Tom Foster has his life planned out, and he's systematically pursuing his goals. At twenty-two, he's been organist and choirmaster at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd for three years, he's working on his doctoral thesis, and he's beginning a secondary career performing in concert. There is no room in his schedule for romance ... until Noah Webster, a gorgeous green-eyed blond, walks into the church one evening to audition for the choir.<br><br>What starts as an arrangement of convenience -- Tom's usual page turner is unavailable, and Noah agrees to do the job-soon turns into a fast friendship. Then Noah, who is saddled with an obnoxious roommate, rents the spare bedroom in Tom's house, and ultimately the two men become lovers and partners in life.<br><br>But before they can ride off into the sunset together, they must face one major obstacle: Noah's violent, homophobic Southern Baptist father.

Love Turns the Page

They allowed Tom to put Noah through some warm-up vocal exercises, then they went to work. Noah was required to do some sight reading then was allowed to sing the two pieces that he’d prepared for the occasion. The audition ended with the requirement that he perform three of the solos from theElijah. When it was over, Noah and Tom were asked to step out of the room for a few minutes. Five minutes later, Randolph Singletary called them back into the rehearsal studio and invited them to have a seat.


When he and Tom were seated, Singletary cut to the chase and said, “Welcome aboard, Noah.”


“As far as the committee is concerned,” Singletary said, “we’ve found our Elijah. The decision, by the way, was unanimous. We’ll have a contract in the mail Monday, which you will need to sign and return to us.”


“Yes,” Singletary said. “We want a commitment in writing from you as to your availability on the specified dates.”


Chapter 80