Page 87 of Maid in Heaven

“Frankly, you seem… overqualified.”

Mother fu—

Ava straightened her posture. “I’ve thought a lot about that recently. From your perspective, I see how I’d look like a bit of a flight risk, so to speak. With my degreeandexperience from such a massive company, it’s understandable. But…I want you to think about this frommyperspective, sir.I want achange. I loved what I did, but I hated never knowing the people around me. Inretrospect,my last job seemedlike an endless seaof faces. I want to know the people that I work with. I want to celebrate office birthdays or comfort someone crying in the break room. I want to know the name of yourkid.” She gestured to the back of a picture framefacing away from her.

“Actually, I have two.”He twisted it around on the desk. A smiling family stared back, and Ava felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She would never have that. She would never even have thenext best thing: a picture of her, Starla, and Will smiling on an outing together. As afamily.

“...I want to be a part of something that needs me. I don’t want to be one face in a million. I want to be one in twenty-five.”

Mr. Carlin leaned back in his seat again. “You seem very passionate.”

“I am, sir. I’m very passionate.”Sometimes too passionate,she thought, recalling the look of horror on Will’s face as he looked over her business proposal.

If she was honest with herself, she didn’t even really want thisposition.

She wanted to work with Will.

She wanted to be a part of building something amazing from the ground up, something she could nurture like a childout ofits infancy until it could stand and walk on its own two legs.

Even if Will changed his mind,Ava knewthere was a grain of truth to what he said.

Thejealousy rocked her.There was a vulnerability in trusting someonewho had the power to crush her. She’d already been brokenand slowly mendedthe pieces. She didn’t think she had the strength to be shattered like thatagain.

It was time to put away foolish thoughts of Will andMan Maid.

It was time for Ava to trudge forward into the future, even if it tore her apart to do it.

“I guess I just have one last question for you, Ava.” Mr. Carlin smiledand put his hands behind his head. “When can you start?”

37

The waiting room ofDr. Harken’s office had gotten upgraded with all new paint and furniture, and yet it wasstillas bland as a saltless cracker. The front desk beside them was void of any charming decor, not even displaying so much as a name tag. The assistant had stepped away to file somethingand had notyetreturned. There were no magazines on the shiny new table in the waiting area. Everything was silent. The only sound was the swish of Starla’s snow pants as she swung her legs in the chair beside him.

Through the deafening quiet, Will’s head swam. He wished there was something —anything—to take his mind off of Ava. Staring forward at theplain beige wallbefore him was like gazing at a maddening image of his future.

Empty.

Dull.

His heart ached. The lump of emotion in his throat felt like hewas swallowing a boulder.

“Dad, what’s wrong,” Starla asked sweetly, snow boots scraping the floor.

He was grateful for the interruption in his whirling thoughts. “Nothing, Honey.”He forceda fake grin and wrapped his arm around her. “I always get a little anxious when they have to swap out your port.”

Starla chuckled, smacking the heel of her boot with a thud against the carpet, watching packed squares of snow fall from it. “You’re a bad liar.”

“What?” He mustered a chuckle. “I’m not lying.”

“Oh, puh-lease. Your voice always does this weirdthingwhen you lie.”

He laughed. “I’m not lying.”

“I’m not lying,” Starla mimicked, her tone more like a cartoon version of Will’s than anything. “And then you do thatthroatthing.”

Will fought his desire toclear his throat and lowered his tone. “What are you talking about?”

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