arched. She quickly glanced at the man she was with, then turned back to Georgette. âThen youâll want to go in right now, so you can find a seat close to the front. Would you like me to show you where to go?â
Georgette shook her head. âIâll just follow the music. Thanks.â
As sheâd said, Georgette followed the music until she was in the sanctuary where Bob, two other men and a woman were at the front.
Georgette slid into a chair, and surreptitiously she checked the place out. It was nothing like the church sheâd been attending.
Even though she felt strange, she had worn jeans because Bob had told her to do so. Now she was glad sheâd listened to him. Everyone was wearing either jeans or casual clothes. Not a single man wore a tie, including a man she thought might be the pastor.
Instead of a stately sanctuary with stained-glass windows and wooden benches, this sanctuary was a large rectangular room. A large opening in the wall showed a kitchen, which indicated that the sanctuary also doubled as a banquet hall. But for now, a single, plain wooden cross at the front, and banners on the walls clearly defined it as a church setting.
Most of the people in attendance were her age, except for a large group of teens, who took up at least a quarter of the seats in the back.
At the church sheâd been going to, everyone was solemn, and once inside the sanctuary, silent.
Here, all around her, people talked and even laughed. Out loud.
âHello, everyone!â a voice boomed from the speakers mounted on the walls. âWelcome to Faith Community Fellowship. Please stand and letâs worship God together.â
Georgette hustled to her feet. To her surprise, the first song was from one of her praise CDs that her father hadnât managed to find and throw out.
She forced herself not to watch Bob, and to pay attention to the words.
Until now, the only time sheâd actually sung Godâs praises out loud was in the closed car, but here thingswere different. The enthusiasm of the crowd around her encouraged her to ignore her fatherâs warnings not to make a spectacle of herself. Here, she joined in with the rest of the congregation to praise God in song. Being able to express herself out loud among other people opened a rush of emotion she hadnât experienced before.
By the time they had sung the fifth song in praise and wonderment of Godâs glory, tears streamed from her eyes, and she didnât care if her mascara ran.
When the songs were over, she quickly reached down and started digging through her purse for a tissue.
Bob sat beside her just as she was blowing her nose.
âHi, George. Iâm glad you found us.â
She nodded and stuffed the used tissue into her purse to hide it, taking her notepad out to record the sermon. âIâve never been to a place like this.â She stopped as the pastor began speaking.
Bob whispered, âIf you want, we can get a tape. Randy records everything for the churchâs tape library.â
She stopped writing. âReally? I can have one?â
âOf course.â
At the end of the pastorâs message, Bob rose quietly and returned to the front. The worship team closed the service with one more song, one that she knew she would hear in her head all week long, encouraging her to think about God more over the days to come.
The congregation quickly left their seats and flocked to the back of the room, where coffee and trays of donuts sat on a large table. Georgette was in the process of reaching for a donut when a man with dark hair and vivid blue eyes shuffled in beside her.
âYou must be George, the mechanic.â
Immediately, she backed up. The man grabbed a Boston cream donut, and smiled at her. âIâm Randy. Bob told us youâd be here tonight and I saw you together. Youâd better grab that donut fast. The Boston creams go quickly.â
Before she could think of