Million Dollar Maid ✔

Chapter 43

Maybe it was a good thing Stan had come when he did. Or maybe George had been holding on until he'd seen his son again. But he died that very same night.

Ava comforted herself with the idea that he'd be with his wife now, who she knew he missed dearly.

The funeral had been small, but Sébastien had explained he'd already outlived most of his friends and family. And she supposed the town itself wasn't that big either.

But what had surprised her most was how Sébastien had taken it. He hadn't shed a single tear but she knew he was hurting. He'd taken a break from work and spent most of his time in the piano room, playing sad melodies.

Everyone coped differently, she knew. And this was his.

She hadn't seen stan a lot, even though he was staying at the mansion. He was a very quiet man, but a nice one. She'd bring his meals up to his room when she noticed he wasn't coming out to get them and he'd thank her for the effort.

Later, she'd always find the dishes neatly put in the dishwasher, despite never seeing him come out to do it.

The house felt oddly empty all of a sudden, as even Lauren seemed to appear less than before.

Currently, Ava was making her way to the piano room to sit with Sébastien. It was the only way she knew of supporting him but she knew he appreciated having her there.

She slowly opened the heavy door, not wanting to make a sound to disturb the beautiful melodies. The first thing she noticed was the song itself. It wasn't as sad or gloomy as the ones he'd been playing the previous two weeks and she took it as an improvement.

Her head rested on his shoulder as she sat beside him. The muscles underneath his shirt stretched and moved under her cheek as he played and she closed her eyes. It was so easy to get lost in this music and she understood how he found solace in playing.

That night, he held her a little closer than usual.

Stan had left not too long after the funeral, and Sébastien had started working again. From the outside, everything might have looked normal, but she felt the emptiness deep inside of her. She hadn't realized how much of a presence the old man had around the estate until he was gone.

She tried to pick up some of George's tasks, like keeping the garden tidy. But she just didn't know enough about plants and flowers to make them flourish the way he could.

Besides that, there were also tasks she didn't know he had, such as the administration of the estate and managing all maintenance. Ava wasn't equipped to do any of that, and neither was Lauren.

She'd been urging Sébastien to find another person to fill the role, and he'd agreed. But she also knew he wasn't really making an effort of finding someone else. It might have been too soon for him.

There wasn't anyone who could replace George.

With a sigh, she turned her gaze to the small home at the edge of the garden. It remained mostly untouched. Stan had only taken a few keepsakes to take back with him to Europe but couldn't take anything else. And Sébastien simply hadn't thought to clear it out.

It was fine by Ava. Every time she looked inside it seemed as if George was still living there. As if he'd only just gotten up from his comfortable leather chair. She'd have to ask Sébastien for the key some time or else dust would cover everything and the feeling would disappear.

Small droplets of water started falling from the sky and she hurried home before it could drench her all the way. Leaving her muddy boots at the door, she followed voices she suddenly heard. They'd come from the kitchen, where Sébastien was standing in the doorway with Lauren in front of him.

He looked a little displeased at whatever the conversation was about but still listened to what she had to say. "And he's had thirty years of experience and studied at Oxford."

"Then why is he not working for someone else already?" he asked flatly.

"The Polsons have gone bankrupt and cannot afford his services any longer," she explained calmly. "Invite him over, get to know him. I think you'll find a good butler in him."

"I'm not in a hurry."

"I know you're not, which is why I'm telling you about him. Ava and I cannot fulfil a butler's duties, we already have enough work as it is and this is only adding to that."

With that, he glanced out the corner of his eyes to look at Ava, as if he was only now realizing she still worked for him and the lack of butler would affect her as well.

"Fine," he said, at last, voice strained in distaste. "Invite him."

"I will, sir," she confirmed with a pleased look before turning to walk away. Ava didn't know how to feel about a new butler. On one hand, no one could replace George. On the other, the extra duties were wearing her down fast and she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up.

"Maybe he'll be really nice," she said tentatively while stepping forward, trying to comfort him in some way. "And then you'll be glad you hired him, even if he can never truly replace George."

She stopped in front of him and reached out to run her hand along his arm, his brown eyes still zoned in on her. "It could go the other way too," he argued. "What if he's an ass and we hate having him around?"

"I guess we can't know until you've talked to him, then."

"hm," he replied, still not being too happy about any of it yet dismissing the conversation. He reached out to her to pull her closer. His arms wrapped around her while he buried his face in her hair.

Instinctively, she responded by wrapping her own arms around his torso and enjoying the warmth he was providing her with.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly murmured into her hair, confusing her. "What for?"

"For not seeing this whole thing was wearing you out. I should've noticed you were going to bed earlier lately," he confessed sadly.

"You've been preoccupied," she whispered while moving her hands slowly up and down his back. "It's not your fault."

"Still, let me make it up to you," he said while unwrapping his arms from around her to look her in the eyes. "How about we go out tomorrow? Just you and me. I don't think we've been on a proper date yet."

The words made excitement buzz in her stomach. She'd never been on a date before, and even though it's a bit late considering all they've done already, she couldn't wait to go.

"I'd love to," she beamed up at him. "Where are we going?"

"Wherever you'd like," he replied, causing her to start thinking of things to do. "We can go to that restaurant where Everly works," she suggested, making him laugh and shake his head.

"What?" she asked confusedly. She hadn't said anything that strange, she was sure. "Nothing," he said. "It's just, we could do anything in the world and you want to eat at the only restaurant in this town. Think bigger."

"But Everly really wants me to stop by some time," she protested. Besides, she couldn't think of anything else to do at this moment.

"And what do you want?" he asked her.

"The restaurant sounds good to me," she countered stubbornly.

"Fine," he laughed. "Next time I'm picking something, though."

"Sounds like we have a deal," she replied, laughing with him.

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Bro where my OG readers at?? I'm missing y'all lately :(

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xx May