He’d driven into town with a heavy heart and it only got worse when he saw Willow.
Emma touched her friend’s arm. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Willow nodded. Dark circles cast shadows under her eyes. He’d never met anyone who worked so hard. Apart from the two concerts she’d performed with Ryan, she was working long hours in her studio. Once the exhibition in Bozeman was over, he hoped she would be able to take some time off work, but he doubted that would happen.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, unsure about where to start. “I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”
Willow bit her bottom lip. “I’m helping to get everything ready for dinner.”
Zac took a deep breath. Willow was upset. He just hoped that one day she would be able to forgive him. “Could we go for a walk?”
“There’s too much to do. But the dining room will be empty for another ten or fifteen minutes. We could talk in here.”
He looked at the deserted room and wondered why no one was here. Each time he’d come to the center, this area was busy. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re at a first aid class. Megan and Sam are looking after the children.”
Zac nodded and cleared his throat. “I wanted to thank you for making sure I was okay on Friday night.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Pastor John was the person who took you home and made sure you were safe.”
“You stayed the night. Even though it might not feel like it, I appreciated everything you did.”
Willow still didn’t look convinced that she should be thanked. “It’s good that you came to see me. I’m going to Bozeman tomorrow morning.”
“For your exhibition?”
Willow nodded.
“Are you looking forward to it?”
“I am. Megan’s going to be there. If you’d like an invitation I could ask—”
Zac shook his head. “I can’t come, but I hope it goes well.”
Willow’s face became even more pale.
His heart sank. He tried to think of something to say. Something that would sound better than telling her he couldn’t go to her exhibition.
Last week, Willow had told him the gallery owner was trying to coordinate a European tour of her photographs. But, at that stage, she still hadn’t heard if it was happening. “Have you heard anything about the exhibitions in Europe?”
To his surprise, she nodded. “I spoke to Mr. Costas this morning. So far, five venues want to display my photographs.”
“Congratulations. You must be happy.”
Willow nodded.
For someone whose work was going to be seen by a new audience, she didn’t seem very happy.
“Did you get any of the phone messages I left you?”
Zac looked away. “I did. That’s partly why I’m here.” He felt like an idiot for not returning her calls. But he needed time to think about what he was going to do. “I haven’t called because I needed time to think a lot of things through. I can’t do this anymore.”
Willow’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m assuming you’re talking about us and not volunteering at The Welcome Center.”
He couldn’t bear it if she started crying. He’d never wanted to hurt her or cause her pain. “I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay together. I need to sort out my life before I can commit to anyone.”
Willow’s brown eyes were huge in her face. “Are you breaking up with me because of your PTSD? Because if you are, I can help—”
