Free Home Again by Jennifer Ketchum Page B

in contact with her since she was in college. She thought it would be best to try to avoid him while she was staying in town because she didn't want to open up any wounds for him or for her. Plus, she had to admit that she was still a little upset with him for never trying to contact her and for not fighting for her when she left home. She wanted that knight in shining armor to fight and keep her there, even though she knew that wasn't the right thing for her at the time.
     
    And she drove down the main road in Dallas Springs, her stomach started to churn a little bit at the thought of seeing her family and friends again. What would she tell them? How could she make herself not feel like such a failure coming back home after all this time? A failed marriage, a failed career. This certainly didn't look good for the girl who was once the most competitive person in town.
     
    Pulling into the driveway of her mother’s Victorian-style home, she could already see that her sisters Emma and Olivia were there. Her two sisters had stayed in Dallas Springs even after Danna had left. They had their own lives and careers going in the small town. Sometimes, Danna wondered if she'd made a mistake leaving. Maybe she should've stayed there, married Jack and trusted that he could run his family's farm and make ends meet. But her concern over making sure that she always had enough money to support herself had forced her into leaving and pursuing something bigger.
     
    Before she could even get her car parked, her mother, Carla, and her two sisters came running out the front door. She'd seen them last Christmas but it had already been six months. She was so glad to see familiar faces who weren’t going to judge her over the loss of her job. She explained to her mother on a phone call exactly what had happened, and of course her mother was very welcoming for her to come home. In fact, she’d be staying in her old room which was still decorated just the way she left it.
     
    “Hey guys!” Danna said she got out of her car with her duffel bag. She hadn't brought much for the trip, fully expecting go back home in two weeks. However, she did wonder how she’d pay for that expensive apartment without her job anymore.
     
    Danna spent the whole evening reminiscing and chatting with her mother and sisters. They made a big dinner together as they had always done as children. Smelling the southern pot roast cooking brought back a lot of family memories, both good and bad. Carla had become a single mother after their father passed away when they were very young. Danna, being the oldest, remember those times with fondness and sadness. She remembered playing ball in the yard with her father until he passed away when she was six years old. It was really sad for her two younger sisters because they would never have the chance to have those memories with their father.
     
    Of course, she always assumed that her mother would get remarried one day. But she never did. Carla said that the love of her life was their father and that she didn't think there was anyone else on earth that would be able to make her feel the way he did. She never really dated and instead threw herself into the role of mother. She worked long hours doing odd jobs to make sure that she had money to support her three girls. Now, she was able to work and have a life outside of being a parent since her girls were grown. Danna hoped she might finally start dating, but she knew better than to pressure her mother about it.
     
    After dinner, Danna went and sat out on the patio overlooking the mountains of north Georgia. Her sister, Emma, came and sat down beside her, drinking a glass of wine. Olivia was inside the house working on some paperwork she needed to do for her own job as an accountant.
     
    “So,” Emma said, “tell me what happened with your job.”
     
    “Well, they decided that I wasn't as valuable as some kid who just came out of college. I didn't get the big account that