“Thanks, love. You’re a doll.” Slow sips of juice, a halfhearted waggle of the eyebrows to let me know no harm done.

I sighed. “Look, you need to sleep, and I obviously have some calls to make. Can I maybe come back tomorrow or Sunday?”

“Sure. What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Staying home, why?”

“Why don’t you come to church with me for one of the Christmas Eve services, and then come over afterward and we can talk? I ought to be better by then; that way I’m more likely to have my head on completely straight.”

I chuckled. “For not having it on straight tonight, you sure were shooting accurately.”

She shrugged and yawned. “God can use anyone, lucidity is not required.”

“Say that again?” Kate’s voice squeaked. This was not going well.

“I said I’ve, Um, decided to become a Christian.” I really wished there was a better term I could use; Christian seemed to conjure the worst images in people’s minds.

“Why, Jack?”

“Long story. But that’s the bottom line. I just wanted you to know.”

“Who else knows?” Her PR gears were already spinning.

“Grace, her friend, that’s all so far.”

“Who else are you telling?”

I sighed. “Well, at this point, the pastor I’ve been talking to, and that’s about all, but people are gonna find out eventually.”

“And this doesn’t bother you?”

“No. Should it?”

She made a noise halfway between a laugh and a snort. “How many Christians have you met in Hollywood, Jack?” The way she said the word made it sound like a racial epithet.

“None. Your point?”

“That is the point.”

Todd simply laughed. This was at least expected. “Guess I’ll have to start stocking a lot more juice and soda, huh?”

I laughed, confused. “Why?”

“You still gonna drink?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Wow, dude, your brand of religion is a lot cooler than my aunt’s. No drinkin’, no smokin’, no dancin’ … lemme tell ya, holidays at her place were like hell on earth. I think maybe that was the point, though, to show you just how bad it could really be. Scare you into church. Going to church, too?”

“Well, yeah, eventually I guess.”

He shook his head and slammed down another shot. “Good luck, dude. My aunt wasn’t too keen on the whole movie thing either. Hope your crowd isn’t like that.”

Not surprisingly, Greg was a bit more excited. His face lit up. “Jack, that’s fantastic. I’m totally stoked!”

“Well, I’m glad someone is.”

“Grace isn’t?”

“Well, she is, but I think she questions my sincerity.”

“What makes you think that?”

“The fact that I’m uncertain of it myself.”