Drummer Boy Read Online Free PDF

stomach hurt with laughter and with too much food. They’d added appetizers and then a shared dessert to their coffee.
    And she’d learned a lot about adorable Tim while they snacked. He still played drums, but he kept it mostly to church services these days and was close-lipped about his time with Pick Axe. He worked full-time plus hours at a part-time position at a youth outreach downtown, and he was a youth pastor at a small church in the same area.
    They discussed favorite foods and discovered they shared a passion for sushi and anything spicy.
    Jane enjoyed the topic because if there was anything she loved more than exercising, it was food. Her confession made Tim laugh out loud.
    ”I’m glad to hear it,” he said, after he finished laughing.
    There was only one awkward spot in their whole visit. Jane hadn’t quite figured out what had bugged him, but it had something to do with his tattoos. He’d shifted in his seat and pushed the sleeves of his hoody up to his elbow, revealing a sleeve of detailed black tattooing that went almost to his wrist.
    She glanced down to see what the pictures were and when he caught her looking, a strange expression crossed his face, and he tugged his shirt down again.
    “What?” she asked.
    He shrugged, and she decided not to push. A story lurked there, but she’d wait until he wanted to tell it.
    Time passed quickly.
    When Jane glanced at the clock on the wall, she flinched. “Shoot! It’s five thirty. I told Candy I’d make dinner. She’ll be home at six, and as usual, I’ll be a big liar.”
    “‘As usual’? Huh. I see you more as a ‘truth hurts’ kind of person, myself.”
    Jane rolled her eyes. “Maybe. Sometimes. But I do have the bad habit of not always following through with things I say I’m going to do. I have good intentions, but I get distracted easily.”
    Tim leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and considered her through heavy, lowered lids.
    Jane wasn’t oblivious to the bulge in his biceps or the muscles in his forearms, and her stomach tightened. This was the Tim Steady she remembered from grainy homemade, photocopied concert posters. Hard to believe he was still single.
    “Are you saying I’m distracting?” His laugh was a low rumble, and just the sound of it made Jane want to laugh, too. “Good to know.”
    Jane shook her head. “I’m serious. I’ve got to go.”
    “I’ll zip you home right away, and your dinner problem’s solved.”
    “How’s that?”
    “I was grocery shopping before I hit the hospital.”
    “And?”
    “I have all the fixings for a mess of tacos that I have no room to eat now. If we move quickly, you can have the whole house smelling like delicious, spicy ground beef and food will be ready as soon as Candy’s boots are off.”
    “Nice!” Jane popped to her feet, raising her good hand in a high five.
    Tim stood, too, lightly smacking her palm with his.
    She jumped back as their skin touched—as if a spark of electricity had literally shocked her.
    “So dinner’s on?” he asked, grinning.
    “I guess,” she said, turning away so he wouldn’t see the flush on her skin.
    Timothy James Steady. Such a genuinely nice guy—and all the scarier for it. He’d definitely want more, deserve more, than what Jane had to offer.
     
     
     
     

6
     
    Tim tried to tear his gaze away from Jane but couldn’t. One-handed and on crutches, her industry put most people to shame.
    “What?” she asked, crossing her eyes at him. “Never seen a gimp grate cheese before?”
    “You’re the furthest thing from a gimp.” He couldn’t believe his luck. He’d been thinking about her all month, ever since he’d refused Jane’s phone number from Sarah and proceeded to kick himself every day afterward.
    And now, today—on the very day he prayed that God would either clear his thoughts of her or put her directly in his path so he’d know he should, maybe, try to get to know her better, he ran into her at the hospital. Again.