Chapter 14

fourteen

ANDREW

After I finished my second song, I returned to the table where Jacob and Pastor Adam were sitting.

Jacob handed me a napkin and a pen. “You promised me an autograph.”

I searched his face, looking for any sign that he’d enjoyed what he’d heard. “Did you like the songs?”

The serious expression on his face deepened. “You should be singing every day. You have an amazing voice.”

My shoulders slumped forward. “I thought you were going to tell me the songs were awful.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you don’t like country music.”

Jacob frowned. “How did you know…? You saw my music collection.”

“It’s impossible to miss. You have an entire wall of albums arranged alphabetically by each artist’s name. I couldn’t find any country music singers.”

“If I’d heard you sing, I would have filled my office with your albums.”

I smiled. “I only made seven.”

Pastor Adam leaned forward. “It sounds like you’ve found your newest fan.”

I picked up the napkin and, in big, bold letters, I wrote a message to Jacob, then scribbled my signature across the bottom.

After he’d read what I’d written, Jacob studied my face. “This could be the title of a song.”

“You’re close. It was the title of my last album.” I’d spent six months writing the songs for Live Like There’s No Tomorrow. The album had massive worldwide sales and earned me two Grammy Awards. But it wasn’t the only reason I’d added the words to the napkin—and Jacob knew it.

Adam cleared his throat. “I promised Jenny I’d save a dance for her. I’ll see you later.”

I wiped my hands on the legs of my trouser. Jacob’s intense stare was making me nervous. “What are you thinking about?”

“You. There’s a whole lot more to your life than what you’ve told me.”

I frowned. “Like what?”

“Why didn’t you tell me your manager stole the rights to your songs?”

My heart sank. “Pastor Adam?—”

“He didn’t tell me. In between your songs, I googled Andrew Clarke. The Internet’s full of stories about you.”

“Don’t believe everything you read.”

“Your manager didn’t steal the rights to your songs?”

I leaned my elbows on the table and focused on the people on the dance floor. “That part was true. When David wanted to work with me, I was so excited. He had a great reputation and had managed some of the biggest names in the music industry. Unfortunately, I didn’t ask a lawyer to look at my contract until I was ready to release my first album. That’s when I discovered I’d given him the rights to my first three songs.”

“Did you get them back?”

I shook my head. “It was my own fault. At least it made me more cautious when I hired my next manager.” I took a deep breath. “Some of the stories that were published about me are totally untrue.”

“You didn’t have lots of wild parties in your six-million-dollar mansion?”

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I’m afraid not. I didn’t own a mansion and the wildest party I went to was a friend’s bachelor party. While I was touring, I spent my evenings in my hotel room, watching movies and reading. When I was in Nashville, I spent most of my time writing new songs.”

“Were you happy?”

I thought about my answer. “At the time, I was living my dream. When I was performing, it was perfect, but behind the scenes it was harder. People treated me differently, expected me to be someone who could help them with their career. I had to be careful about what I said and did. By the time I left Nashville, I was burned out and lonely. If it weren’t for my parents and the friends I made in Sunrise Bay, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Do you miss being part of the music industry?”

“I miss singing and spending time with musicians.” I smiled as the band launched into the chorus of their next song. “But the life I have now is much better.”

“It sounds like moving home was the right decision.”

“It was.” I tilted my head to the side. Jacob looked bone weary, as if he were holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. I could only imagine what his life must have been like in Kabul. “While you’re here, I hope you find something that makes you happy.”

Jacob’s brown eyes connected with mine. “So do I.”

His softly spoken words made my heart clench tight. I’d never lived in a war zone, never felt the responsibility that came with saving people’s lives. But I did know what it was like to think you’d never be happy again—that the best part of who you were had disappeared a long time ago.

Jacob folded the autographed napkin in half and placed it inside his jacket pocket. “In spite of everything that brought you here, I’m glad you came home.”

I studied the warmth in his eyes and smiled. “So am I. Would you like to dance?”

He looked at the other wedding guests and grimaced.

I held out my hand. “Don’t worry. No one will be watching.” When Jacob wrapped his hand around mine, a spark of pure energy flared between us.

“I’ll try not to stand on your toes.”

I sighed. It wasn’t my toes I was worried about. It was my heart.