Page 55 of A River of Crows

“Sloan, wait.” Noah sighed. “Let me . . .”

“I said I’ll handle it.” Sloan ended the call before Noah said anything else.

Dylan stood as she came back to the table. “Something wrong?”

“My mom.” Sloan grabbed her purse. “She’s at the creek. I hate to cut this short, but I need to bring her home.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll go with you.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.” Sloan choked back tears. She was thirty-two years old, and her mother still had the power to ruin her night. “I’m just sorry I have to leave. I was having a great time.”

“Then let’s keep having a great time. I’ll help you with your mom, and we can all watch a movie or something.”

Sloan’s eyes filled with tears. Both at Dylan’s kindness and because of how little he understood about her mother. Caroline wasn’t a mom you could sit and watch movies with. She wasn’t normal.

Dylan pulled a few bills from his wallet and threw them on the table. “At least let me help you; then, I’ll go home.”

“Fine.” Sloan turned away from Dylan, staring again at the vibrant paintings, now blurred by her tears. She wished she could jump into one and take Dylan with her to some faraway place, to a beautiful villa in Italy, but as long as her mom was alive, she’d never even get to leave Mallowater. She couldn’t even leave home, apparently. “My mom ruins everything.” She spat out the words through gritted teeth. “I guess if you’re going to be in my life, you better get used to it.”

Chapter 17

Mallowater, TX, 1995

Sloan stared at the pile of unpaid bills. Mom always stacked them at her dad’s former place at the table, a move Sloan suspected wasn't accidental. There was no way Dad could pay them sitting in jail. No way Mom could pay them without a job. So that meant they were Sloan’s responsibility—a nineteen-year-old’s responsibility She had been working for Doreen at her salon since she was thirteen, sweeping up hair, cleaning toilets, making appointments, and counting back change. At sixteen, she added a paper route, and two days after her graduation last month, a third job, a cashier at Blockbuster Video. But it still wasn’t enough. The bill stack always grew.

Walt and Doreen helped. They’d paid bills, set Caroline up for public assistance, given Sloan unwarranted bonuses, and even bought her first car— a used but reliable Honda Accord. They’d bought Noah one too, but Sloan wondered how much nicer his would be if his parents felt no obligation toward Sloan. If Sloan had parents, she could count on for things everyone else her age counted on their parents for—cars, college, food on the table.

Sloan grabbed the bills and sorted them by priority. She hadn’t paid electricity last month, so she’d better get caught up. Nope, never mind. Car insurance was due this month. That meant nothing else would get paid.

The phone interrupted her sorting. The stranger on the other end of the line asked for her.

Sloan knew it wasn’t a bill collector since she hadn’t asked for Caroline. No big anniversary of her brother’s death was coming up, so it probably wasn’t a reporter. She took a chance.

“This is Sloan.”

“Hello, Sloan. This is Roberta Perry. I’m a recruiter at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas.”

Sloan slumped against the wall. She’d considered LeTourneau. But even with three jobs and financial aid, paying the tuition would be impossible.

“I mailed an application to your residence yesterday. Once you receive it, please send it back along with your high school transcript and admissions essay as soon as possible. All the instructions are —”

“Mrs. Perry,” Sloan interrupted, “thanks, but I’m not interested in attending your university.” She caught the sharpness of her tone and tried to soften it. “It’s just not in my budget.”

“That’s why I’m calling, Sloan.” Roberta’s voice grew chipper. “I have some wonderful news. A donor contacted us, and they would like to pay for your education.”

Sloan’s entire body tensed. “Very funny. Who is this?”

“This isn’t a joke. Of course, you’ll have to go through the admissions process, but if you are accepted, this donor will pay one hundred percent of your educational costs, plus a dorm room and basic meal plan, as long as you maintain passing grades.”

Sloan’s legs shook beneath her. She pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and stretched the phone cord so she could sit. “Who’s paying?”

“They wish to remain anonymous. I’ll leave you my number in case you have questions filling out the application.”

Sloan sat in the chair, frozen with the phone still in her hand for several minutes after the call ended. She was afraid to hang up. Afraid the phone would ring again, and Roberta Perry would say she’d called the wrong number.

Who would pay for her college education? There is no way Walt and Doreen could afford it. No way they’d want her to leave Mallowater and go to Longview, even if it was just an hour away. Doreen had been pushing her to fill out applications to Mallowater Community College’s beautician program since the beginning of senior year.

“What are you doing just sitting there?” Caroline shuffled into the room, eyes half-closed and still wearing her pajamas. “Hang up the phone. That costs money. You’re wasting electricity.”

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