Free Chosen by Denise Grover Swank Page A

wondering if she imagined what had transpired.
    The hostess took them to a table in the back of the restaurant. Will sat down and Jake quickly slipped into the chair next to him. Emma sat on the opposite side, worried at Jake’s sudden attachment to Will. Jake had never been interested in any adult other than her.
    The waitress took their drink orders and Emma realized she only had forty dollars left after lunch. She ordered water for her and Jake as he began to color on his kids’ menu.
    “Jake, we’re going to share something, okay?”
    Jake’s gaze lifted, crayon in mid-stroke. “But I want chicken.”
    Leaning over, Emma lowered her voice. “We can get chicken. We just need to share.”
    Will looked up from his menu. “How much money do you have?”
    Her cheeks grew warm as she bristled with embarrassment.
    Will saw her hesitation. “Emma, let him get chicken strips. I’ll buy your dinner.”
    “Thanks, Will, but that’s not really necessary. I can take care of it.”
    Will winked then leered at her with his cocky smile. “No worries. I can collect on it later.”
    Emma should have been offended, but the image of Will talking about his dog while rubbing Jake’s head ruined it. It occurred to her that perhaps Will was a lot of bluff. “Yeah, I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
    He smiled and raised his eyebrows. “Are you accepting my offer?”
    “Not hardly.” Emma rolled her eyes and hid behind her menu.
    Pushing the menu down, he leaned toward her. “I’m serious, Emma.” He sounded sincere. She wondered why he was being so nice.
    Emma gave him a cautious grin. “About the dinner or the payback?”
    Will laughed and sat back up. “Dinner, of course. You have baggage and all.” He leaned his head toward Jake who devoted his attention to their conversation.
    “Will, really…”
    The waitress came back and Will ordered his own dinner and Jake’s chicken and a glass of chocolate milk. He turned to Emma. “And the lady?”
    She ordered salad and handed the menu to the waitress. As she walked off with their order, Will asked, “A salad? Really?”
    “Maybe I like leafy green vegetables.”
    “I hope so. It’s too late to impress me with how little you eat after watching you inhale lunch.”
    Emma scowled. Jake put his crayons down and asked Will to play the golf-tee-peg game.
    “You ever played this game before?” Will asked as he grabbed the triangle and moved it between them.
    “A couple of times.”
    “I’m pretty good, so don’t expect me to be easy on you.”
    “Okay, I’ll go first.”
    “Fair enough”
    Jake bent over the triangle studying which peg to move. He moved a peg and looked up at Will. “Your turn.”
    After Will examined the board, he performed a series of moves and removed several pegs.
    Jake’s mouth dropped in surprise. “How’d you do that?”
    “Strategy.”
    The tip of Jake’s tongue peeked out of the corner or his mouth. Classic Jake trademark look of concentration, Emma thought to herself. He removed a couple of pegs and sat back, watching Will with an eager gleam in his eyes.
    The corner of Will’s mouth lifted slightly. He removed six more pegs, giving Jake a wink as he sat up.
    Emma worried that Jake might get frustrated by Will’s slaughter, but he seemed more determined to beat him. Jake removed a single peg. Will finished him off on his next turn.
    “How’d you do that?” Jake gaped.
    “I told you, strategy.”
    “Will you teach me?” Adoration shone from his eyes.
    “Ah.” Will hesitated. “I guess.”
    They reset the pegs in the wooden block and Will tutored Jake on where to move his pegs to get the most moves. After they finished the second game, Jake begged to play again. Emma watched, surprised by Will’s patience and tolerance. The food arrived in the middle of the match, not that it slowed them down.
    “Jake, that’s the last round and then you need to eat.”
    His mouth pursed in a pout.
    “Your mom’s right. After