“All right, sounds fine. Good luck; I can’t wait to hear you sing.” I stood as she did and reached over to kiss her, but she pulled back and reached for the doorknob. “Gotta run. Enjoy the service!” I chalked up the strangeness of her smile to nerves. Then she left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

I sat down and stared at the door, wondering if I’d misinterpreted that last second. Had she not noticed the kiss, or had she not wanted to?

The door opened again, and two women entered, smiling shyly. I stood and extended a hand. “Nice to see you again,” I said to the younger one. “Missy, right?”

She nodded, shaking my hand. “Glad you were able to make it. This is my mother, Jane.”

I shook Janes hand as well, then motioned to the door. “Have things filled up out there?”

“Not too badly, no. We’ve reserved a few seats in the back, and from here we’ll be able to hear the orchestra start. Once they do we’ll head back there and sneak in after the crowd has died down.” Jane opened the door slightly, making it easier to hear the activity down the hall. We all sat down, and Missy began to chuckle. “Kind of a shame we can’t announce your presence. That would be the most exciting thing this congregation has seen in a long time.”

I smiled. “I’m just glad there’re no paparazzi down here. I would hate to bring that kind of chaos to this poor, unsuspecting church.”

“That happen often?”

I shrugged. “Kinda comes in waves. I haven’t done a project in a while, so I’m not as hot a commodity right now. Had my film just opened last week I’d be a lot more closely watched.”

Missy and Jane were easy to talk to, and we chatted for a few minutes until we could hear strings and horns beginning to play down the hall. “Ah, that’s our cue,” Jane grinned.

Missy stuck her head out the door and looked down the hall. “I think the coast is clear,” she said. Then she snickered. “I feel like James Bond.” She led us to a stairwell that wound up to a vestibule where music was audible through a large wooden door. She opened it and peered in, then we followed her in.

Missy led us to a row of seats with programs placed atop the chairs. The sanctuary had not filled more than three-fourths of the way back, so we were well isolated from the rest of the crowd. Just as the orchestra was finishing their song, we slipped into our row and joined the applause that resounded from the crowd in front of us. I smiled as the singers streamed on stage to take their places.