All in One Place

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “I do this out of brotherly love, Cor,” Father Sam said, turning back to his friend. “Not just to raise your blood pressure, which, by the way, is probably not good either.”

  “You're not my mother,” Cor grumbled, “or my wife.” He glowered up at me, but in the depths of his blue eyes I caught a glimmer of humor. “You look like a smart girl. Do you think I should listen to this man?”

  Now he was going to pull me into this? “I was taught that the customer is always right.”

  Father Sam held up a finger. “Yes. But which customer?”

  “Just get me the sugar and no one will get hurt.”

  “That's my line, Dad.”

  The gravelly voice behind me sent apprehension dancing down my spine. The timbre and tone were unmistakable and, unfortunately, unforgettable.

  I shot a quick glance over my shoulder. And there was my friend Jack. The cop. He was in plain clothes today, but he still had that cop walk, that air of authority.

  Those intense eyes.

  “Jack, sit down.” Cor slid over to make room. “You want some pie, son? Coffee?”

  “Hello, Father Sam,” Jack said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Father Cor.”

  “He's such a joker,” Cor said, slapping Jack on the back before saying with an expectant tone in his voice, “Jack, have you met Terra? She's new in town.”

  “I've met her,” Jack said. His expression was serious, but I caught the faintest twinkle in his eyes.

  Was he laughing at me?

  “Nice to see you again, Jack.” I pivoted, ready to make my dramatic exit, then stopped mid-spin as the coffeepot I carried reminded me of my job.

  I pivoted directly back. “Would you like some…?”

  “Could I bother you…?”

  Politeness put a stranglehold on our conversation as we stopped, each waiting for the other to speak and then, as if orchestrated by the conversation conductor, started up at precisely the same moment.

  “Would you…?”

  “If you don't…”

  Again with the pause, but this time I barreled right on through to the finish line: “—like some coffee?”

  “That'd be great,” he said, his smile carrying a bit more warmth and, added to that appealing voice, a bit more electric current.

  A handsome policeman. Man. Bad, bad combination.

  The words clanged in my mind as I poured the coffee, concentrating to make sure I didn't let any slop over the rim. I was determined to show Jack that I was a capable and efficient woman able to support herself by working as a waitress for whatever Lennie was willing to pay me.

  Not an irresponsible lush with a penchant for trouble.

  Plus, I could use any tip he might be inclined to drop on the table. Waitresses do not live by wages alone.

  “And how was your date last night?” Cor asked, pressing his fork into his pie. “Nice girl?”

  “I didn't go,” Jack said, his glance flicking over me before returning to his father. “I got a call.”

  I needed to get moving, not stand here finding out about Jack's love life. I had a good impression to make and limited time in which to make it.

  “Do you need anything else?” I asked, ready to leave.

  “I'm fine for now, thanks.” Jack didn't look up at me, which shouldn't have bothered me because I wasn't supposed to like him.

  “Order up.” I hurried to the kitchen where Mathilde pushed two plates at me and added a glower just in case I thought she'd gotten soft in the few minutes I was gone.

  Helen rushed up just as I took the plates from under the warming lights. “I need Arnie and Elizabeth's special on the fly,” she called out. “And where is Anita? Don't tell me she's a no-show again.”

  “Guess you girls will be running today,” Mathilde said. Did I imagine the note of glee in her voice?

  “Good luck keeping up with me, no matter how fast you punch orders into that stupid computer. You'll have to call the orders out the old-fashioned way.”

  I hadn't imagined the glee at all.

  “What's with Mathilde and her hate for the computer?” I asked Helen as we exited the kitchen.

  Helen laughed. “Mathilde's old-school. She's still ticked at Lennie for putting in the whole POSitouch screen and computer in the kitchen. Whenever it doesn't work, she starts in on him.” Helen adjusted her apron. “We'll have to take turns seating people. The regulars find their own place. Just catch the others as they come in.”

  For the next hour, I managed to stay on top of my orders, seating people, juggling drinks and desserts with full meals, and cleaning up. Anita never showed up.

  Father Sam had two more tea refills. Cor had three more coffees and pulled out a cribbage board. Jack joined in, shucking off his coat and rolling up his sleeves.

  Father Sam chatted with people who stopped by their table, and indulged in long discourses with Cor and Jack that I caught bits and pieces of as I scurried past with orders and food and bills and more customers. He and Cor looked very much at home in this place, this microcosm of a larger community.

  My stomach growled and my head felt like it was lifting off my shoulders. If I didn't get calories in me double quick, I was going to end up falling face-first into one of my customers' plates of mashed potatoes.

  Then the door jangled, announcing more customers.

  Stifling my annoyance, I glanced around the restaurant. The only table ready for customers was in my area.

  A slender young woman backed through the door, carrying a car seat with a baby in it. She was followed by a tall, well-built man with closely cropped hair, a goatee, and a smirk on his face that screamed “cheapskate.”

  Call me crazy (hey, call me Terra), but after a few years on this job, I could spot a short-tipper at fifty paces with one eye shut.

  Then the girl turned around.

  Amelia.

  “Hello again,” I said as I grabbed a couple of menus. “Good to see you.”

  Amelia's nervous glance flittered from me to the man behind her.

  The man sent a frown in my direction. “You know this lady?” he asked Amelia.

  Amelia gave me a blank look.

  “No, Rod,” she said. “Never met her before in my life.”

  Chapter Five

  I knew I had to wipe the stunned look off my face or Rod was going to figure things out.

  Though we hadn't shared life histories, Amelia and I had more than a passing acquaintance. After all, thanks to her friends, I ended up in the Harland County lockup across the road.

  But in her large brown eyes I caught a glimpse of haunted fear. And as I looked again at Rod hovering over her, his hand on her shoulder, something sinister slid up my spine.

  I guessed he didn't know about her little dalliance at the bar the other day. And since that was the only place we'd gone that day, it didn't take an artist to draw the correct conclusion.

  “Sorry,” I said with an apologetic smile. “I thought you were someone else.”

  Rod frowned at me.

  “Table for two?” I added a bright smile to my chirpy tone, hoping to distract him.

  “Yeah.”

  Fully functional in the vocal department, I thought as I turned and led them to the last empty spot.

  Jack, Cor, and Father Sam looked up as I laid the menus on the table in front of Rod and Amelia. Amelia set the baby seat on the floor beside her, and Rod sat across from her.

  “Hey, Rod. Thought you were out of town.” Jack half turned in his chair as a genuine smile broke out across his face. It was a good look for him.

  “Pawned the trip off on someone else. Thought I'd spend some quality time with Amelia. How's that horse working out for you?”

  “Not bad. She needs some ground work yet.”

  When I came back with coffee, Jack was kneeling down at Amelia's table, gently pulling the blanket away from the little girl's face. “How is Madison doing?”

  “Fine.” Amelia nudged the car seat closer. “No trouble
at all.”

  “She's just a squirt,” Rod said, echoing my own thoughts as he glanced at Amelia. “Uses up all her energy crying.”

  “I don't know if I'm so hungry,” Amelia said, grabbing Rod's arm. “We could go home and I could make something.”

  “We're here now.”

  Amelia bit her lip, then wilted. “Sure. It's just… I'm a little tired.”

  “You just need to eat, that's all.” Though he spoke the words with a smile, I caught a faint edge in his voice that had my radar tingling. I didn't think I liked this Rod guy. “We'd like to order right away. The baby gets a bit fussy.”

  “Fine. What will you have?”

  Rod glanced over the menu once again and gave me his order.

  “I'll have a burger and fries,” Amelia said.

  “C'mon, Amelia,” Rod said. “You always order the same thing. You never even looked at the menu.” He opened up the menu and pushed it across the table at her, then looked up at me. “Don't you think she should try something healthier?”

  Amelia ran her finger down the various menu items, then gave me a sheepish smile. “I still like burgers and fries the best.”

  “Good choice,” I said. Rod's eyes narrowed a fraction, and I don't think I imagined the flash of hostility that passed over his face.

  “Fine,” he said a shade too heartily. “A burger and fries it is.”

  All the while I was dealing with Rod and Amelia, I was aware of Jack watching the three of us. Jack knew I had been with Amelia that fateful morning. But did he comprehend that Amelia was pretending not to know me?

  Then the baby started crying, a thin, mewling sound. Like a tired kitten.

  “Amelia,” I heard Rod say, “what's wrong with her now?”

  I should have left the baby alone. Should have walked away. But the pathetic noise drew me toward her.

  Kneeling down, I leaned over the baby carrier. Madison's hand flailed out and caught mine. Her delicate fingers, tiny and cool, transparent as fine china, curled around my finger. When her hollow eyes met mine, my head slowly detached from my body and the baby receded into a circle edged by gray.

  Large hands caught at my arms. “Whoa, easy there.”

  I blinked, then breathed deeply as I realized that someone was supporting me, pushing me toward a chair, making me sit down.

  “I'm okay,” I mumbled, blinking as I tried to pull in air suddenly devoid of oxygen. “Just a bit hungry.” On cue, my stomach growled.

  “Let me get you something.” Jack's gruff voice pushed through the fog surrounding me.

  His face finally came into focus as the gray cloud receded. His eyes were like a laser, intent and direct as if he could see deep into my dark, hard soul. I looked away as I stood, figuring out precisely where my feet were in relation to my surroundings.

  Helen caught my arm as I lurched past. “What's wrong with you? You're as pale as a ghost. When did you eat last?”

  I shrugged.

  Helen glanced back at the kitchen, chewing her lip. “If you go to the kitchen now, you'll just run into trouble with Mathilde.” She dragged me down the hallway and pushed me into the women's restroom. “Stay here. I'll get you something.”

  I leaned back against the counter, my world still shifting on its axis. “Can you cover table nine? The three young guys there look like the dine-and-dash type.”

  “I'll keep an eye on them. Now don't move.” She held up her finger as if warning a toddler, then shut the door behind her, leaving me catching my breath in a haze of chemically induced orange scent.

  A minute later, she edged backward into the bathroom, her eyes flicking about the empty hallway like an agent outrunning the gestapo.

  As she turned, the smell of the burger on the plate she set on the counter started a Pavlov-like drool that needed to be checked before it got ugly.

  “Eat it quick. Mathilde was asking where you were.” Helen waited a beat as I grabbed the burger.

  I took a large bite, then had to pause. “This is a great burger,” I muttered past the mouthful of food.

  “People don't come here for Mathilde's sunny personality. And whatever you do, don't compliment her. She'll think you're trying to suck up to her.” Helen leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. “I'm thinking you don't have a place to stay either.”

  “I saw an empty refrigerator box beside the interstate…”

  “There's a bedroom in the basement of the place I'm renting, if you're interested. It's not big, but it's cozy, and, more important, it's furnished and available.”

  “Available sounds good,” I mumbled, wiping my mouth with a paper towel. “Furnished sounds even better.”

  “Come home with me tonight after work. You can stay as long as you want. The rent is three hundred dollars a month.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I gotta go. Finish up as quick as you can, but leave the plate in here. Let Sunny, the waitress on the next shift, figure out what happened here.” Helen gave me a smile and ducked out.

  I wolfed down the rest of the burger, washed my hands, rebraided my kinky hair and was about to zip out of the bathroom when Amelia barged in.

  “You don't know me.” She delivered the obscure statement with an intensity I wasn't about to argue with.

  “Okay, stranger.” I wasn't going to waste time discussing our relationship or the lack thereof. Mathilde didn't need to find me dawdling.

  “I mean it. If Rod finds out I took Madison to the bar, he'll—” She wrapped her arm around her narrow waist. “I don't want him to find out.”

  I made a locking motion over my mouth and pretended to throw away the key. “I got it.” I was about to edge out of the bathroom when she pressed her hands over her face in a gesture redolent of defeat and despair.

  I knew that look all too well. “Hey. Are you okay?”

  She shook her head, and a shaky sob slipped out between her fingers. “I don't know what to do. I just—”

  I couldn't leave her like this, but I couldn't dally either. So I pulled the pad of paper out of my pocket. “I really don't have time to talk now, but I want to. Talk, that is. Give me your number. I'll call you.”

  The relief on her face as she grabbed the pad of paper was encouraging. I had no idea what I was getting into, but at least I had given her some hope.

  “Call me between these hours. Rod is working then.”

  “He's your husband?”

  “Boyfriend.”

  I glanced at the paper, deciding that I liked Rod even less than when I first saw him. “Okay.” I slipped the paper into my apron and gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder. “I'll call. I promise.”

  She nodded, then swiped at her cheeks. “Thanks.”

  “Freshen up your makeup, then wait a bit,” I told her. I didn't want her boyfriend to figure out we'd been chatting in the ladies' room. I got a vibe from this guy that put me on edge.

  Mathilde didn't even look up as I grabbed a plate from under the warming lights, palmed the customer's chit, which told me whose order this was, and read it on my way out.

  And almost knocked into Jack, who was just leaving.

  “You feeling better?” he asked, stepping back to give me room.

  I nodded.

  “Good. You looked a little pale.”

  His concern created an odd storm of feelings deep in me. Stop now. You fell for Eric's “concern” every time.

  “Are you and Amelia friends?” he asked.

  A few moments ago, Amelia had publicly denied knowing me. Jack was friends with Rod. I needed to keep my life simple. Amelia's situation was as complex as a Russian novel, so I went with… “No.”

  Jack acknowledged my pithy reply with a slow nod. He took in a breath as if he wanted to say something more, glanced at me again, and left.

  I walked over to table nine to see if they needed anything more before I brought the bill.

  The table was empty.

  And there went about a fourth
of my wages for the day.

  Chapter Six

  How long are your visitors staying?” My feet throbbed and my head ached, but as soon as Helen got me settled into this basement suite, my new home, I phoned my sister. Me. Miss Responsible.

  “Another week.” I heard a light sigh across the line. “Why did you leave without talking to me?”

  Maybe not entirely responsible. “I told Anneke I was going to town to get a job,” I said. “And I left a message this morning, as soon as I got to Harland.”

  “You're lucky you caught me. Mom, Gloria, the relatives, and I are going to Virginia City tomorrow. We're going to stay at a bed-and-breakfast. I had hoped you could babysit. Dan will be busy spraying.”

  Oh, yeah. Terra Froese, letting her sister down again. “You could have asked me yesterday.”

  “I would have if I'd known you were going to be gone this morning.”

  “I didn't know I was going to be gone this morning until—” I caught myself in time. “Anyhow, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. How long are you going to be gone?”

  “A couple of days. Will you be here when I get back?”

  “It was a condition of bail, remember?”

  I heard a wail in the background. “Anneke… No, don't give the toothpaste to Nicholas… Hey, Terra, I need to go. I'll call you when I get back.”

  And thus ended another meaningful conversation with my sister.

  I put the phone beside the bed and looked around my new home. I'm lucky it came furnished, I thought as I kicked off my shoes. A knapsack, two pairs of shoes, and some clothes don't go far in creating a cozy home decor.

  A too-familiar restlessness held me in its clutches. I'd politely turned down an invitation from Helen to go bowling, so I had the house to myself.

  I had already availed myself of Helen's computer, which, she told me, was mine to use anytime I needed. However, the only thing in my e-mail in-box was a bunch of spam and a quick note from my friend Amy telling me that she, too, had dropped out of yoga and that she'd write more later.

  I needed to talk to a living, breathing person, and my sister was obviously busy.