Free All in One Place by Carolyne Aarsen

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
    H ow 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