I decided not to think about it at all. I’d progress however I wanted and leave it up to her to put a stop to things or change the course we were on. But I couldn’t entirely shake the feeling that things weren’t quite kosher.

Over the next few weeks we continued the phone calls and weekend-long dates. I was reading scripts and planning on accepting one soon, and I knew that once I was on a new project, our time together would be limited. I wanted to get in as much time with her as I could before that, which is probably why I agreed to attend the concert with her at her church.

I was reluctant to do so when she first asked, knowing how much of a stir it would cause. But she promised anonymity and friends who would shelter me from the rest of the congregation. Plus, she would be singing, and I was eager to see her perform.

We decided the Saturday afternoon performance would be the least crowded and thus the best for me to attend, and while she would have to stick around for the seven o’clock performance until she’d completed her part, she promised I could take the keys to her place and go hang out there until she was done. I liked that idea; I could surprise her with dinner when she came back, since I’d already learned cooking was not her forte.

Saturday morning I awoke to dense fog and a great desire to stay in bed for the day. But I dragged myself out and forced myself to be productive for a few hours before heading down to her church, an hour from my place. She’d explained the night before where I ought to park: a small lot toward the back of the building used only by the staff. Just as I shut off the engine at 3:45, she came out of an unmarked door and ushered me in. I could hear music in a far-off room as she motioned to an office in the middle of the hall. Inside we sat down in a receptionlike room. “This is the associate pastor’s office. I told him what was up and he offered to let us hang out here. I need to go get ready for the concert, but Missy and her mom ought to be here any minute. I think you met Missy at the hospital.”

I thought back and then nodded. “The coffee girl; yeah, I remember.”

“After the service starts they’ll bring you out into one of the back sections. The view is fine, and it’ll be empty back there. That way you won’t get mobbed.” She grinned.