“A 747,” joked the After Life guitarist, with a wink.
“Guess I asked for that,” acknowledged Jake with a grin.
“Thought I’d check out the surf this side of the Atlantic. Spend a few weeks here before we hit the road with the new record,” explained Taylor, his soft English accent sounding strangely out of place.
“Plenty of waves around here. You might want to check out the Indian River Inlet or go out to Herring Point first. With the right wind, you can surf off the beach in town too,” explained Jake.
“I’ll check it out. Need to invest in a board first.”
“There’s a couple of stores in town on Rehoboth Avenue,” commented Paul. “Used to buy my gear there a few years back.”
“Good stuff. I’ll check it all out when I get over the jet lag.”
Taking a seat at the table, Ellen said, “Oh, Lori, thanks for those designs. I love the merch proofs.”
“Glad you liked them,” replied Lori, feeling quietly relieved. “Initial reaction from Lord Jason was pretty positive.”
“Luke’s not checked them over yet,” continued Ellen. “But I think he’ll love them. So intricate. So detailed.”
“Multi-layered,” added Taylor, settling himself down on the deck. “Awesome detailing.”
“Well, that was my remit,” said Lori, her cheeks flushing at the compliments.
A few minutes later, Kola apologised that they would need to head home. Little Anna was curled up asleep on Grey’s knee and Linzi was struggling to keep her eyes open.
“Let me grab the girls’ shells,” said Lori, getting stiffly to her feet. “They turned out really well. Becky, can you give me a hand, please?”
“We’d best make a move too,” said Paul with a nod towards Maddy. “Kids are wiped out. Sign of a great party.”
Having waved both families off as they drown onto E Lake Drive, Lori turned around to head back to the party. She was surprised to find Rich standing behind her.
“You heading off too?”
He nodded. “Time to hit the road. Want to get a couple of hundred miles done tonight,” replied Silver Lake’s enigmatic guitarist.
“When do you expect to reach your sister’s place?”
“Not sure. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday,” replied Rich vaguely. “Want to explore a bit. Revisit a few familiar old haunts. No sense in sticking to I-95. I know what the highway looks like. Not a fan of highway driving. Prefer the back roads. Quieter.”
“Be careful,” cautioned Lori, reaching out to hug him. “Don’t get yourself lost in the mountains.”
“I’ll try not to,” promised Rich, hugging her tight. “Take care of him, Lori.”
“Excuse me?”
“Jake. Take care of him,” repeated Rich quietly. He paused then cleared his throat. “I’d best be on my way. Thanks for a great day. Another successful Silver Lake family BBQ.”
“Thanks for coming and for Melody’s gift. She loves it.”
“Pleasure,” said Rich with a smile. “Right, I’m out of here. Till next time.”
“Drive safely.”
When she returned to the sun deck, Lori discovered that Jake had already carried the kids indoors to put them to bed. Beer in hand, Dr Marrs was deep in conversation with Jethro about After Life’s new album. After a lot of persuading, Jim Marrs had travelled to London to produce the album for the English band. It had been his first overseas production trip since they’d opened JJL.
“Ellen, can I fetch you a glass of wine?” offered Lori, noting that the younger woman was without a drink.
“Please,” answered Ellen shyly. “Red if you have any.”
“Shiraz?”
“Perfect.”
“Give me a moment. Scott, what can I get you?” quizzed Lori, gathering up some empty cups to take to the trash bag.
“I’ve a beer here, Lori,” replied the photographer, indicating the bottle at his feet. “Any snacks though?”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
Taking care not to make too much noise in the kitchen in case she disturbed the kids, Lori opened a bottle of Shiraz and poured a generous glass for Ellen then filled a glass with white wine for herself. Judging that she felt steady enough on her feet, she left her cane in the kitchen, tucked two unopened bags of chips under her arm, then slowly limped her way back through the house, taking care not to spill the wine.
“Hope that one’s ok,” she said as she passed the glass to Ellen. “I got it at the new liquor store out on the Coastal Highway. You know the one that opened last month?”
“We passed it on the way down from the airport. Looks huge.”
“It is,” giggled Lori as she tipped the chips into two empty bowls on the table. “Great selection of European wines. Picked up a few good deals.”
“You brought home enough wine to start our own store,” joked Jake as he stepped out from the sunroom carrying two acoustic guitars.
“I may be over-shopped a little,” confessed Lori, trying to sound innocent.
“Good wine never goes wrong,” stated Ellen, sipping her Shiraz. “And this is nice. Really nice.”
“Taylor,” said Jake, interrupting the group’s conversation. “Feel like playing for a bit?”
“Sure,” agreed the English guitarist, accepting one of the instruments from Jake.
“Your voice recovered, son?” asked Jethro with fatherly concern.
“I think so,” replied Jake with a relieved smile. “Not sung a note since I stepped off stage until I sang Happy Birthday to Melody earlier.”
Giggling, Lori said, “I can see the headlines now. Rock star relaunches career singing Happy Birthday!”
“Well, it didn’t do Marilyn Monroe’s career any harm,” laughed Jake as he settled himself down to play. “What’ll it be, Mr Rowe?”
“Oh, ladies’ choice,” countered Tailz, looking a little flustered at being put on the spot.
“Tailz, sing that one from Midnight Cowboy,” suggested Ellen, knowing it was a song close to his heart.
“Good choice,” acknowledged Jake with a nod. “My mom
