Raise Your Heart

Chapter 1

!TRIGGER WARNING! THIS BOOK CONTAINS VIOLENCE, CRUDE LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL CONTENT. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER WARNINGS MOVING FORWARD.

****************

Time to revamp. Time to dust. Time to donate. There was nothing more satisfying than a good spring clean. Trinity brushed her fingertips over the drab wool poncho hanging in the window of her boutique. Having only sold a few of the particular item, the window display would be one for the donate pile. A laugh escaped as she wondered why she thought the ugly piece would sell, especially in such a warm climate.

Luckily, Trinity didn't have too many pieces to donate. It had been a profitable year, and she was looking forward to her annual overhaul. A time when she changed the entire theme of her store, from clothing style to wall color. Like the past few years, she chose the week before the official start to spring to close shop and pack everything up in time for painters to come and do their thing. During that time, she traveled to the country's most popular fashion expo in search of new and exciting finds.

Pulling the poncho off of the mannequin, she frowned. The yearly expo traveled from state to state. This year, it just so happened to be visiting her home state. Three years had gone by since she left there. How would it be to go back?

However it would, she'd have nothing to worry about because her best friend would be right by her side. Petra had been a lifesaver when Trinity first arrived in California. It took her four days to reach the state and, when she arrived, she decided to go farther than the boarder ending up in Los Angeles.

She chose the first hotel she saw not realizing it was a four-star establishment. The total bill for one night came to two hundred and fifty dollars. A soft smile touched her lips as she reminisced over her reaction. It wasn't that she was broke. She had saved diligently while she worked. It was simply the matter of cost.

How could four walls, a window, bed and dresser cost so dang much? Luckily, a young woman dressed in an elegant suit with upswept hair and flawless makeup, noticed her. Actually, it was Trinity's outraged expression she noticed.

The woman inquired if there was a problem. Right away, Trinity denied there being one. But, the woman pressed on. That's when Trinity's eyes fell to the shiny gold bar pinned to the lapel of her suit jacket. It read Petra. What an unusual, pretty name.

Along with a pretty name, Petra's face was soft and kind which belied her observant eyes. Trinity felt embarrassed when Petra raked over her tired looking clothes, noticing she hadn't any bags in her possession except a backpack. One would think Trinity would have stopped to purchase new clothes during her four days of travel, but she hadn't. She only stopped at motels to sleep and shower before heading out again with a set determination.

Trinity remembered how Petra instructed the girl behind the front desk to give her the family discount for however long she stayed, plus one free night, along with free breakfasts. Had she really looked so needy?

The answer to that was a big fat yes. Petra would conveniently bump into Trinity whenever it was breakfast hours. While Petra didn't pry, she certainly made an attempt to befriend her for whatever reason. She even went so far as to open up a little and revealed her family owned the hotel. Petra was so easy to talk to, after a short amount of time, they became fast friends. It was safe to say, Trinity owed her success to Petra who suggested she start her own boutique after discovering how much Trinity loved fashion.

It was a scary idea at first. One Trinity quickly got over. If she were to make a new life, why not go all out? Petra was more than eager to help too. She not only helped Trinity find an apartment, but also formulated a business plan which afforded an advantage in securing a small business loan. After one short year, her business was well known throughout Los Angeles.