Chapter 15
It had been a while since he'd left now and the house still didn't feel the same. She'd forgotten how dreary it was to clean a house that was never dirty, especially when no one actually lived there.
According to George, who'd taken Mr. Chastain to the airport three weeks ago, he had an emergency at the main office. Another company had been wanting to merge but it hadn't gone through, or whatever that meant.
Ava didn't have much knowledge of businesses or how they operated but she'd pretended to know what he was talking about.
The weather was turning nicer as they approached spring and it wasn't that bad walking all the way to town anymore. It would rain less now so her feet weren't soaked every time she reached the library, which she counted as a huge win.
With the disappearance of Mr. Chastain Jane had left as well. Deep down Ava already suspected she only hung out at the library to get closer to Mr. Chastain, but there wasn't really anything Ava could do for her. They weren't friends or anything, after all.
The sting of her mistakes still hurt a little but it had died down to a dull ache in her heart. She could barely feel it when she didn't think about it. In a way, it was better that he was around anymore as she was sure it would be painful to look at him now.
The bag of books threatened to fall off her shoulder so she shifted it back on. The library had just received a new batch of books and she and Everly had gone completely nuts trying to decide which ones to read first. She was happy with the ones she got and was excited to return the next week.
The familiar gate of the Chastain estate came into view and relief fell over her. She'd seriously misjudged the weight of the books and couldn't wait to put them down.
The gate opened painfully slow but when the opening was just wide enough she slipped through and made her way to the main entrance where she slipped off her muddy shoes before entering. Every time she made her way through the door she couldn't help but admire the splendor of it all.
It didn't matter she'd gone through the foyer a hundred times already, it looked as beautiful and imposing as ever. It was enough to distract her from seeing George approach, making her jump when he spoke.
"How has your day been going, Ava?"
"It's been great, the library got a new shipment of books so I'm all set for the rest of the day," she replied excitedly while holding up the bag.
"Oh, right. I'm terribly sorry Ava, for what I'm about to ask of you."
Her stomach dropped. This was it, he was going to let her go.
But what had she done? Was it her stupidity from the day Mr. Chastain left that had finally done her in?
It didn't really matter, she doubted there was anything that could be done at this point. She held her head up in anticipation of the news to come, the least she could do was take it with dignity.
He shifted his weight at her non-reaction before continuing. "Mr. Chastain called and said you wouldn't answer your phone," he said. "So he asked me to ask you if you could come to New York for a bit, to help him keep the apartment clean."
Wait, she wasn't getting fired? Her brain had trouble processing the information she'd been given while relief washed over her in waves, ebbing away the tension in her body.
"New York? I thought he had other staff there?"
"No, it's not a large place so he likes to keep it to himself but it seems that he's been too busy lately so he's asked you to come. My bones are too old to fly and Lauren gets sick on airplanes, you see."
"Right. Yes, of course."
"So will you do it?"
She nodded while trying to keep in her excitement.
"Good, excellent. I'll book your tickets then, you can go pack," he said while turning away, obviously satisfied with her answer.
Before he could walk away, something occurred to her. "Um, George?" she asked, making him turn back around to face her with an expectant look. "Hm? Yes?"
"How long will I be there for? I'll have to return these now if it takes too long," she said while gesturing to the bag filled with books.
This made the man scratch the top of his thinly-haired head while he thought about it. "I don't know, actually. I'll ask Lauren to return them for you, then. I'm sorry you didn't get to read them,' he said apologetically.
"No worries, I'll just read them when I come back," she assured him. She didn't want to make him feel bad, especially since it didn't really have anything to do with him.
If I come back, the small voice in her head corrected, which she tried to ignore.
"Yes, of course. Well, I'm off to get your ticket then. Don't forget to pack your phone."
"I won't," she replied to his retreating figure. She looked at him a little longer before it set in.
She was going to New York City! Only now she realized where she was going and excitement ran through her. She'd heard so much about the large city but never had the opportunity to visit it.
Not that she would have much time to explore, but still. As long as she could catch a glimpse here and there.
She knew she didn't have to pack much, but she still needed some time to charge the phone so she quickly made her way back to the room.
Her small bag was filled in no time and she decided to wash her work uniform and bedsheets in the meantime in case she was let go while away. She didn't want to burden Lauren or George with that task.
While unloading the washing machine George returned holding up a white envelope. "Here's your ticket," he said while holding it out to her. "I hope you don't mind leaving tonight already, I know it's your day off."
"No, that's fine, George. Thank you."
"You're very welcome. I'll drive you to the airport then after dinner."
"Sounds good to me."
"Alright, see you later then."
"Later, George."
The weight of the envelope in her hand called to her and she couldn't resist taking a peek at the ticket. After carefully taking it out she inspected it. JFK airport, NYC. She could almost smell the city already she was so excited to go.
It was close to dinner time, yet the minutes crawled by. She almost ran into the dining room when the clock reached the right time but slowed herself at the last minute. No need to be in a hurry now.
Eating was hard when she was as excited as she was, but she didn't want to get hungry on the plane so she made herself eat while Lauren told her about what to expect from the city. Ava tried to retain as much information as she could but she was sure to forget at least a few things.
George excused himself after dinner to get ready to take her to the airport and she took the opportunity to take the phone off the charger and turn it on again.
As soon as the device had started up the notifications started coming in.
Call me back when you can
Ava where are you? Pick up the phone
She swallowed at the missed calls and messages and felt bad about not having the phone on her. The last call had been right before she got back from the library, when George had caught her in the foyer.
It probably wasn't useful to call anymore, the best she could do was apologize for not picking the phone up.
Hello Mr. Chastain, I'm terribly sorry I haven't picked up the phone. George has informed me that you requested my presence at your New York home. My flight leaves tonight so you can expect me soon.
She hit send and put it in the pocket of her jeans. Next, she went to grab her small bag of personal items but just as she bent down to pick it up the phone started buzzing.
Hurriedly, she fished it back out of her pocket to read: Sébastien calling.
Her heart sped up, she wasn't prepared to speak to him yet. She needed a little time to prepare mentally but she also knew she didn't really have a choice, she'd missed too many calls already.
With a steadying breath, she pressed the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Ava, what's been going on?"
"Nothing, I just didn't have my phone on me."
"Why?"
"I thought I didn't need it anymore."
"You can use it for other things than work, you know that right?"
"But you said I needed it in case you needed to contact me, but you left."
She heard him sigh on the other side of the phone before answering, "Just keep it on you, alright?"
"Okay."
"Okay, when is your flight leaving?"
"Um, I have to check," she replied while hurriedly taking the ticket from the envelope and checking it. "At eight."
"Okay, then you'll arrive at around ten, yes?"
"Yes, ten o'clock sharp according to the ticket."
"Alright, th—" he started but a voice interrupted him on the other side of the line. She couldn't hear what was being said as the voices were too low to make out any words. After a minute or so he came back.
"Listen, I gotta go now. Enjoy your flight, Ava. See you soon."
And with that, he was gone.
With a sigh, she put it back in her pocket before gathering all her things.
At least he didn't sound too annoyed to be talking to her, which was more than she expected.
It still kind of burned to think that he didn't care about her as a person, but if she managed to avoid him in the coming days at least she wouldn't annoy him with her presence.
George was already waiting for her at the front door while Lauren had already bid her goodbye at dinner. His easy smiles never failed to cheer her up and she was excited for the journey ahead.
Unlike most people, Ava actually liked flying. She'd done it a few times now, to get to her next employers' places and she had enjoyed every moment of it.
The world just seemed so different from the sky. Small things didn't matter anymore and it helped her put things into perspective. Of course, most of that magic wore off as soon as they landed and she had to make her way through the busy airport, knocking a taste of reality back into her.
But up there, it was all different.