To Breathe Again

Chapter 1 - A New Challenge

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Michelle's POV

Sitting in my office and staring at my computer screen, I'm struggling today to stay focused on what needs to be done. I feel like doing anything but my job right now. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I'm damn good at it actually. Not bragging, just stating a fact. It took me a long time to be able to do that; to be able to tell myself and others that I am good at what I do. I always felt that I should be humble and not say anything but my second husband, now ex-husband, was really good at telling me that I was smart and great at what I do and encouraging me to reach higher. At least in the beginning it was like that. He always told me that I was much stronger and capable than I thought I was. When I looked for a job, I would look for positions that were on the lower end of the accounting and business spectrum. He would tell me that I need to try for higher positions, knowing that I could do them. I wasn't so sure, but every time, he was right. I would reach higher and higher and each time, I did just fine. If anything, I excelled the higher I went. Now, sitting here in my office with "CFO" on the door, I take on more and more with ease. My team members are always asking for advice and astounded at how I almost always have an answer for them but for me, I just see it as 30 years of experience under my belt paying off.

A knock came on my door and a head popped in. "Is it safe?" comes an all too familiar voice.

Chester has been the owner and CEO here for over 20 years. We work in tech manufacturing but don't ask me about our products, it will make my head spin. I am techy, but not that techy. These guys work in high-level coding and servers and are way more advanced than I can wrap my head around. Don't feel too bad for me though, ask them about debit and credits and they will stare back like a deer in headlights. Ha!

Chester is great to work with. He's like an older brother and we banter back and forth quite a lot. I love his wife, who won me over with homemade strawberry cheesecake on my birthday. I swore to him that if she wasn't already married, I would have stolen her away. Chester laughed at this and said that was why his midsection had grown so much over the years. She joked back that it also had to do with the fact that he watches TV all the time and refuses to work out. I have to agree with him there. I truly hate working out.

I lived outside the US for a while, a couple of years in South America and then in Europe for a few months before returning home to the deep south. While outside the US I walked a lot and when I say a lot, I mean ALL the TIME. I loved it. It was my escape. The whistles I got while walking were also a boost to my ego and a little secret guilty pleasure I enjoyed, as long as it was safely at a distance. What girl doesn't need to feel pretty? We also don't want to be attacked so a whistle is fine, touching is a no. Some girls don't like it. I did. I needed it. I felt so ugly and unwanted at home.

Aaaanyways, back to Chester.

"Ha ha, very funny. What do you need, Boss?" I replied, looking away from my computer and happy to have a little break from the strain on my eyes.

"I need to introduce you to someone. You remember I mentioned that we need to build a second facility on the west side of the property?" I nodded in understanding. "Well, I want a buddy of mine to handle it, but I need someone on the C-Suite team to watch over the progress, make decisions, basically take it off my hands. I need to know if you don't mind taking this on." I started to speak, but he cut me off, raising his hand for me to wait to reply. "I know you have a ton on your plate, but really you are the only one with any construction knowledge and I trust you fully."