diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8cb3107..4c601a0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ until the first tagged release.
 - A spoken volume command no longer leaves the face stuck in the thinking
   spinner — the feedback gong is a UI cue and no longer holds the busy state,
   so the return-to-idle isn't swallowed.
+- The butler filler line reads as one phrase instead of two — reworded to "Let
+  me check on that, sir." to avoid a text-to-speech pause before "for you".
 
 ## [0.2.0] — 2026-07-15
 
diff --git a/gateway/src/desklock_gateway/config.py b/gateway/src/desklock_gateway/config.py
index 17709d3..65f3caf 100644
--- a/gateway/src/desklock_gateway/config.py
+++ b/gateway/src/desklock_gateway/config.py
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     tts_voice: str = "bm_george"
 
     # Spoken immediately after a query is accepted, to fill the long Tatlock wait.
-    filler_text: str = "Let me check on that for you, sir."
+    # Avoid "for you" — Kokoro inserts an unnatural mid-phrase pause before it.
+    filler_text: str = "Let me check on that, sir."
 
     # embedded fallback only (requires the [speech] extra)
     embedded_stt_model: str = "small"