Shattered Hearts

 
Shattered
Hearts
Coral McCallum
Copyright © 2019 Coral McCallum
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 9781090529619
ISBN- 10: 1090529619


Also by Coral McCallum
Silver Lake series
Stronger Within
Impossible Depths
Bonded Souls
Ellen
The characters, names, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the various products referenced within this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with or sponsored by these trademark owners.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Design by Coral McCallum
Cover image – ID 83290587© Adam Wasilewski| Dreamstime.com
Celtic Dragon Knot- created by Fiona Knox
Welcome back to the world of all things Silver Lake.
It’s been a while……
Writing Book Baby 5 aka Shattered Hearts has, in many ways, been like re-uniting with old friends, who have become family. In the following pages, you’ll reconnect (I hope) with all of the members of the extended Silver Lake family and welcome in some new faces.
I started this book on 8th May 2018, five years to the day after I started the very first book in the series, Stronger Within. (Yes, I chose the start date deliberately – I’m a bit weird that way.) The months between then and now have been challenging but Jake and Lori have kept me going.
Like the rest of the series, Shattered Hearts is written in UK English. Yes, as before, it’s set in the USA but I was taught UK English and grammar in school. If my s’s instead of z’s offend then I humbly apologise. No offence intended.
As ever, my “infamous five” have remained loyal and supportive throughout this labour of love. I cannot thank them enough. Without their unwavering faith in me, I don’t know if I could have finished this one. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. There have been many difficult, dark moments during the birth of this book baby. One of the five has been a tower of strength to me, more so than they realise. Thank you isn’t enough.
I’m indebted to my “cavalry”, my beta readers, for their love and support. It wouldn’t be a Silver Lake book without your seal of approval.
Thanks to my family and friends for affording me the time to lose myself in this creative journey. It’s been a tough one!
And, finally, a huge thank you to YOU for picking up Shattered Hearts. I hope you enjoy this, the penultimate chapter in the Silver Lake series.
Happy reading (maybe keep some Kleenex close by).
Much love and huge hugs to each and every one of you.
Coral McCallum
15 October 2019
Golden rays of dawn shimmered in the ripples of the still ocean. They danced a slow waltz as the gentle waves glided towards the beach. Gradually the pale golds turned to orange then to red as the sun crept over the horizon. Apart from the soft sounds of the waves lapping against the shore, the world was silent. Not even the tiny seabirds, who usually danced with the ocean, were to be seen or heard.
Running his hand through his long blonde hair, Jake sighed. It felt good to taste salt in the air. It felt good to feel sand under his feet. It felt good to be home. His fingers tangled in the strands of his hair, knotted after a sleepless night on the band’s delayed flight out of LAX. Looking down, he realised that his hair was almost to his waist. Another indication that he’d been away from home too long. Mentally, he made a note to take a trip into town later to get his mane trimmed.
With his arms wrapped around his knees, Jake sat watching the sun make its way over the horizon, basking in its golden light. He was bone tired and couldn’t remember when he had last slept for more than a couple of hours at a time. The band’s flight had been scheduled to reach Philadelphia at ten o’clock the night before but a four-hour delay meant they hadn’t landed until almost two o’clock in the morning. There had been the usual carnage in the baggage hall but, by some miracle, all of their suitcases and guitar cases had made it safely across the country. Tired and grumpy, the sleep-deprived musicians had piled into the waiting SUVs for the hundred-mile drive down the Coastal Highway. After so long in each other’s company, each of them was keen to get back to JJL to collect their cars and trucks and say their “good nights”. With little more than a grunt of farewell, Jake had loaded his gear into the back of his truck. Praying that it would start at the first time of asking, he had hauled himself into the cab for the final leg of the journey home.
He’d pulled into the driveway at the beach house just after five, reached to retrieve his house keys from his battered leather book bag and found them missing. Leaving his gear in the truck, he’d crept round to the back of the house to try the back door, hoping that Lori had left it unlocked. No luck. Both the screen door and the back door were locked. Knowing it was too early to waken his sleeping family, he’d headed across the sun deck to try the patio doors. They too were locked.
Muttering to himself, he’d hauled off his ripped Converse hi-tops and socks, leaving them scattered on the deck and wandered down to the beach to watch the sunrise.
As the sky lit up before him, Jake reflected on the last few months. When he’d left Rehoboth in January,