“Whoa. And for a minute there, I thought you were shy.” Brian exchanged a smile with Dr. Lyles. “You wouldn’t want a T-shirt like mine, would you?”
Justin’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!”
Brian looked to his left. “Nate!” He pointed at Justin and then at his own shirt. “Hook him up.”
Nate gave the okay sign. “Come on over, fella. You can choose the color you want.”
Dr. Lyles gripped Brian’s hand. “Thank you, Alien. You made his day.”
“Sir, please call me Brian. It’s such a privilege to meet you.”
“Privilege is mine,” Dr. Lyles said. “I’m impressed with your work.”
“Really?” Brian said. “You mean, you’ve listened?”
“Justin calls it keeping me hip . . . as if I weren’t already.” Dr. Lyles’s eyes twinkled. “I admit he had to persuade me, because it’s not exactly my genre. He kept saying, ‘Grandpa, this is the same stuff you talk about on Sunday.’ So I listened and got excited because not only could I follow what you were saying, I loved what you were saying. The bonus was I got to talk to Justin about things like what it means to live unashamed of the Gospel”—he grinned—“which never happened after one of my sermons.” He put a hand to Brian’s shoulder. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lyles. Really . . . to hear you say that, to know you see worth in my music, is huge right now.” Brian felt emotion rushing at him. His own childhood pastor had questioned what he was doing, even looked down on it. Out of respect for his grandmother, he had returned to the church he’d grown up in when he moved back after college. But he’d been struggling, especially this summer as he grappled with his future.
Dr. Lyles looked him in the eye. “Son, I’m not the only one who sees worth in what you’re doing. I was out there during your performance. What a sight to see so many young people worshipping with you.”
Brian could feel his insides churning. “Dr. Lyles,” he said, “I know you’re extremely busy, but is there any way we could set up a time to meet next week? I really feel like I need your counsel.”
Dr. Lyles reached for his wallet and gave him a card. “Let’s do it, son. I’d love to meet with you.”
BRIAN LAUGHED AND TOOK ANOTHER BITE OF HIS BURGER.
“So I show up for this audition,” Aaron was saying, “thinking I’m perfect for the role of the suave guy who tries to win the girl by offering the candy bar. But no. They think I’m perfect as the voice of the baby who steals her heart with the right brand of chocolate.”
Brian laughed again. “But that’s cool. At least you got a part. When does it air?”
“Next month some time.” Aaron sipped his Coke. “I guess it’s cool. But I’ve gotten two commercials, and both times I’m not actually onscreen. I’m starting to get a complex.”
“Just wait. You’re at the humble beginnings stage, but one day you’ll be a one-name star like Denzel or Leonardo.”
Aaron pointed two fingers at him. “Or Alien.”
“Yeah, right. I’m more ‘humble beginnings’ than you are. You’ve got national television exposure”—Brian waggled his eyebrows—“even if we only see a cute baby face.” He paused. “But you should’ve seen the crowd today. It was incredible. If I’d known you were in town, I would’ve told you about it so you could’ve come down.”
Aaron gave him a look. “You know I’ve got mad love for you, but me and thousands of Christians? Not happening. Keep praying for me.”
“I’m on it. One day . . .” He popped a fry into his mouth. “What brought you back from LA, anyway?”
“Cedric got married yesterday.”
Brian swallowed hard. “Cedric? London?”
“Yeah, if you can believe it. Mr. Ladies’ Man.” Aaron dipped his own fry into a little cup of ketchup. “Seems really happy too. My mom and his mom are still close.” He lifted his drink. “And, uh, I was wondering . . . has the statute of limitations run out on the no-dating-former-girlfriends-of-friends law? ’Cause your girl was there, looking finer than ever. I’m ready to make a move.”
Brian’s heart rate sped to a million beats a minute. “Did my name come up?”
“No. I learned my lesson years ago when I ran into her and asked if she’d talked to you. You never told me what happened, but clearly it didn’t end on the positive.”
Brian stared into the distance, past the faces of customers