Million Dollar Maid ✔

Chapter 3

"Mr. Chastain wants me to prepare the living room because guests are coming over," Ava started, "but I don't know what he meant by that or what's expected of me."

This made Lauren look up from the sauce she'd been cooking. "Just make sure there are enough glasses and the drink cabinets are stocked up. How many people did he say were coming?" she asked while hovering above the glassware cabinet in anticipation of Ava's answer.

"Um, he didn't say."

"Hm," Lauren replied in thought. "Take this tray and these glasses, if it isn't enough you can come back and get some more," she finished.

Ava gratefully took the tray with empty glasses and was about to walk away when Lauren suddenly threw in a, "When they arrive you should also open the door and serve them drinks."

At those words, her stomach turned. She had to actually interact with these people? So much for staying out of sight. "Wait what?"

"Stay next to the drinks cabinet and they'll call you when they need you. Oh, and don't speak unless spoken to and only talk in clear and concise sentences."

At that Ava had half a heart to offer to trade duties with Lauren for the evening were it not for the fact that she couldn't cook at all. She just had to suck it up and get it over with. So she carried the glasses over to the living room.

Upon opening the door she laid eyes on the expensive furniture and rich wooden walls of the living room. This area was under Lauren's and George's care so there usually simply wasn't a reason for Ava to be there. Everything in the room screamed 'opulence' yet the thing that caught her eyes the most was the grand fireplace at the center of it all.

She quickly went over to her place for the evening and carefully set down all the glasses before tucking away the tray. She wasn't sure what to do next, he hadn't told her when exactly they'd arrive and she knew he hadn't even eaten dinner yet. So, she opted to just wait.

Better to be safe than sorry, she always told herself. She'd learned a long time ago that mistakes could cost her dearly.

For what felt like hours she just stood there waiting for the guests to arrive. She briefly considered sitting down on the sofa but quickly banished the thought from her mind. She didn't dare imagine what would happen to her if they'd find her sitting on the couch instead of working.

Her salvation came in the form of a ringing doorbell. After rushing to open it she attempted to greet the guests with a quick 'welcome' but didn't even get to finish the word before a jacket was flung at her face.

A blonde man and a black-haired woman entered without so much as acknowledging her and she had to maneuver quickly to catch the second jacket without letting it touch the floor. She quickly followed them to the living room after hanging their jackets only to find Mr. Chastain suddenly there.

"Mark, Jayla," Mr. Chastain acknowledged as he shook their hands which made Ava wonder if they were friends of his or business associates. The handshake seemed too formal for friends but what did she know, she's never had any.

"Sébastien," the man, Mark, acknowledged while the woman looked around as if she was already bored of it all. Ava couldn't help but admire her shining and healthy-looking hair and compare it to her own brown mop of hair. She wished she knew how to take care of it better but she'd only ever learned how to wash it and put it in a ponytail.

She never wore it loose, that not only looked unprofessional but it also got in the way while she worked.

"You," Mr. Chastain said, grabbing her attention as the guests sat down."Pour us some bourbon." Something in the way he said 'you' made Ava suspect he forgot her name, but she wasn't about to correct him.