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  After it seemed like they were done talking about the complete destruction of radio-controlled robot warriors, she leaned into Aiden. “You know, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you during singing. I always — ”

  “You didn’t.”

  That was that. Aiden was so cut and dried, it always took her off guard, but the encouraging gleam in his eyes eased the tightness in her chest. He understood the unspoken question in her words.

  Trish sighed. She wasn’t attracted to Aiden anymore, but she envied Lex. Aiden was such a nice guy.

  “Did you want to meet the worship team?” He motioned toward the open door of the social hall, where the worship team was strolling out with their instruments.

  “I’d love to.” She smiled at Jaspar, Willie, and Gerard. “Nice meeting you guys.” She meant it — unlike the Tricolored Trio, they’d wanted to get to know her, and she’d felt free to be herself.

  Aiden flagged down one of the guitarists, a dark-skinned woman. “Olivia, this is Trish. Today’s her first time here.”

  Olivia’s white teeth were like beacons in her oval face. “How great. Glad you could come today.”

  “Olivia’s married to Ed, the worship leader.”

  “The guy with the twelve-string acoustic? It sounds so great.”

  “Thanks, honey. He loves that guitar.” She adjusted her electric guitar bag on her shoulder, but didn’t seem anxious to leave. “So what do you do?”

  “I’m a biologist researcher.”

  “That’s fascinating. Our sound guy is also a biologist. I’ll introduce you later.”

  “I loved the worship.” A glowy feeling radiated in her chest at the memory of the ser vice. “It was so great.”

  “Now I remember you.” Olivia’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “You were the one standing near the front.”

  The glowy feeling dimmed a little and instead started squeezing her heart. “I hope I didn’t disrupt — ”

  “Oh, no!” She reached out to touch Trish’s arm. “It’s always so encouraging to the team to see someone really getting into worship. I can’t begin to tell you how much joy that gives me.” She eyed Aiden with a mischievous glitter in her dark eyes. “Most people are a bit repressed.”

  Aiden gave a half-smile, but it lighted his eyes. “Everyone worships in their own way, Olivia.”

  She tapped him with a playful hand. “That may be so, but girls like Trish let me know without a shadow of a doubt that we’re doing our job for God.” She turned to her. “What made you visit our church today?” Friendly curiosity, not suspicion or gossip.

  “I’m looking for a new church. I want to find somewhere I can serve.” Suddenly Trish really wanted to serve here, with these people, despite the Tricolored Trio and the Weekend Warriors. Because of people like Olivia and Aiden, Jaspar and Willie and Gerard, who made her feel so comfortable being herself. Well, her new self. Not her old, flirty self.

  “That’s wonderful. What ministry have you done before?”

  Trish opened her mouth, then had to shut it as the breath stuck in her throat. What had she done before? Helped occasionally to set up for coffee hour after ser vice. Okay, like maybe twice. What else?

  “That’s okay.” Olivia laughed. “You can ask our volunteer coordinator and he’ll hook you up with something. Anything you want to do?”

  “I’d like to do evangelism. I’m also going to get my MDiv.” Wow, she was running off at the mouth. Olivia made her feel so welcomed, so comfortable — it seemed natural to overshare.

  “That’s great. Where are you going?”

  “Actually, I’m looking for someplace. I searched on the Internet but I don’t know which schools are good.”

  “I can recommend one — Western Seminary in Los Gatos. Several of my friends are in their program.”

  Trish felt like she received a free latte from Starbucks. She started rattling on as if she were on a caffeine high, too. “Thanks so much, that helps a lot. I’m really trying to turn my life around — well, Aiden knows because Lex told him but he also knew me before — but now I’m trying to become wholly devoted to God and not look at guys and share the gospel with people and rely on God more.” She paused to take a breath.

  Olivia stepped forward and enfolded her in a warm hug that smelled like cinnamon. “Oh honey, I’m so happy for you. I feel like God brought you directly to our church for a wonderful reason. And I’m not just saying that.” She released her.

  Trish was going to cry. “That’s so nice of you to say that.” She sniffed.

  Aiden’s hand appeared in front of her with a Kleenex.

  “Thanks.” She blew her nose. “Why do you have a Kleenex?” Not that Aiden wasn’t sensitive or anything, but that seemed weird.

  “Lex got emotional when she had knee surgery the first time, so I started carrying them when she had surgery the second time.”

  Olivia burst into laughter. “Smart man. Honey, you two need to start going to the same church.”

  “We’re fighting about which one.”

  Trish wanted someone to fight with about which church to go to. God would surely give her Mr. Right once she got her life turned around, right?

  Olivia was looking at Trish strangely — not in a bad way, but with a thoughtful cast to her face. “You said you were turning your life around. You’ve burned your bridges, right?”

  “Huh?”

  “Done what you can to completely turn your back on your old life? Addicts destroy their drug paraphernalia, alcoholics throw out all their bottles. I burned all my offensive language CDs when I became a Christian.”

  Trish hadn’t thought of anything like that. She figured it was enough to go to a new church. But maybe she ought to do something more — something symbolic. “I’ll think about what I can do.”

  A figure exited the sanctuary and headed toward them. Olivia spied him. “Oh, there he is. Trish, this is our volunteer coordinator. Spenser, this is Trish.”

  She couldn’t make her mouth close. “You!”

  Spenser — her co-worker, officemate, project-teammate. Spenser stopped in his tracks, his hands full of sound cords. “Trish.”

  She smiled weakly. “Hi.”

  “You know each other?” Olivia had an unreadable expression on her face. It was sort of amused, but also almost . . . speculative.

  “We’re co-workers.”

  “Trish is thinking of joining our church.” Olivia’s smile at Spenser was a tad mischievous.

  He paused. Stared at Trish. Back at Olivia. “God help us.”

  ELEVEN

  Spenser huffed and ran to follow Trish as she marched out into the parking lot. Man, the woman could book it when she was peeved. He waited until she was closer to speak to her so he wouldn’t have to yell. “I said I was sorry.”

  “Hmph.” She kept going.

  He knew her well enough now — he could tell she wasn’t actually upset with him. She only liked to see him grovel a little. “I was sort of kidding.”

  “Oh, and that makes it all better?” Trish stabbed at the Unlock button on her car alarm remote. Taillights blinked halfway down the line of parked cars. “Oh, there’s my car.”

  He rolled his eyes but then had to sprint to catch up with her. “Trish.” He grabbed her arm to stop her in her tracks.

  “What?” She turned a cool face to him.

  He quirked an eyebrow at her.

  She erupted into giggles.

  Ha! She couldn’t keep a straight face if her life depended on it. “Olivia said you wanted to volunteer for something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh, I get it. Your three rules?”

  Annoyance flickered over her face. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like they’re as real as Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal.”

  “Huh?” What in the world was that? Must be from those books she was always reading.

  “You’ve never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
” She looked at him as if he were a Neanderthal. “Never mind. You said I had a snowball’s chance in you-know-where of keeping them.”

  He decided to keep his mouth shut before she got any more irritated.

  She sighed. “Yes, I want to serve at the church. Whaddya got?”

  “What, like a fast food order?”

  She glared at him.

  “Okay, okay. We need another vocalist on the worship team.”

  Her face lit up for a moment, like a child offered her first present on Christmas morning. Then the light snuffed out. “No, I don’t sing very well.”

  “You don’t have to — ”

  “Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I’m not being falsely modest or anything Asian like that.”

  He shrugged. “Okay. Well, they need help in the kitchen for the Seniors’ Potluck Dinner next weekend.”

  “Oh, I can do that.”

  “Can you cook?”

  “Uh . . . I need to cook?”

  “It’s called a potluck, but in reality, we cook stuff because the Seniors tend to all bring dessert.”

  “Uh . . .” She bit the inside of her lip.

  “You run twelve different types of assays at work — I’m sure you can follow a recipe.”

  “Okay.” She opened her car door. “Can you email me all the details?”

  “Sure. You’re not going out to lunch with the Singles Group?” He’d been hoping she’d join them — not that the food was great at the diner they usually went to, but he wanted to snigger over the bad food with her like they did with the cafeteria at work. She’d get a kick out of the bright orange rice . . .

  “No, I told my mom I’d visit her this afternoon.” Trish must have read the question in his face, because she continued. “She’s recovering from a heart attack.”

  He winced. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s kind of weak. My dad’s taking care of her.” She turned her face away for a moment.

  “Sorry about that. I’ll pray for her.” The words sounded awkward coming out of his mouth. He hadn’t said them very often, even though he’d been a Christian since grade school.

  Which was exactly why he took the volunteer coordinator position when the previous coordinator wanted to step down, and why he’d gone to Olivia and Ed about doing sound for them again. All because this one woman standing in front of him had assumed he wasn’t Christian and made him realize that maybe he hadn’t particularly been acting like one for the past few years.

  “Aw, man! I lost a bow from my shoe. When did that happen?” She bent to inspect her turquoise-colored shoes.

  Okay, well, she wasn’t always the most serious person. But being mistaken for a non-Christian had blown him away, especially by someone who admitted she was backslidden and trying to pick herself back up again.

  Trish straightened. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at work?” She flashed that amazing smile.

  His breath caught for a second. He still couldn’t get used to it. “Yeah. I’ll send you info on the Senior’s Potluck.” His voice sounded a little strained as he tried to remember to breathe.

  Something flickered across her face. She bit the inside of her cheek and fiddled with her earring. “It’s okay that I’m not . . .”

  “What?”

  “Well, I’m not . . . I used to be . . .” She gestured helplessly with her hand.

  He had a feeling there was more that she wasn’t saying. “You don’t have to be perfect to serve God.” After all, he only had to look at himself.

  She seemed startled, but then she exhaled and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re right.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Huh?” She lifted confused eyes over the SUV door.

  “At work?”

  “Oh!” Her cheeks started to turn pinkish. “Oh, yeah.”

  As she got into her car, he thought he heard her mutter something like, “As if I could forget . . .”

  She needed references. Four of them.

  Trish scrolled through the online application to Western Seminary and winced more and more as she saw yet another page to fill out.

  She could at least get her boss Diana to give her one reference. But three others?

  No one at the new church knew her. Maybe if she went back to her old one . . . ?

  Thoughts of Mrs. Oh with a whip, standing over her as she washed dishes in the church kitchen, made her shudder.

  She printed out the application, but it didn’t look any shorter in hard copy.

  Maybe her cousins could give character references. Lex went to her church — well, her old church — and Venus and Jenn . . . She’d never actually done any ser vice with them, but that was okay, right?

  Her phone chirped and she looked at the caller ID. Wow, great timing. “Hi, Lex.”

  “I got a call from Grandma.” Lex’s voice reminded Trish of a simmering pot of oxtail soup, frothing and bubbling.

  “What about?”

  “What else? When am I getting married? Aiden and I aren’t getting any younger, yada yada yada.”

  “You didn’t answer with your usual, ‘We’re going to live in sin and not have children,’ did you? She ranted for days the last time.”

  Lex released a mirthless laugh. “No, this time was different.”

  “Why are you upset by this? Grandma usually doesn’t bug you.”

  “This time she accused me of putting God before family.”

  Uh, oh. That sounded rather familiar. “Oh, really?”

  “You wouldn’t happen to know what put that in her head, do you, Trish?” She’d have to be deaf not to hear the steely threat in Lex’s tone.

  “I, uh . . . might have talked with Grandma about not dating nonChristian boys.”

  “You did? You? ”

  Her cousin’s incredulous reaction shoved a pole through Trish’s normally-slouching spine. “Hey, I told you I’m becoming wholeheartedly devoted to God.”

  “I already told you I’m doing my best to believe you on the ‘wholeheartedly’ part.”

  “What? Traitor. Jutus.”

  “I think you’re mixing Brutus and Judas.”

  “Whatever. It’s not my fault Grandma’s suddenly turned all Roman Colosseum on our faith.”

  There was a strange silence on the line. “Lex? You still there?”

  “Have you talked with Mrs. Matsumoto recently?”

  “How recent?”

  “Jenn was telling me that she hasn’t seen Mrs. Matsumoto hanging out with Grandma at all.”

  “They’re both opinionated and strong-willed. Of course they’re going to have tiffs. Give it a week. They’ll be best friends again in no time.”

  “No, Jenn says this has been going on for months.”

  “Really?”

  “And we all know Mrs. Matsumoto isn’t exactly quiet about her faith in God.”

  “You think that has to do with Grandma being so against Christian ity with you and me?”

  “Could be.”

  Well, they were the only four Christians in their entire extended family. It was just that Grandma had always argued with Lex and Venus, never with Trish. What had Mrs. Matsumoto said to Grandma about God that got her girdle in such a wad?

  Lex continued, “Anyway, the original reason I called was to ask how church went today.”

  “Oh, great! I met Olivia and we instantly connected.”

  “I love Olivia, she’s wonderful.”

  “She gave me the name of a seminary I can go to.”

  “What? Seminary?”

  “I forgot to tell you. I’m going to get my MDiv.”

  There was a long pause. “Why?”

  Uh . . . she couldn’t exactly tell her the original reason was to prove to them that she was in earnest about her new resolve. Why did she want her MDiv apart from their approval? “I’m devoting myself wholeheartedly to God, and what better way than to get my MDiv so He can use me in other ways?”

  “Um . . . oh.” Lex didn’t try to hide her confus
ion.

  “It’s true. I’m filling out my application right now. Hey, can you write a reference for me?”

  “A reference? From me?”

  “I need one from Venus and Jenn, too.”

  Lex paused before answering. “I don’t think Venus would do it.”

  “Sure she would — ”

  There was a muffling sound, then Venus’s voice barked across the line. “You want me to do what?”

  “Oh. Hi, Venus.” Her abrasive personality always reduced Trish to Jell-O. “You’re over at Lex’s?”

  “Yes. You want me to do what?”

  “Uh . . . write me a reference. For seminary.”

  “For seminary?” Venus’s voice blasted through the phone, and Trish jerked it away from her ringing ear.

  She switched her phone to the other ear. “I want to get my MDiv.”

  “This is just another phase. Like your ‘I’m over Kazuo and getting back with God’ phase, and your ‘I’m going to become a Japanese translator’ phase, and — ”

  “Hey, I did learn Japanese. I know more than you guys.” Which had always earned Trish kudos with Grandma over her other cousins.

  “Who cares? It’s another phase. I’m not putting effort into a reference for something you’ll drop in a few months because it’s boring you.”

  “No, this is real this time. I can feel it, deep in my gut.”

  “It’s indigestion.”

  How could she explain it to cynical Venus? Because she was right — Trish had lots of phases, but she somehow knew this time was the real McCoy. God had given her a massive wake-up call, and she wasn’t going to risk something even worse happening if she didn’t shape up this time.

  “So, uh . . . no reference?”

  “No. I’m going to tell Lex and Jenn not to do it, either, until you prove this isn’t something temporary.” Click. She hung up.

  Hmm. Venus was more annoyed than her usual grouchy self. PMS?

  So Trish needed some other people to write those references. Well, she had the Seniors’ Potluck this weekend. She’d have to talk to Spenser tomorrow at work about other volunteer activities — getting to know people, figuring out who she could ask.

  Olivia, maybe. She’d felt an instant connection with her, but maybe Olivia was like that with everybody.