Chapter 16
Completing Harlow’s good deed was trickier than she thought it would be. After setting up an account on Northern Michigan University’s website, she navigated through several screens until finally being connected to a live person in the finance department.
Harlow briefly outlined her goal. “Arlen is a great kid who has gone through some tough times. He’s interested in more of a trade school career.”
“Which fast-tracks students,” the student service’s advisor said. “NMU helps with job placement.”
“It sounds perfect.”
“How much do you plan to put toward his education?”
“I want to pay for the whole enchilada,” Harlow said. “Tuition, supplies, housing, food allowance, maybe even set up a small spending account.”
“Are you related to the student?”
“No.”
“I see. A close family friend.”
“Close enough. Tell me how I can accomplish this as quickly as possible.”
The advisor took Harlow’s personal email address and promised to send her the application and forms, along with the paperwork. “I sent it over.”
Harlow clicked on the email, confirming receipt. “Awesome. I’ll be able to wire the money over once I finish setting up an account, so it should only take a day or so.”
“I mean, if you have the funds, you can do it with a few clicks of a button. You can put as much or as little into his account as you want.”
“As I said, I want to pay for it all. Could you give me a ballpark figure?”
The woman rattled off a number. The amount was significant, but not shocking.
While the advisor ran the numbers to confirm the amount, Harlow scanned the form.
It looked straightforward and easy to fill out.
She would need some of Arlen’s personal information.
“I was hoping to surprise him. Is there any way I can get the ball rolling with limited details and let him fill in the blanks?”
“Absolutely.”
She jotted notes while the woman talked. With a few more questions, Harlow felt confident she could set up Arlen’s separate NMU account in short order. “I appreciate your help.”
“This young man is going to be over the moon.”
“I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m hoping it doesn’t backfire and blow up in my face.”
“Not a chance. Feel free to give me a call if you run into a snag.” The advisor gave Harlow her direct number. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Harlow Wynn.”
A long silence ensued. So long that Harlow thought they’d been disconnected. “Hello? Are you still there?”
“Yes. I…uh…did you say Harlow Wynn?”
“I did.”
“The Harlow Wynn?”
“I don’t know any other Harlow Wynns although I’m sure they’re out there.”
“I love your movies.” The woman hurried on, telling Harlow how much she adored her films. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
“No worries. You’ve been most helpful.”
“Again, if you run into any issues or get stuck, you have my number.”
Harlow thanked her. As soon as she hung up, she promptly logged into the section requesting her payment information.
It took some back and forth with her bank but finally, she was able to finish setting up the account, depositing what she hoped would be enough money for her young friend to follow his dream.
She printed off the receipt and paperwork; the detailed sheets of pertinent information including Arlen’s newly minted student account number and tucked it into her sling bag.
Harlow promptly called the bike shop.
“Island Bike Shop. Arlen speaking.”
“Hey, Arlen. It’s Harlow.”
“Oh. Hi, Harlow. How is the tire working out?”
“Great. Like new. I had no trouble at all. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was wondering what your work schedule is like tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“In the morning.”
“Uh. It’s a school holiday, so I’m here most of the day.”
“Is there any chance you can sneak away for an hour or so? I want to take you out for breakfast.”
“Y-you want to take me to breakfast?”
“I do,” Harlow said. “I suppose I can bring you breakfast but I was hoping we could chat for a few minutes without being interrupted.”
“Can you hang on for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Bang.
She heard a loud banging, guessing Arlen had dropped his phone in his excitement at being invited to breakfast.
The breathless teen returned to the line seconds later. “Harlow?”
“I’m here.”
“My Uncle Joe is gonna watch the bike shop. What time?”
“Is nine too early?” She suggested the diner she and the Mackies had met at when they updated her on their surveillance mission and found out Cheyenne and Robert were in cahoots. “They have a nice breakfast buffet.”
“Nine sounds great. I’ll see you there.”
“See you there.”
Right before Arlen disconnected the line, she heard him whoop loudly.
Smiling to herself, Harlow set her phone on the desk. “Arlen London, I can’t wait to see the look on your face tomorrow morning.”