Smolder (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Skyler

“Those riffs are great but make them a little rougher in contrast to the melody. Make it like they’re breaking into the song uninvited.” I turned to JD. “Let’s double the tempo on the chorus, okay? River, let’s take it from the top.”

Having the two of them there to flesh out the song was perfect. When River called me, I hesitated to agree for him to come over to introduce me to JD. The song wasn’t ready for their collab, but I could hear in River’s voice that he was excited to get involved. Heck, he was Regal’s other son, so it wasn’t my place to not hear his suggestions.

Sandy wasn’t home, so I couldn’t check with him, but I didn’t think he’d object. I’d heard him leave that morning while I was doing yoga in my room as the sun was coming up. I’d apologize to Sandy after the guys left if I overstepped.

I played the accompaniment for ‘Bury Me’ and began to sing the lyrics the way my father had on the original recording. The song started with a beautiful acoustic intro, but to change it up, I switched from acoustic guitar to piano, which would probably work for the movie because the melody could easily be manipulated for background music if the studio was interested.

The song built to a crescendo at the chorus, adding lead guitar, then a hard bass line, and finally, the drums banging in. At the chorus, everyone would go full throttle and then drop out when the second verse began. If it wasn’t overdone, it would be epic.

We went through the first verse several times so I could get down the notes as we were figuring out the best way to proceed. River’s choices were incredible, and he was great at altering the notes to give us options, as was JD. They were both extremely talented.

When we got to the chorus, I stopped us. “Let’s take a break. You guys want something to drink?”

JD and River placed their instruments on the couch before turning off the amps. I led them into the kitchen and got the three of us some water. The two sat at the large white-and-silver island while I paced.

Something was still off. “What’s missing?”

JD’s phone buzzed in his pocket, so he pulled out the device, checking it before he glanced at River. “We need to get going. I gotta get to work.” JD then looked at me. “Thursday?”

I nodded. Hopefully, by then, I’d figure out what was still missing.

After JD and River left, I moved their guitars to lean against the wall next to the piano so they were out of Sandy’s way and went back to working on the chorus, hearing the lead guitar riffs and the bass beat in my mind. I honestly couldn’t wait to get behind my dad’s drum kit in the studio.

As I thought about it, I decided I should call to check up on my crazy father. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Mom’s number.

“Hi, honey.” She sounded upbeat, which probably meant Regal was home from the hospital.

“Hi, Mom. Did Regal come home? Nobody called me, and I forgot to ask River when he was here this morning.”

“Yes, he came home yesterday. Getting him to drink water was a problem, so they kept him until he could do his business. He was unhappy about it, but he wasn’t following doctors’ orders, so I refused to bring him home. None of the others would go get him. Not even Jeanne.”

I laughed. “Sounds about right. How’s he doing?” Please don’t offer for me to talk to him.

“He’s right here having lunch. Hang on.” Crap!

Regal cleared his throat. “S-Sky?”

“Hi, Regal. How are you feeling?” I didn’t want to care, but Regal Ashe lived inside me, and what kind of person would I be if I didn’t? Regal had done a lot of stupid things in his life and made some supremely poor choices, but I didn’t want him to die. If my mother loved him as much as I believed, there was something inside the man worth loving. Maybe someday I’d see it too.

“I’m better, Sky. Tired, but your mom and Jeanne make me walk in the morning and the evening to build up my strength. I was able to go out and sit on the patio for a bit. Hope still won’t let me have a cigarette.”

Mom said, “If I catch you with one, you’ll eat the pack.”

I couldn’t hold the laugh. I remembered hearing the same thing from Mom when I was thirteen. Jenny Singer, one of the neighbors, brought her mother’s cigarettes over so we could try them. We were in the front yard, and after sharing one, I puked all over the front porch. Mom saw me.

My flimsy excuse that the guys in From the Ashes smoked—though it wasn’t cigarettes they were smoking—and I wanted to try one got me nowhere. Mom told me I’d have to eat the pack next time. Throwing up was enough for me to swear I’d never try it again.

“I can’t imagine your doctor would be too happy about you smoking either. What’s the recovery schedule like?”

“I’m out for six to eight weeks. No singing and no playing, according to my doctor. I start respiratory therapy this afternoon, twice a week. I need to build up my lungs again. I had fluid on the right one that I didn’t get checked out, but they gave me meds for it.” That explained why he still sounded out of breath.

“Are you going to listen to the doctors?” I already knew the answer.

Regal started laughing and then broke into a coughing fit. When he finally stopped, he asked the question I dreaded. “How’s the song going?”

“Ugh. River and JD came over this morning, and we worked on it. We’re trying to transition the original song into the rock world, but I’m not sure it will be what you and the band want. How sure are you about the movie studio’s interest?” It was a lot of work to change an iconic song into something completely new.

“Well, I guess you understand the trouble we were having. Look, if you’ve got to change the melody or even the time signature, do it. Whatever you can do, Sky. This is important not just to me but to all the guys. None of us were great with money, though I think I was the worst. Now, with these doctor bills, I’ll really need the cash, son.”

No guilt at all. I should have known to expect it.

“I’ll do my best.” We ended the call, and I glanced down at the piano keys.

Something came over me, and I started playing an Elton John song. Then I moved on to Billy Joel, Queen, Michael Jackson, and Alicia Keys. I then played a song I’d written a long time ago.

I’ll Find You

[verse]

I wake up aloneI go to bed the same wayI’m tired of going outI wonder where you are today?

There once was a timeI thought I’d found a true lovebut in the blink of an eyeit flew on the wings of a dove

Momma says you’re out thereDaddy says I’m a foolfor believing such things can existHow can fate be so cruel?

[chorus]

I’ll find you (yeah, I’ll find you)my heart tells me to trust you’re yearning for my touchOh, I’ll find you (yeah, I’ll find you)and when we finally meet, you’ll love me just as much

And when I find you, (when I find you)Our hearts will know we fitWe’ve been waiting for so longIt will be clear that this is it

[verse]

Our eyes will meet across a crowded roomAll the rest will fade awayOur hearts will know they’ve found their other halfThe sparks we’ll feel are here to stay

[chorus]

I’ll find you (yeah, I’ll find you)my heart tells me to trust that you’re yearning for my touchOh, I’ll find you (yeah, I’ll find you)and when we finally meet, you’ll love me just as much

And when I find you, (when I find you)Our hearts will know we fitWe’ve been waiting for each other for so longIt will be clear that this is it

“Wicki-wicki-wicki. Bom-ch. Bom-bom-ch. Bada bada… this song sucks.”

The loud laugh from behind me caused me to jump. I turned to see Sandy standing at the top of the stairs from the basement. He was wearing a full-size towel and drying his hair with a smaller one.

“Sounds like a top forty hit in the making. Where’d the others go?”

The hair under his navel that disappeared beneath the towel had my mouth watering. I so hoped the towel would come untucked and reveal the treasure lying beneath.

I snapped out of it and shifted my eyes up to his face to see a smirk. “They, uh, they had to go. JD works for a delivery company, and River had given him a ride over here.”

“How’s it going?” Sandy was holding on to each end of the hand towel that was now around his neck as he stood, feet spread shoulder-width apart. Lord almighty, I was going to die from blue balls.

“It’s not. I’m still stuck, but we had some good ideas for the beginning of the song.” I didn’t sound optimistic, but I didn’t feel it either.

Sandy was silent for a moment, head leaned back, eyes focused on the ceiling. Finally, he nodded and stared at me. “Feel like going for a hike? There’s a great place not far from here, but it’s about a thirteen-mile hike if you do the whole loop.”

“Sure. Why not? How rugged? I haven’t been hiking since last summer. I try to get enough exercise, but I may be slow.” Getting outside was a great way to clear my head—or so I hoped.

“It’s kind of rugged, but I’ve seen people run it with dogs. It takes about six hours, but it’s nice, and I’ll be there to carry you if I must. Or maybe you want something smaller to start out?”

Oh, I sensed a challenge. “No. I’ll be fine. Let me change.”

We both went upstairs, Sandy veering off toward his bedroom. I glanced over my shoulder to see the towel drop when he went into his room, his beautiful ass on display.

“Mmmm.” I couldn’t stop the groan if I wanted to, and when Sandy turned toward the sound, he laughed before walking out of my view.

I should have been embarrassed for openly gawking, but a body that beautiful deserved to be admired—or so I justified to myself. I went into my room and changed into shorts, socks, and the hiking boots I’d had in the closet at my mom’s house in case I got to ride one of the rescue horses.

I splashed cold water on my face to try to calm my dick because Sandy did things to me that I’d never felt before. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to get away from him or crawl into his skin and live forever.

I combed my hair, which had grown a bit, though not nearly as much as it seemed Marshall Kensington wanted, and grabbed a baseball cap and sunglasses, sliding them into the neck of my West Peoria High Band tank top. I rubbed some sunscreen on my shoulders and face so they didn’t burn and hurried back downstairs.

Sandy was at the counter, filling a backpack with water bottles and snacks. He was wearing a tank top, but he had a lot more muscle to show. I really needed to start building muscle in my arms and worrying about my stamina behind the drum kit. If I was going to tour with From the Ashes, I needed to be able to carry the beat for at least the length of a concert set.

“You ready?”

I nodded, not exactly sure I was making the right decision. “Anything I can carry?”

“Here.” He handed me the backpack and grabbed a basket from behind the counter. I followed him downstairs and out the back door. We went around the pool deck and over to a large building that looked like a warehouse.

“What’s this?” I followed him to the door, where he used a key to open it, revealing eight motor vehicles. Cars. Trucks. SUVs. Sports cars. A couple I didn’t recognize. It was shocking.

“These are my babies. I started collecting them and couldn’t stop.” As we walked down the aisle between the two rows of expensive metal, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a dream. My little Ford Escape back in West Peoria would be a play toy compared to some of these vehicles.

“They’re, uh, they’re nice. Do you drive them all?”

Sandy chuckled. “All except this one.” He stopped at the end of the row on the left, and I glanced at the vehicle to see it was an old white Jeep Wagoneer with wood-look side panels.

“This is cool.”

“It was mine while I was in high school. It had been my grandfather’s, and when he passed away, he left it to me. I’ve hung onto it because it reminds me of good times.”

I followed Sandy to a shiny SUV—a silver Yukon. It was nicer than the rental Marshall had left for me to drive. “Hop in.” Sandy opened the door for me, so I did as he asked.

He closed the door, walked around to open the back door, and set the basket inside. He got in on the driver’s side and started the SUV. “Ready?” Sandy wasn’t a big talker, but he had an incredible smile.

“Yeah.” We were both quiet for the first ten minutes we were in the SUV. I wasn’t sure what to talk about with the man. I didn’t know much about football—anything, really—and I wasn’t sure if Sandy even wanted to talk about anything. We seemingly had nothing in common. Of course, if we didn’t talk to each other, we’d never know, would we?

The drive was nice—the terrain was much different from what I was used to in Illinois. We had hills. In San Jose, they had mountains. Sandy pulled into the parking lot, and I grabbed the backpack before getting out.

He wrote on his window with a white marker before closing the door on his side and walking around the vehicle. He took the backpack from me and pulled it onto his back. “Ready?”

“What about the basket?”

Sandy smirked. “That’s for after.”