Choosing Happiness Read Online Free

"Do you want me to follow you home and help unload these?"
    "No, I'm going to pull the car into the garage and not worry about unloading them until tomorrow. I think your father and I can manage it."
    "All right." Andrea started to walk away but turned back. "What time do you want to meet here to finish the clean-up in the morning?"
    "Not too early. I plan to sleep late tomorrow."
    "So about nine?"
    "That sounds good." Sophia agreed.
    "I'll be here, too," Jake interrupted.
    "You don't have to do that, dear." Sophia told him.
    "But I do. I can't leave you two to do all the work. Those tables are heavy and you're not moving them by yourselves. Besides, Ben told me I could adopt his family and I won’t let you do all this work alone. You're just going to be stuck with me." He grinned, letting them know he was as serious as he was teasing.
    "If you insist, I won't turn down the extra help." Sophia gave him a smile. "Besides, it'll be good to have something nice to look at while we work." She patted him on the arm before turning back to Andrea. "I guess I'll see you in the morning. I'm going to get your father home and to bed." She climbed into the passenger’s seat beside Andrea's father, Charles, who waited in the driver's seat. Andrea watched them pull out before she turned to Jake.
    "I just have to lock up here, why don't you go ahead? I'll be right behind you."
    "Nope, I'm not leaving you."
    "Do you think I'm not capable of doing something so simple?" Andrea was instantly indignant.
    "Not at all. I'm just worried about who may come along, find a woman alone in an empty building and take advantage of the situation. I wouldn't let my mom do it, my sister, if I had one, or a stranger. It has nothing to do with how capable you are, it's just my nature."
    "Well, when you put it that way." The fight went out of her.
    "How about you give me the keys. I'll lock up and meet you at the restaurant."
    "But what about you being here alone?" Andrea lifted one brow at him.
    "Babe, I've got training most men’ve never dreamed of. Unless there's a half dozen, I'll be fine."
    "All right. There's one small door on each of those sides." She motioned in the direction of the doors. "As well as this one and the big one. All but this one get locked from the inside. And the lock for the overhead door is hanging on it." She pointed up to the lock dangling far overhead.
    "Got it. You head out, I'll just be a few minutes behind you."
    "All right. I'll get us a table and wait. You want me to order you something to drink?"
    “Coffee, black.”
    Her brows shot up. “Coffee, this late? Are you sure?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, I’m used to it.”
    “All right.” She climbed in her car and headed for the all night diner.

CHAPTER FOUR
    J ake arrived at the Denny's and made his way inside, shivering from the chill in the late evening air. He spotted Andrea sitting at a booth way in the back of the small restaurant and waved at the waitress before heading in her direction. He slid into the seat beside her instead of across the table.
    "Found anything that interests you?" He took a deep drink from the waiting cup of coffee and leaned over to look at the menu she was holding.
    "I'm debating a burger. Dinner was a long time ago and I'm getting hungry."
    "I was thinking the same thing on the drive. Especially after my stomach loudly complained that it has been too long since I ate."
    Andrea laid the menu down on the table between them. "Here, you look. I've decided what I'm having." She leaned back and took a long drink from the glass of iced tea sitting in front of her.
    "I thought we were going to have coffee?" Jake asked, nodding at her glass.
    Andrea shook her head. “If I drink coffee this late I’ll be up all night. Even decaf keeps me up, I think it's the flavor."
    "Could be." He went back to perusing the menu. "I drink it day and night. It’s never bothered me, but we had a guy in our unit who couldn't drink more than two cups a day or he'd never