The small bedside lamp was still lit, casting shadows on the walls of the bedroom. As he’d hoped, Lori looked to be sound asleep. Her long blonde hair was woven into one thick braid that curled on the crisp white pillow as she lay on her side, facing away from him. With a wistful smile, Jake thought how beautifully peaceful she looked as she slept. Quietly, he removed his clothes then, still in his boxers, he slipped into bed. For a moment or two, Jake lay beside his wife watching her sleep, thinking how deeply he loved her.
He’d come close to losing her once, thanks to Salazar Mendes. There was no way he was risking his marriage and his family through the behaviour of Nicole Tonriverdi.
Next morning Jake was out at JJL not long after sunrise. Sleep had failed to come and, after a couple of hours of staring at the ceiling, he’d surrendered. Leaving everyone else in the house asleep, he’d driven out to the studio, stopping only to pick up a coffee and a cinnamon sugar, soft pretzel en route. The studio was still locked up and, unsure if Dr Marrs would be awake, Jake decided to sit round the side of the building with his breakfast and his guitar.
For the first time, he noticed that someone had put a picnic bench in a small gap in the trees to the side of the main building. It was bathed in early morning sunlight.
Setting his coffee cup on the rough wooden surface of the table, Jake lowered himself down onto the low bench seat. The creaking of the wood, as it took his weight, seemed to echo through the surrounding trees.
In the early morning sun, he found himself thinking back to his time in rehab and to the coping strategies he’d learned from Frank and Ella. His mind was still in a state of turmoil after the events of the previous day. Hearing Frank’s soothing voice in his head, Jake sat still in the sunshine, working his way through some of the exercises he’d been taught, focussing on his breathing, on the sounds around him, on the textures under his feet and on the heat of the sun on his skin.
“Someone’s keen!”
Dr Marrs’ cheerful greeting startled him back to reality.
“Mornin’,” said Jake, forcing a smile.
“What brings you out here so early?” quizzed the producer, taking a seat opposite him at the picnic table.
“Long story,” muttered Jake half under his breath before adding, “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Well, since you’re here,” began Jim. “Want to make a start?”
Jake nodded, “Sure. I’ll need to finish early. Got a few things to sort out at home.”
“Everything alright?”
“Yeah,” said Jake, sounding unconvincing even to himself.
“We could take a day or two off if it helps,” suggested Jim Marrs, sensing that the musician was troubled.
“Jim, it’s fine,” assured Jake. “I yelled at the kids last night. I was out of order. Scared the shit out of them. I need to earn back some Daddy points.”
“Kids are great at pushing our buttons, that’s for sure?”
“Didn’t know you had kids,” commented Jake, getting to his feet.
“Grown-up now,” revealed Jim. “I got divorced when they were still in diapers. Barely saw them growing up. My daughter’s twenty-six, lives in Texas. My son’s out in LA with my ex-wife. He’s thirty this year. He’s a music producer.”
“Like father like son,” joked Jake, noting that it was rare for Dr Marrs to mention his personal life.
“Yeah. He works at JJL West. We’re working at that father/son bit. Lot of ancient history to work through.”
“I can relate to that,” laughed Jake. “My father was last heard of chartering yachts in the Caribbean. Haven’t seen him since Jesse was born. He was never big on the father/son thing with me. It was different with my brothers. They followed him into the military.
“Well, I’m sure your relationship with Jesse won’t end up like that,” said Jim warmly. “That kid’s a character.”
“That kid’s a handful.”
At Jake’s request, Dr Marrs kept the lighting in the live room dimmed while he set up and brought his guitar into tune. As they’d made a pot of coffee, they’d debated what to track first, eventually deciding to aim for two complete songs by mid-afternoon. Declaring that Jake didn’t seem to be in the right frame of mind to tackle some of the heavier tracks, Dr Marrs proposed that they track two of the slower, more blues-based songs. To Jake, it sounded as good a plan as any.
While the producer was getting organised, Jake sat on one of the low stools and began to play largely for himself. Idly, he played the melancholy, oriental melody he’d been working on all night.
“Hey, I like that,” called through Jim Marrs.
“Thanks. Not sure it’s right for Silver Lake though.”
“Could be right for a Jake Power solo record,” commented Dr Marrs casually.
“Solo record?” echoed Jake. “No way! I’ve only done one solo show and that was years ago up at Dover air force base. Never been so nervous about playing before or since!”
“Silver Lake fans would love it,” teased Jim. “Worth a thought once this album cycle is complete.”
“Hmph,” muttered Jake.
It wasn’t the first time someone had suggested a solo project.
A few minutes later, Jim called through to say he was ready to start work on track three. It’s working title was Gone Today Tomorrow Forever and was one of the few tracks that didn’t have any contributions from Rich. For over an hour, Jake played about with the guitar parts and the solo but he just wasn’t getting the right vibe or tone. He’d tried three of his electric guitars and two different acoustics, including the 1940s Gibson he’d bought from
