Million Dollar Maid ✔

Chapter 50

The engine of the car made strange noises and every pothole Thom hit made something in the dashboard rattle. There was also a lingering cigarette smell that hit her face in wafts and she suspected it had something to do with the broken air conditioner which would snap on every now and then.

As they neared the town she grew increasingly grateful for his insistence because she couldn't imagine never explaining to Everly why she'd disappeared. With her phone gone, she didn't even have her number anymore.

She hardly knew Thom, and only met him once. But she liked the guy, and she liked how he didn't ask questions about what happened.

He parked the car in a street she knew was just a little walk away from the restaurant that Everly worked at and muttered, "home sweet home". Ava followed him numbly to a small house with oak doors. It looked very cozy, like a real home. She knew Everly had never lived anywhere else and she felt envious of that.

"Everly!" Thom yelled after opening the door, causing a disgruntled Everly to appear at the top of the stairs. "What?" she hissed before taking in the sight of Ava.

"Oh my god, Ava. What happened?" she asked while storming down. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Thom leave them by going through a door to her left.

Seeing her friend for what would probably be the last time made her burst into tears again before she managed to get out. "I'm leaving."

"You're leaving? Where are you going? And what about Sébastien?"

But Ava just shook her head. "He doesn't want me anymore."

"What?"

She had no energy left to explain anything so she just shrugged her shoulders. Everly's frown turned into a full-on scowl. "I'm going to kill him. And you can't leave!"

"I have no place to stay, Everly. I have to find a new place to work at."

"You can stat here! My parents will be in Canada for at least another month and I promise you Thom won't bother you."

She wasn't worried about Thom bothering her. If anything he'd been nothing but nice to her.

"I can't ask that of you," she replied but Everly wouldn't have any of it.

"And you're not asking. Neither am I, you're staying here. Gimme your bag," she said, snatching Ava's small bag before she could reply. "Come on," she urged while walking up the stairs, giving Ava no choice but to follow.

"We have a spare guestroom for when uncle Jim comes to visit, but since my parents aren't here he's not visiting anytime soon," she explained while walking towards the room in question. It was on the farthest door in the small hallway but inside it looked just as cozy as the rest of the home.

"Okay, so you can stay here. Those drawers are empty and all that but that lamp over there doesn't work but my parents refuse to get rid of it for some reason."

Ava looked around the room at the yellowed wallpaper and the solid wood frame of the bed. It looked almost like an antique but very soft too. The carpet was a deep purplish red with indentations of where she guessed a closet had stood. The broken lamp sadly stood in the corner and she glumly noted its broken husk resembled herself.

She made an effort not to think about Sébastien and everything that had happened or she would've crumbled right then and there. Everly would be the last person that would judge her for it, but she still didn't want to be seen like that.

"Thank you, Everly," she said quietly, not really knowing what else to say.

"Don't sweat it," Everly replied, brushing it off. "Do you want something to drink? Or eat?"

"I'm good, thank you though."

"Well, I'm going to get you some water for when you get thirsty later," she replied before turning to leave the room.

The silence that followed was a bit difficult to bear, so Ava opted to unpack her bag. It hit her again how little she owned. It only took her half a drawer to lay out everything.

When Everly returned she held a large glass of cold water and set it down on the nightstand.

"So um, you're not going to sneak out tomorrow without saying goodbye, right?"

Ava would be lying if she said it hadn't crossed her mind. But now she really knew she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. "I won't," she promised.

"Okay good. Because if you did I'd have to hire a private investigator to track you down just so that I can hit you for doing that."

Ava appreciated her making the effort to cheer her up, but it barely worked. Her head hurt from all the crying and her mind kept straying to Sébastien. She was absolutely drained and the fact that she didn't know what to do next caused her even more anxiety.

She knew she had to find a new job as soon as possible but first, she needed some sleep.

"Are you okay?" Everly asked quietly with a concerned frown.

"I hope I will be," she replied with a sad smile.

"In any case, I'm here for you. My bedroom is on the other side of the stairs so don't hesitate to call me if you need anything alright?"

Ava didn't know what she'd ever done to deserve a friend like her. She probably didn't. "Thank you again. I mean it, this all means a lot to me," she confessed.

"Anything for you boo," Everly proclaimed. "Now get some rest and sleep well."

"You too," Ava replied while watching her friend close the door behind her. She would be grateful to get any sleep at all that night. But she wasn't counting on it.