Trust in Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

eccentric assortment of parishioners, was one of the reasons God had sent him here, Linc was sure. Sometimes, he wished he knew the rest of God’s plan, but that mostly remained a divine enigma.
    With a sigh, he unlocked the door and dragged himself into the living room. He cursed softly as he stumbled on his baseball glove, bent over, and tossed it onto the frayed chair. He’d played catch with some of the boys in the empty lot earlier that night. Like many of the kids in Glen Oaks, they needed a role model. When Linc had needed someone to emulate at a critical point in his life, God had sent former diner owner and all-around savior, Tony Scarpino, who’d rescued both him and Beth. Now Linc was paying back some dues. For that and for other things.
    Just as he collapsed on the worn but comfortable couch, he caught sight of the blinking light on the phone. Messages . Lord, give him strength, he wasn’t up for this. Church members called at all hours, and Linc met their needs no matter what the personal cost. But before he went to sleep that night he’d wanted to think about this newest development with Ronny and how he was going to help his sister. Stretching out flat on the sofa, he pressed the answering-machine button, closed his eyes, threw his arm over his forehead, and listened.
    “Reverend Linc, it’s Connie Smith.” One of the more active members of the church. “I wanted to remind you the Ladies’ Aid Society is meeting tomorrow morning at nine in the fellowship hall. We hope you can start us off with a prayer.”
    He could do that.
    “And please,” she said stiffly, “ask Mr. Portman not to clean during our meeting.”
    Poor Henry. He was one of the volunteers who helped keep the church running. Many of them made more work for Linc, but he’d never deny them their contribution. He made a mental note to watch for the silent, but dedicated, man before nine.
    Be-ep.
    “Reverend Grayson, this is Rosa DeMartino.” Rosa sounded sad tonight. “I won’t be at the women’s group meeting tomorrow. Something’s come up.”
    Damn . Linc could guess what that was. Her husband, Sam DeMartino, had openly opposed Rosa’s involvement with the newly formed women’s self-esteem group that Linc had begun. And Linc was worried about the situation between the couple. He was afraid of missing the signs, like he had with his friend Annie. His guilt over Annie’s situation still haunted him, mostly in the early morning hours like now when you saw your mistakes, distorted and magnified as if you were looking through a fun house mirror. Sometimes, he ached with the need to share his insecurities with a partner, to have someone to help him clarify things and make the hours of doubt less lonely.
    No, not somebody. Margo. Eve to his Adam.
    Another beep. “Hi, handsome. It’s me. Um, it’s midnight. Either you’re out taking care of your flock, or you’re dead to the world asleep. If it’s the former, call me when you get in.” Linc frowned as Margo’s voice quavered on the last word. “No matter what time it is.”
    Fully awake now, he sprang up from his supine position and punched out her number. She answered on the second ring.
    “Hi, honey,” he said casually. One of the first things he’d figured out early on about Margo was that she spooked easily. “What’re you doing up at this hour?”
    “I could ask you the same, Rev.” It was good to hear the sass in her voice. That husky teasing tone had driven him nuts as a teenage boy.
    “Saving souls, as usual.” He fingered the nubby couch fabric. “What’s going on with you?”
    Ignoring his question—she did that whenever she wasn’t ready to talk—she asked, “Anything I should know about?” Their shared history made the question normal.
    “Yeah, as a matter of fact. I was gonna call you tomorrow. Ronny’s in trouble again.”
    “Oh, no. Tell me.”
    Briefly Linc sketched out Ronny’s newest escapade to his mother’s best friend.
    “Damn that