Page 38 of Love Unscripted
What she didn’t like followed just as easily—the busyness, the performances, the lack of depth.
“This is a performance-oriented town,” he said. “Not surprising.”
She laughed. “Fair point.”
The pastor, Gerard Garfield, approached. He was warm and welcoming. After introductions, the service began.
Right on cue Madison came back to their seat. She looked surprised to see Camille. She spoke softly and then sat on Aaron’s lap which was something she didn’t often do but it seemed that she was marking her territory. Or maybe she was being shy. He wasn’t sure if it was either or both.
Camille leaned towards Madison, and Aaron got a whiff of her perfume, something flowery. It seemed to fill all of his senses. He glanced at her face. It was hard to reconcile this beautiful woman who had sat in the car with him last night sharing the challenges with being a child actor with the woman who had been all over the press a year ago embroiled in a scandalous love affair with her married producer. Was the woman a Jekyll and Hyde perhaps? Or maybe this was actually evidence of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
“Hi, I’m Camille. What’s your name?”
“Madison.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Madison. And I must say, that’s a beautiful dress you’re wearing. Did you choose it yourself?”
Madison’s face lit up. “Yes. It’s my favorite color.”
“Oh?” Camille tilted her head, her tone warm and curious. “Is gold your favorite color?”
“Yellow.”
Aaron let out a quiet chuckle.
Camille glanced at him briefly, then returned her full attention to Madison, her expression kind. “You know most people call it gold. You chose very well.”
Madison nodded, pleased. “Thank you.”
The service began then, and their conversation faded. But Aaron couldn’t help noticing the ease of it—the way Camille had listened and then affirmed the little girl’s choice while not agreeing with her that the dress was yellow. Perhaps he should take a lesson from that.
Before long, Madison relaxed against Camille, inch by inch, until she curled into Camille’s side and eventually fell asleep in her lap.
Aaron tried to move her.
Camille stopped him. “Let her rest.”
After the service ended Aaron turned to her. “So how did we rate?”
She laughed lightly.
“Quite highly.”
“Really? I thought we would bore you. There’s not a lot of focus on pyrotechnics here. It’s quite simple.”
“I appreciate the simplicity. The church I usually attend is a little over the top. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that it’s like a concert.”
He nodded.
“That’s why I started coming here. I just liked the style of things. The fact that everything is so God-centered. You know. It’s wonderful. It fills my soul.”
She angled her body towards him and he was surprised to see the excitement in her eyes. “That’s what I appreciated. God’struth was evident in every area. The prayers, the reading of the word, the music, deep, rich with truth and meaning, and then the sermon. The way your pastor explained everything so clearly and provided such context and application and insight. I love it.”
“Love it enough to return next week?” he asked, before thinking. He immediately wondered if that was wise. Camille had sat next to him through the entire service. Madison clearly liked her. it was unlikely that if she returned she would sit elsewhere and after church she might also turn up at his house for lunch. Which meant that this could be a pattern. This could become problematic. Camille was not just a work colleague she was a woman whom he felt an attraction to and he sensed that she might feel the same way. It meant that if they weren’t both careful things could escalate between them. Working all week, bible study after hours midweek, hanging out on Sundays. It would be hard to distance himself emotionally with such steady contact.
Before she could answer, a few congregants gathered to greet Camille. She was gracious and warm. Madison ran off to play.
He excused himself to greet a few men from the church.
