Home Again by Jennifer Ketchum

Chapter 1
     
    Danna Evans tapped her fingers nervously on her desk. Getting this new account would cement her position at McNalley & Associates, and she might just find herself as a Senior Marketing Executive when all was said and done. She’d worked her way up in the company over the last three years, and this was the final leg of what she hoped would be her fast track to promotion.
     
    Danna had always been someone who wanted to succeed. Maybe it was because of her family background - being raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet for her three daughters - or maybe it was her desire to make something of herself and get out of Dallas Springs. The tiny Georgia town nestled in the north Georgia mountains wasn’t exactly a hotbed of activity as she was growing up. Her sisters, Emma and Olivia, had been her main playmates, although the three of them couldn’t be more different.
     
    Danna had always been the renegade in their small family. She loved to get into trouble any way she could whether it was racing four wheelers or jumping out of barns into big bales of hay. Her tomboyish ways had driven her mother crazy as she’d hoped each of her daughters would love to wear frilly dresses and big hair bows. The girly one of their bunch had been Emma who loved to enter beauty contests and wear the latest fashions, even when their mother couldn’t afford them. Olivia had been the bookworm who made straight A’s and was always teacher’s pet.
     
    How the three of them had turned out so differently was unknown, but one thing was certain. All three sisters had completely struck out when it came to love. Danna was already divorced at only twenty eight years old. Her ex-husband, Peter, had been her college sweetheart. When she found out that he was cheating on her with his co-worker, the marriage had quickly ended after only two years. Deciding that she would be permanently single, Danna had opted not to date in the last three years, instead focusing on her career. And now was the culmination of that dream. As she waited for her boss to deliver the news as to whether she’d sealed the deal with the tire company account, Danna could feel her stomach churning with anxiety.
     
    “Danna?” she heard her boss, Steve Ideman, speaking to her from her office doorway. This was it. The moment that she’d find out whether or not she got the big account for Sparkman Tires which would hopefully lead to a big promotion.
     
    “Oh, hi, Steve. Any news?” she asked as she stood up behind her desk.
     
    “Actually, yes. I just heard from Sparkman. I’m sorry, but it’s not good news,” he said shaking his head as he sat down across from her with a big sigh. Danna slowly slid down into her chair.
     
    “How is that possible, Steve? I created a fantastic plan for their marketing, and our bid came in under the other two bids…”
     
    “I don’t know, Danna, but this doesn’t look good. You know as well as I do that this is the third account you’ve failed to get since Ronald moved you into the position four months ago. I really pushed for you to have this chance, Danna, but you’re making me look kind of bad.”
     
    “Steve, I…”
     
    “Look, I need to just get to the point. Ronald has asked me to let you know that Sylvie Hampton is going to be taking over your position.”
     
    “What?” Danna gasped, putting her hand over her heart. “Are you kidding? Sylvie is just out of college. She has no experience!” Danna had always been challenged with keeping her anger in check. She wasn’t one to mince words, and it was even harder at the moment.
     
    “Danna, you’re being put on leave. Ronald is giving you two weeks to take a mental rest so that you can hopefully come back strong.”
     
    “So, I’m basically being suspended?”
     
    “Basically. But, the company will pay you for the two weeks. Look, I suggest you get away from here and take some time for yourself. You’ve been burning the candles at