Million Dollar Maid ✔

Chapter 5

While today wasn't a particularly good day weather-wise, at least it had stopped raining for long enough for Ava to walk to town. 

When she'd just left the estate she tried her best to avoid all the puddles in an attempt at keeping her shoes dry, which was an uphill battle with the state of them. Eventually, water came through the holes anyway and she stopped caring about the puddles altogether.

She had to hoist the bag filled with books from her previous visit back up on her shoulder a few times but she knew it'd be worth it. Every step she took made her even more excited about what book she'd find this time, which motivated her to pick up her pace.

As soon as she reached the outskirts of town she checked her watch. Less than an hour and a half, not bad.

Passing the bakery made her catch a whiff of the freshly-baked goodies inside and she had to remind herself that she'd already had breakfast and that she couldn't afford these kinds of indulgences. So, she picked up her pace again and walked past as fast as she could.

For some reason, the town seemed livelier than it had seemed when she arrived. People were going in and out of shops and stopped on the sidewalk to make conversation. Maybe it was the hour at which she arrived that day, when everyone was inside having their dinner.

Soon, the library came into sight and Ava knew the long trek had been worth it. She carefully opened the door in an attempt to make the ringing of the little bell less obnoxious but to no avail, it rang the same way it always did.

The same librarian sat at the large desk and threw her a smile. "Good morning. Miss Romero, was it?"

While Ava had always been bad with names she respected the librarian for remembering hers. And lucky for her, the librarian's name was engraved on the plaque in front of the desk as well.

"That's right. And good morning to you too, Miss Jones," Ava replied back while reflecting the same kind smile as the librarian. "I'd like to return these," she continued as she took the books from her bag and set them down.

"Already?" Miss Jones inquired, "Didn't you check these out last week?"

Ava looked down at the stack of books and felt a little embarrassed. She didn't have any other hobbies besides reading and she didn't have a tv in her small room either. So, she'd read during her breaks as well as the entire evening after her shift.

"Um, yes. But I didn't finish all of them, I have to admit," she lied. She did read all of them, but the last thing she needed was to have the librarian think she was a loser with no life. Even if she were one.

"Ah, I see," Miss Jones replied. "Alright. Well, let me put these away for you then," the woman said as she took the books and walked over to the cart behind her, allowing Ava to make her swift escape towards the 'thriller' section.

She browsed the section for a bit but felt like she wasn't in the mood for these kinds of books at the moment, so she moved on to the next section. Classic literature had always been a favorite of hers.

Growing up in an orphanage run by nuns, she didn't have much choice in modern literature. All the books were old and 'proper' so that's what she grew to love. After scanning one of the rows for a little bit her eyes fell onto an all-time favorite of hers, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

She hadn't read it in a while now, so maybe it was time she did. After grabbing it from the shelf she tucked it away under her arm, allowing her to continue her browsing.  She grabbed an interesting-sounding book but put it back after reading the blurb she quickly put it back. This was definitely not a book for her, she thought to herself.