Lost in his thoughts, as he drove down the long JJL driveway, he never noticed the black BMW convertible that had emerged from the rear of the building.
A stiff breeze was blowing in off the ocean on Saturday as Jake helped Lori prepare for their extended Silver Lake family BBQ. To shelter the sun deck from the wind, Lori suggested erecting the gazebo the opposite way round from usual. It would partially block off the path down to the beach but that could also work in their favour and prevent Jesse from escaping. It took a bit of rearranging of the furniture on the large deck but, by lunchtime, the space was set up and sheltered from the wind. Under the gazebo it was almost cosy, creating a warm haven for them all to relax in.
First to arrive were Paul, Maddy and the twins. Armed with their baby gift and a cooler full of beers, Paul headed straight out onto the deck to join Jake. The twins stayed in the sunroom with Jesse and Melody, happily glued to the cartoon channel on tv. In the kitchen, Maddy offered to help Lori prepare two huge bowls of potato salad and coleslaw. Just as the girls had finished, they heard tyres crunch outside.
“They’re here! They’re here!” squealed Melody excitedly from the lounge.
“Calm down, Miss M,” cautioned Lori firmly. “Go tell your daddy.”
While Melody and Wren ran through the house to find Jake, Lori opened the front door and welcomed the remainder of their extended family in. With dark circles under his eyes, Grey led his girls into the house. He was carrying the car seat with the sleeping guest of honour snuggled up under a Winnie the Pooh blanket.
“Congratulations,” said Lori warmly as she hugged him.
“Thanks,” replied Grey with a yawn. “Am I allowed an afternoon nap while we’re here? Madam doesn’t sleep!”
“Looks like she’s asleep just now,” giggled Lori, gazing down at the tiny dark-haired baby girl.
“First sleep since midnight.”
“Ah,” empathised Lori, recalling her own endless sleepless nights with Jesse. “Bed in the spare room upstairs is made up. Feel free to grab a nap.”
Before they could chat further, Anna and Linzi scampered past, keen to find Melody and Wren. Still making their way in from the car were Becky and Kola. While Becky carried the changing bag and a grocery sack, Kola walked rather gingerly down the path and up the steps.
“Congratulations,” greeted Lori, hugging her tight. “You ok?”
“A bit tender,” confessed Kola shyly. “Sutures. Lots of sutures.”
“Ouch!” sympathised Lori. “Grey never said.”
“She arrived a bit faster than planned and tore her way into the world,” revealed Kola with a smile. “But then, you know that story.”
“Sure do,” agreed Lori with a small laugh.
Ever insightful, Kola gazed at her for a moment then whispered, “When?”
“Not a word!” whispered back Lori, eyes wide with panic. “I’ve not told Jake yet.”
Drawing her into a hug, Kola whispered, “Congratulations,” into her ear.
“Thanks,” replied Lori softly. “News hasn’t sunk in yet,” then clearing her throat said, “Come on through and you can introduce us to the latest little Silver Lake superstar.”
Once they were all gathered together under the shelter of the gazebo, Kola lifted her sleeping baby daughter from the car seat, still wrapped in the soft fleecy blanket and said, “Folks, this is Kaya Cooper.”
“Kaya?” echoed Maddy. “That’s unusual. I like it.”
“It means little but wise,” revealed Kola, still shy about her Native American family heritage.
“She’s perfect,” commented Jake warmly as he stepped forward. “May I?”
Knowing all too well how good the Silver Lake frontman was with babies, Kola handed the baby girl over to her Silver Lake uncle. Instinctively, the newborn snuggled into his shoulder, making small sniffling sounds as she wriggled herself into a comfortable position.
“Hey, Kaya,” said Jake softly. “You going to sleep through your first Silver Lake family BBQ?”
Sleepily, the baby half-opened her eyes, gave him a look way beyond her years and went back to sleep.
“Suitably unimpressed by the thought of a Silver Lake family gathering,” laughed Jake. “This little lady has a lot of her mommy in her.”
“She sure does!” declared Grey. “Impatient and stubborn as all hell!”
By the time the coals were hot and the food was on the grill, they’d been joined by Todd and Dr Marrs. Only Jethro was missing but Maddy explained that he’d gone up to New York to talk to Garrett about his forthcoming album.
“He’s trying to convince him to play some solo live shows,” revealed Maddy between mouthfuls of chicken. “Small acoustic shows. Ease him back out there. Those last two albums deserve to be heard.”
“Good luck with that,” stated Jake. Having had many lengthy discussions on the subject with Garrett, he knew how the older, semi-reclusive musician felt about playing live. The odd guest slot was fine but he’d stated countless times he didn’t want to play a full show ever again.
“Well, if anyone can lure him out of the gothic palace,” began Dr Marrs, “Jethro is your best bet. That said, I don’t fancy his chances.”
“Give him time,” countered Maddy, a knowing expression on her face. “I have faith in our old silver fox.”
As the food cooked, the family group naturally split – the boys gravitated towards the grill and the beer coolers, while the girls stayed within the shelter of the gazebo, chatting about babies. Not really fitting with any group and being too grown up to join the kids watching cartoons and
