Chapter One
“Ms. Daniels, I’m calling to tell you that we won’t be able to ship your last order to you,” the representative said.
“What?” Trina’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “Hold on a second.” She dropped a set of keys and handbag on the counter and took shallow breaths in an attempt to calm the escalating pulse in her veins. “There’s a large convention in town all next week. I need those supplies on time to run my business.” She pressed the cell phone to her ear to make sure she was hearing correctly. “Did you just say that you’re not shipping my order?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The sound of the representative typing on the keyboard came through loud and clear. “We tried to process your credit card for payment three times. Your bank declined the transaction. Do you have another form of payment?”
Trina’s heart dropped to her stomach. “You’re kidding me, right?” There was money in her checking account. She’d just deposited the business earnings last week. How could the bank decline her purchase?
“I’m sorry, Ms. Daniels. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. You should call your bank. We can hold your order for three business days so you can get this straightened out.”
She sighed in resignation, disconnecting the call quickly without another word. Her laptop was in the back of the store and she rushed to it with avid determination. The operating system couldn’t power up quick enough and she drummed her fingers on the desk in the little back office as the CPU hummed to life.
This was ridiculous. Last month she’d sat down with her accountant and they’d forecasted every single expense for the upcoming month. She’d gone completely broke before due to lack of budgeting and she promised herself that it would never happen again.
However, once Trina was logged onto her bank account she realized her mistake. Her bank balance was lower than it was supposed to be. How could she have forgotten that she’d purchased emergency medication for her dad two days ago?
Money was tight these days and Trina and her father had been living from paycheck to paycheck for the last few months. As soon as earnings from the dry cleaning business rolled in, they rolled right out. Up until now, she’d succeeded in staying out of the red. It hadn’t always been this way.
Just last year, her dad was involved in a car accident that resulted in both of his legs being amputated. Without health insurance or adequate savings, the medical bills skyrocketed as a result of his recovery and the surgery. Trina’s refusal to place her parent in long-term care led her to make the life-altering decision to quit a six-figure job to help him through recovery.
The physical therapy, medications, and top-of-the-line prosthetics were expensive. The dry cleaning business kept a roof over their head and food on the table, but month after month she pinched from her own retirement savings after all their credit cards were maxed out to pay for his care.
Trina picked up the purchase order for the overhead supplies for next week and compared it to her bank balance. She was a little over one hundred dollars short, which was enough reason for the bank to decline the charge.
She sat back in her chair and released an exasperated sigh. Something had to be done—fast. There was another ten days left until the end of this month and judging from the amount of money in her account, it was barely enough to get by and run a business.
The bell chimed over the entry door to the store. The first customer for the day. She should have been delighted to start the week off with the boost in earnings local businesses expected to bring in during the big convention coming to their small town, but this morning’s news had already put a damper on her spirit.
“Hello,” the customer called out.
Trina rose from her chair and went to greet the customer, a middle-aged women with a pile of dresses in her arms. “Good morning. How
“Ms. Daniels, I’m calling to tell you that we won’t be able to ship your last order to you,” the representative said.
“What?” Trina’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “Hold on a second.” She dropped a set of keys and handbag on the counter and took shallow breaths in an attempt to calm the escalating pulse in her veins. “There’s a large convention in town all next week. I need those supplies on time to run my business.” She pressed the cell phone to her ear to make sure she was hearing correctly. “Did you just say that you’re not shipping my order?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The sound of the representative typing on the keyboard came through loud and clear. “We tried to process your credit card for payment three times. Your bank declined the transaction. Do you have another form of payment?”
Trina’s heart dropped to her stomach. “You’re kidding me, right?” There was money in her checking account. She’d just deposited the business earnings last week. How could the bank decline her purchase?
“I’m sorry, Ms. Daniels. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. You should call your bank. We can hold your order for three business days so you can get this straightened out.”
She sighed in resignation, disconnecting the call quickly without another word. Her laptop was in the back of the store and she rushed to it with avid determination. The operating system couldn’t power up quick enough and she drummed her fingers on the desk in the little back office as the CPU hummed to life.
This was ridiculous. Last month she’d sat down with her accountant and they’d forecasted every single expense for the upcoming month. She’d gone completely broke before due to lack of budgeting and she promised herself that it would never happen again.
However, once Trina was logged onto her bank account she realized her mistake. Her bank balance was lower than it was supposed to be. How could she have forgotten that she’d purchased emergency medication for her dad two days ago?
Money was tight these days and Trina and her father had been living from paycheck to paycheck for the last few months. As soon as earnings from the dry cleaning business rolled in, they rolled right out. Up until now, she’d succeeded in staying out of the red. It hadn’t always been this way.
Just last year, her dad was involved in a car accident that resulted in both of his legs being amputated. Without health insurance or adequate savings, the medical bills skyrocketed as a result of his recovery and the surgery. Trina’s refusal to place her parent in long-term care led her to make the life-altering decision to quit a six-figure job to help him through recovery.
The physical therapy, medications, and top-of-the-line prosthetics were expensive. The dry cleaning business kept a roof over their head and food on the table, but month after month she pinched from her own retirement savings after all their credit cards were maxed out to pay for his care.
Trina picked up the purchase order for the overhead supplies for next week and compared it to her bank balance. She was a little over one hundred dollars short, which was enough reason for the bank to decline the charge.
She sat back in her chair and released an exasperated sigh. Something had to be done—fast. There was another ten days left until the end of this month and judging from the amount of money in her account, it was barely enough to get by and run a business.
The bell chimed over the entry door to the store. The first customer for the day. She should have been delighted to start the week off with the boost in earnings local businesses expected to bring in during the big convention coming to their small town, but this morning’s news had already put a damper on her spirit.
“Hello,” the customer called out.
Trina rose from her chair and went to greet the customer, a middle-aged women with a pile of dresses in her arms. “Good morning. How
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