Dropping my gloss into my purse, I snapped it closed then turned to face her. “Help me out then. What am I missing?”
Rylee sighed and crossed her arms. “How far back into Sloan’s past did you dig?”
“I didn’t dig much at all yet. I haven’t had the chance to. All I know is what was in the file Milo gave to me and what I pulled up in a quick internet search.”
Her face hardened.
“Milo…” she trailed off and shook her head. There was no mistaking the element of disgust in her expression. “I’ve never been a fan of his, but it doesn’t matter what I think. He did right by enlisting your help. Sloan doesn’t deserve the headlines he’s getting. He’s been through enough.”
“I read about it. The crash, the rehab—all of it is so traumatic.”
“No, I’m talking aboutbeforethe crash.”
“What do you mean?”
She hesitated for a moment, seeming unsure if she should say more.
“Look, most of what happened right before Sloan’s accident isn’t anything that’s not already publicly available on the internet. I just don’t think you’ve come across it yet. If you dig a little deeper, it’s all there. I don’t think I’ll betray any confidences by telling you about Sloan’s parents and why he won’t talk about them.”
“What about them?”
“Sloan’s father, Jeff Atwood, was a Formula One racer who died in a traffic accident on Ventura Freeway near Pasadena. It was a ten-car pileup about twenty years ago. From what I read about it, it was pretty awful. Six people died in total. Sloan was just a kid when it happened. He had always idolized his father, but after that day, he chose to continue his father’s legacy and started racing.”
“I didn’t know his father raced too. I can understand why it must be hard for Sloan to talk about him.”
A sad look spread over Rylee’s pretty face, and she shook her head.
“No, that’s not why he doesn’t talk about him—or his mother for that matter. The morning before Sloan had the crash that pulled him from racing, he discovered a hard truth about his father. I was there when it all happened.” She paused and seemed to be recalling the memory. “The song, “Ventura Highway,” was playing from a Bluetooth speaker in the pit lane. It was just something Sloan did before every race, whether it be a practice lap or the real deal. It’s a superstition he has—kind of like Colton tapping the hood four times. Anyways, a reporter showed up and started asking him questions about his father, saying Jeff Atwood had been drunk and was responsible for the accident on the freeway all those years ago. Sloan shooed the guy away, and none of us paid much attention to what he was saying. However, Sloan must have been thinking about it. When his mother showed up right before the practice run, he asked her about it. It turned out to be true. His father had been drinking and driving—a fact his mother had kept hidden from him for years.”
“Oh, no…”
“Sloan was furious to find out he’d idolized a man whose intoxication resulted in the death of five innocent people. He argued with his mother about it in front of everyone. There was a big shouting match in the pit lane, and Sloan ended up behind the wheel in a rage. Fifteen minutes later he spun out and crashed into the wall.”
“Oh my gosh!” My eyes widened in shock as I tried to envision how the scene unfolded. Sloan had to have second-guessed every decision he made that day. Not to mention, his mother must have been beside herself with guilt. I knew I certainly would’ve been. “Does Sloan blame his mother for what happened?”
Rylee shrugged, the expression on her face letting me know I had yet to hear the worst of the story.
“I don’t know. I never asked him because it was a touchy subject. His mother killed herself three days after the accident.”
I gasped.
“She killed herself?”
“Yeah. That’s why he snapped when you mentioned his parents. He’s still furious about what she did. It’s assumed that once Sloan’s mother heard about his extensive injuries, she couldn’t handle it. He was in really rough shape, and nobody expected him to live. With his mother gone, all he had was his friends to help him fight his way back. Being able to race again became his sole focus and the reason he fought so hard on his road to recovery.”
I thought back to what Sloan had said to me. It felt like I’d heard the words a lifetime ago, not just that very morning.
“You think you know everything, but you know nothing about me or what I had to give up… Racing was everything. I don’t know who I am without it.”
Suddenly, the pieces started to fall into place.
“Then the doctor told him he could never race again…” I let my words linger in the air, not needing to complete the sentence.
Rylee nodded knowingly. “That’s why I said not to be too hard on him. Just give him a chance, Kallie.”
* * *
Before leaving the restroom,I asked Rylee to say goodbye to Sloan and Colton for me and left the restaurant alone. It was easier to make a quick exit rather than go back to the table to face Sloan. Now that I had a bit more insight into his past, I needed a moment to reflect on my newfound knowledge.
