“I’ve noticed,” teased Lori. “How many are there in the basement? And how many more are out at JJL?”
“A few,” he confessed with a wink.
“And how many do you actually play?” challenged Lori playfully.
“A few,” repeated Jake.
Innocently, Melody asked, “What will happen with Uncle Rich’s guitars? Will they go on the wall here?”
A fresh bolt of grief stabbed Jake. He swallowed down the ball of emotion that formed in his throat then answered, “I’m not sure, Melody. Maybe. It’s not up to me.”
“Look,” said Lori, distracting their inquisitive daughter. “Can you see that album cover over there? The one to the left of the red guitar.”
Melody nodded.
“That’s the first one I designed for Weigh Station.”
“You draw scary pictures,” said Jesse seriously, without looking up from his drawing.
His blunt comment was enough to lighten the mood once more.
Over dinner, Jake asked the kids what had been the highlight of the day.
“The sharks!” declared Jesse without hesitation.
“The Nemos,” said Melody. “They are so cute.”
“I loved the rays,” added Lori, taking a sip from her wine. “They always seem so gentle and peaceful.”
As they ate, both Jake and Lori encouraged the kids to talk about the different things they had seen and to remind them of the facts that they had learned. As the waiters cleared the table at the end of their meal, Jesse declared it had been the best birthday ever.
Before the family could order dessert, the servers and hostesses formed a circle round their table and began to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesse. As they reached the end of the song, the restaurant manager arrived carrying a large chocolate cake with sparklers and candles on it.
“Make a wish, son,” reminded Jake as an over-excited Jesse moved to blow out the candles.
Both kids fell asleep within ten minutes of setting out for home. Within half an hour, Lori too had dozed off in the passenger seat. Turning the volume down a little on the stereo so as not to disturb them all, Jake smiled. It had been a good day, a great day. It had been the perfect antidote to the recent tragedy. He glanced over at Lori, noting how pale she looked as she slept. The trip had taken its toll on her and it hadn’t escaped his sharp attention that she had discretely swallowed two more painkillers as the birthday cake had been served. He hated to see her suffering but understood there was little he could do to alleviate the pain that was the legacy of her accident.
When he reached the Coastal Highway and drove past JJL, Jake sighed. So many memories linked back to the recording studio; so many memories of Rich linked back to the recording studio. He spied that the lights were still on and figured that Garrett was putting in a late night. Seeing the studio got him thinking about what the band should do about granting an interview to the media. There was no denying it - it had to be done. With a heavy heart, he resolved to call Jethro in the morning to set something up.
Once the wheels were set in motion, the Silver Lake machine took over. After a short band meeting in the basement at the beach house, the three remaining members of Silver Lake agreed to release a short video to the media. Before any of them could change their mind, Scott was summoned and, by the end of the afternoon, they had a five-minute video clip to share with the world. With the band’s approval, it was released at midday the following Monday on the group’s social media sites.
Within twenty-four hours, Jethro was on the phone to Jake to discuss giving a face to face interview. Sitting out on the deck in the soft haze of dusk, Jake admitted, “I don’t know if I can, Jethro.”
“One journalist. Someone you know. We’ll keep it low key and local,” promised the band’s manager. “The record label and Jason need you to do it. Like it or not, Jake, as frontman, you are the public face of Silver Lake.”
Knowing the old man was right, Jake didn’t waste his energy arguing. “Who did you have in mind?”
“The English journalist that you guys get along with. Debbie,” revealed Jethro. “She’s in New York this week to cover When The Chips Are Down’s anniversary show at Madison Square Garden. I spoke to her earlier. Floated the idea past her. She’s free on Wednesday. The plan is to drive down here to meet you for an hour or so in the afternoon. Time we came clean to the fans out there. Time they heard the truth and it’ll sound better coming straight from you.”
“Do I have any say in this?”
“No,” stated Jethro bluntly. “I’ll let you know where and when on Tuesday.”
“Fine,” sighed Jake, running his hand anxiously through his hair. “Try to make it somewhere like the Turtle. Not here. Not JJL either.”
“Ok, son. Leave it with me.”
The second official heatwave of the summer had Rehoboth firmly in its clutches as Jake walked along the boardwalk towards the coffee shop in town. For the sixth day in a row, the mercury levels were touching one hundred by early-afternoon. He had started to walk along the beach but the sand had been burning his feet, forcing him back up onto the boardwalk at the first opportunity. Even the well-worn boards were hot. A sea of blue umbrellas dominated the sand as the season’s tourists braved the sun’s heat. Turning up into Wilmington Avenue, Jake smiled. The coffee shop that Jethro had chosen as the location for his interview with Debbie was the same place that he had taken Lori on their first date. That first date seemed like a lifetime ago as he walked up
