “No,” replied Jake warmly. “I understand. I think.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “Here’s the guest card to get back in. Please don’t lose it. I’ll see you back at the house.”

  “We won’t be late,” promised Jake, kissing her forehead.

  “Take as long as you need,” said Lori. “I’m going this way to get a cab. Have fun.”

  Once back at the apartment, Lori kicked off her shoes in the living room and left her canes lying against the couch, then wandered through to the kitchen in search of some pain medication. As she had hoped, she found an old strip of Advil in a drawer with two pills left. Pouring herself a glass of water, she quickly swallowed the two tablets. “Home”, she thought looking round. It had been home for almost eight years, but it suddenly felt as new and alien to her as it did to the boys from Silver Lake. She wandered back through to the lounge and out onto the terrace. The view over the city always took her breath away. As she leaned on the railing, gazing out over the rooftops, her cell phone rang in her handbag indoors. She got to it just before it cut to voicemail. It was Maddy.

  “Hi,” called her friend brightly. “I just wanted to check you were all set for tomorrow.”

  “Hi yourself,” said Lori, wandering back out onto the terrace. “As far as I know they are all ok for tomorrow. Is it ten o’clock they’ve to be there?”

  “Nine would be better,” admitted Maddy. “Time to hang about and mingle if you get my drift.”

  “I hear you, girl,” laughed Lori. “I’ll tell them.”

  “Ok” said Maddy. “I’ve had a change of schedule. I’m back in town on Tuesday night till Thursday morning. I’ll go straight to the studio.”

  “Am I to tell them?”

  “Best not,” admitted Maddy. “I’ve a plan, but I’m still trying to tie down the final detail.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Can’t say,” teased Maddy.

  “Let me guess,” giggled Lori. “You just happen to have a meeting scheduled for late Tuesday with Jeff that you will be strategically late for so that he will be tempted to kill time by tuning into the studio sessions.”

  “Close, but it’s not Jeff,” laughed Maddy. “I thought Jason, the English guy, would be a better option. He’s just dropped two acts, both rock bands, from his books so there’s an opening there.”

  “Loving your style, Maddison,” declared Lori. “Will you have time for a quick lunch with me or dinner on Wednesday?”

  “No promises, but I can maybe do lunch. I’ll call you nearer the time.”

  “Look forward to it.”

  “Need to run,” said Maddy. “Press event to cover. Bye!”

  “You work too hard, girl!” laughed Lori. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Putting her phone into her pocket, Lori limped back indoors. Her studio workspace was situated just off the living room and she naturally drifted in there. Everything was just as she had left it - a design sitting half-finished on her drawing board. Casually she fingered her pens and pencils that were scattered over the desk then she returned them one by one to their correct place. She removed the design from the board, tempted to tear it up and destroy any links to the day of her accident but she couldn’t do it. Instead, Lori slipped it into one of her many slim storage drawers. She replaced it on the board with a brand new sheet of paper – a fresh start.

  A glance at the clock on her phone told her it was almost ten. Running her hand through her hair, she decided to take a shower before the band got back. Once down in the bedroom her melancholy mood continued. Safe in the knowledge she was alone in the house, she stripped naked in the bedroom in front of the full length mirror and surveyed her reflection. The Lori staring back at her was thinner than the Lori from last December. Her scars though looked less angry, as though they were finally starting to fade a bit. The surgical scar on her right hip had healed to a thin purple line that was slowly fading to silver. It was the ones on her thigh that remained particularly unsightly. With a wistful sigh, she entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  When she came back into the bedroom a few minutes later wearing a soft towelling robe, Jake was stretched out on top of the bed. He was still fully clothed, but had removed his shoes and socks and was slowly wiggling his toes.

  “Sore feet,” mused Lori. “Must be those hard city blocks.”

  “Or worn out sneakers,” he conceded.

  “Is everyone else back too?” she asked, brushing the knots out of her wet hair.

  “Yeah,” replied Jake. “Grey’s putting Becky to bed. Rich and Paul said they were going to watch some TV for a while.”

  “Maddy called,” began Lori innocently. “She suggested that you get to the studio for nine tomorrow.”

  “Ok, we can do nine,” agreed Jake before commenting. “This is all happening so fast.”

  “You nervous?” she asked, coming over to sit on the bed beside him.

  “A bit. Scared of making a fool of myself,” he admitted. “I’ve chased this dream since I was fourteen. What if we’re not good enough?”

  “You’ll be fine,” she assured him softly. “Just go in tomorrow, relax about it and play like you always do.”

  “I guess,” he sighed. “Will you come with us in the morning?”

  Lori shook her head, “No. Becky and I are going to the Natural History Museum. It’s only a couple of blocks from here so it’s an easy first adventure for us.”

  Jake looked disappointed.

  “We’ll drop by later in the week. You’re here to work remember.”

  With a smile, Jake sat up and hugged her, “But we can play a bit too.”

  “Yes,” agreed Lori, kissing him on the nose. “But the work comes first, rock star.”

  “Slave driver,” he teased.

  “I’m going upstairs for a drink,” said Lori getting to her feet. “Do you want anything?”

  “I’ll come up with you,” he said before adding. “Can I make a suggestion, Lori?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t go up in your robe. Please.”

  Silently agreeing that this was a good idea she slipped into some yoga pants and a baggy well-worn Mickey Mouse T-shirt.

  “Better?” she asked.

  “Much,” agreed Jake, putting his arm around her waist as they headed upstairs.

  ♪

  Silver Lake arrived at the recording studio shortly after nine, as suggested, on Sunday morning. There followed a chaotic hour of moving gear and getting set up in Studio B- home for the next seven days. Much to Paul’s surprise a drum kit, set up identically to his was already waiting in the studio. There was a post-it note stuck to o
ne of his hi-hats – “Maddy x”. It made him smile and helped to settle his nerves a little. While Grey and Jake took the trucks back up to the garage at Lori’s apartment building, Paul and Rich familiarised themselves with Studio B. Around ten, their technician and sound engineer both arrived carrying coffee cups and nursing hangovers. A few minutes later Grey and Jake returned, breathless from running up the stairs. Once all the pleasantries were out of the way, Jack, the sound engineer said, “We’ve had some basic instructions from Maddison about the plan for this week. The suggestion is that you spend today getting to know this place and deciding what you are going to record.”

  “We’ve worked that bit out already,” said Rich, pulling a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. “We figured we could get ten tracks done in five days with a bit of luck and effort.”

  “Ambitious,” mused Jack, looking round at the four eager faces hanging on his every word. “But, it may be possible.”

  “How many do you think we’ll do?” asked Grey solemnly.

  “Four most likely. Six at a push.” Jack replied bluntly. “But if you are prepared to put in the hours, let’s aim high. Bench mark eight, but stretch target of ten.”

  He moved over to a whiteboard on the wall that was already gridded out with black tape. Briefly, he took the band through his tried and tested system as per the grid format. Tossing a marker pen to Rich, he said, “Write up your ten in order of preference.”

  After a bit of debate and reprioritising they had their ten tracks listed on the board.

  “Ok,” said Jack. “I’ll be about till eight. Todd here will be with you till you finish. If you all want to stay till next Saturday, he’ll be here. If you take a break so does he. Get it?”

  They nodded in unison.

  “Great. I’ll leave you to it for a few hours. If you need anything, ask Todd. If you are short of instruments, we have a store room you can borrow from. When Jim your producer arrives tomorrow be ready for him to change everything you rehearse today.”

  And with that he left the room. They all stared at each other for a moment, then Rich said, “You heard the man. Let’s rehearse.”