She opened her napkin and placed it on her lap. “I don’t mind. Besides, John will want to know whether I’ve made a difference to your decision to go back to Afghanistan.”
“You could always tell him a white lie.”
Willow shook her head. “A lie is a lie, no matter which way you sugar-coat it. Why is this the first time you’ve been home in three years?”
Zac looked down at his plate. “It’s a long way to travel.”
“That’s true.” There was so much more she wanted to ask, but surrounded by Levi and Brooke’s wedding guests wasn’t the time to do it. “Is there anything you want to know about Sapphire Bay?”
“There are a lot more businesses in town than when I was last here. Do you know why?”
“It’s probably a combination of a lot of things. More people are visiting Sapphire Bay. They want to spend time on the lake and enjoy the old-fashioned craft and food stores they can’t find anywhere else. When Brooke’s candy shop opened, a lot of people came here just to buy her fudge. Cassie, the owner of the jewelry store on Main Street, won a prestigious award. That brought a different type of tourist to town. As more people arrive, more people decide to live here, and more businesses open. I guess it’s all about supply and demand.”
“That wouldn’t be helping the housing shortage Pastor John was telling me about.”
“It isn’t. Finding a property to buy or rent is nearly impossible. That’s why the tiny home village is so important.”
Zac picked up his wine glass. “Do you volunteer at The Welcome Center?”
Willow smiled. “I do. Pastor John involves most of the community in the church’s projects. That’s one of the reasons I like living here. There aren’t many places where you feel connected to something much bigger than yourself.”
“Is that why you left Nashville?”
Zac’s question caught her off guard. “I don’t think I ever felt connected to Nashville, not in the way I do here. In Sapphire Bay, I can be myself. Nashville was all about who I was and what I could do for everyone else.” Willow couldn’t help the bitterness in her voice. She’d given everything she had to create a successful music career. At the end of eight years, all she had to show for it was a large bank balance and lots of broken promises.
“What did you do in Nashville?”
“I was in the music industry.” She picked up her knife and fork and ate some bean salad. “Did Pastor John tell you about the fundraising concert we’re organizing?”
Zac studied her face. “No, he didn’t. Why don’t you want to talk about your life in Nashville?”
“It’s not who I am anymore.”
“Who were you?”
Willow placed her cutlery on the side of her plate. “I was a singer. A friend uploaded one of my songs to YouTube and an agent in Nashville called me. Six months later, I was the opening act for Faith Hill when she performed at the Grand Ole Opry.”
“You must have a great voice.”
She shrugged. Willow didn’t like talking about her music career, but if it helped Zac understand why Sapphire Bay was so special, she’d tell him almost anything he wanted to know.
“What happened after you sung with Faith Hill?”
“I released an album and started touring. When I look back at those first few years in Nashville, it seems surreal.”
“Why did you move to Sapphire Bay? It couldn’t have been good for your career.”
Willow never talked about why she’d left Nashville. It still hurt to think about the way her manager had tricked her into signing the rights of her first songs over to him. She’d been young, naive, and foolish—and he’d taken advantage of her.
Zac was still waiting for her to say something. So she forced a smile and pretended the answer to his question didn’t upset her. “For eight years I worked crazy hours and lived out of a suitcase. By the time I was twenty-six, I was exhausted. I’d had enough, so I stopped performing and came home.”
“And started a photography business?”
Willow nodded. “While I was in Nashville, I won a couple of photography awards. Opening my own studio was an easy decision. What would you have been if you weren’t a doctor?”
Zac sat back in his chair. “I don’t know. My dad and grandfather were both doctors. For as long as I can remember, it’s all I ever wanted to do.”
Willow felt the same about music. It had consumed her life, taken her to places she never thought she would go, and nearly destroyed her. She looked away from Zac and watched Brooke’s mom walk toward them. Butterflies bounced inside her stomach.
