Chapter 14

14

A knock on her door pulled Candace out of bed. She had spent the entire day relaxing and avoiding leaving her room. She considered going down the hall to Brent’s room so they could talk, but she didn’t know what she’d say. They were in a weird place and letting him know she might want to be with him, but wasn’t sure, was a conversation she didn’t want to have.

She looked through the peephole to find Jessica standing in front of her door. Her heart sank half hoping to find Brent, even though she knew Jessica would come by.

She pulled the door open, and Jessica smiled before stepping past her into the room.

“How are you feeling?” Jessica asked.

Candace shrugged. “I’m okay. Ready to get over this injury.”

“I bet.” Jessica moved over to the bed and crawled on top, sitting on the side that was still partially made. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Candace climbed back onto the bed the best she could. It took several minutes of her maneuvering around to get comfortable, but she didn’t mind. It was stalling the conversation that she wasn’t sure she was ready to have.

When she finally settled, Jessica turned toward her. “So… Brent?”

Candace sighed. “I know. It’s weird, huh?”

“Honestly? No. I actually think you guys would be good together.”

Candace’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Why is that?”

“He’s a good guy. I know you think he’s lazy or a screwup or whatever, but he’s been nothing but welcoming to me. He’s smart. He has a great family.”

Candace rubbed her eyes. “There’s something I never told you.”

“Okay. Tell me now.”

“Brent and I met back in college. We were supposed to go on a date, but he never showed.”

Jessica looked taken aback. “Wait… what? You and Brent went to college together?”

“More or less. We went to the same college, but didn’t have classes together.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?”

Candace shrugged and picked at a loose thread on the bedspread. “It was a week before I came home.”

“Because of Mom and Dad,” Jessica stated in understanding.

Candace nodded.

“So why didn’t you tell me when I started dating Travis?”

“I didn’t know he was related to Brent. I barely remembered Brent’s last name, and we were in another state. What are the chances they would be brothers? It wasn’t until last Christmas when Brent came home I made the connection. At that point, I didn’t want to make things awkward, so I kept it to myself. Especially since Brent didn’t seem to remember.”

“Does he now?”

“I told him the other night.”

Jessica hugged her knees to her chest. “Did he tell you why he stood you up?”

Candace laughed and rubbed at the back of her neck. “Actually, to make me feel like a complete jerk, he was in the hospital. He was in a car accident.”

Understanding dawned on Jessica’s face. “Oh. Travis and his family have talked about it a few times, but not when Brent has been around. I guess he changed after that. It was rough. Travis said Brent used to be a lot more outgoing.”

Candace tilted her head. “He seems pretty outgoing to me.”

“He does to me, too. Travis said Brent is just different. Not quite the same happy, go lucky person he used to be. Not after his friend was killed, anyway.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Jessica rubbed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I thought you knew since he told you about the accident.”

Candace touched Jessica’s arm. “You have to tell me now. What happened?”

Jessica sighed. “I guess Brent was driving. It was icy out, and they were heading home after a party in the early morning. Brent was sober, though. A car coming the opposite direction hit a patch of ice and wasn’t able to stop. It slid into their lane, and they collided. His best friend wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the car. Killed on impact.”

Candace put a hand over her mouth. Here she had been upset over the fact that he stood her up, but all along, he had been in the hospital mourning the loss of his best friend.

“Travis said that Brent has blamed himself every day since.”

“But it isn’t his fault,” Candace said. “It was an accident.”

Jessica nodded. “He doesn’t see it that way. He thinks if maybe he was going slower and had anticipated the other car’s slide, maybe his friend would still be alive.”

Candace shook her head. The new information made her heart go out to him. And here he knew she used to dislike him. Plus, she basically told him at breakfast that it wasn’t possible for them to be friends.

“You okay?” Jessica asked.

“I think I screwed up.”

“With Brent?”

Candace nodded.

Jessica nodded a head toward the door. “Go talk to him.”

“I will. But first we need to chat. How’s married life so far?”

“It’s great! It’s not like we’ve been home yet, though. Being married doesn’t really feel any different except I have a pretty ring.” Jessica held out her hand and stared at the sparkly diamond on her finger.

“He did a great job picking it out. I was impressed.”

“Me too.”

Candace watched Jessica for a moment. It was clear to see that Jessica was the happiest Candace had ever seen her. It was all she had hoped for for Jessica, and more.

“I’m so happy you found Travis.”

Jessica wrapped an arm around Candace’s shoulders. “Thank you, sis. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. You’ve been a constant rock for me. I hope you know how much I appreciate all you’ve done.”

“I would do anything for you,” Candace said.

“I know. But now it’s my turn to do something for you.”

Candace gave her a questioning look and waited for her to continue.

“I am going to come home with you and help you get back on your feet.”

Candace shook her head. “No. I don’t need the help.”

Jessica laughed out loud. “Yes, you do. And you can’t convince me otherwise. But that’s not something we need to discuss right now, since I know you’re stubborn and will argue it for the next two hours if I let you. For now, you need to go talk to Brent.”

“What if I can’t fix this?”

“Honey, I know you don’t see it, but Brent looks at you like you’re the only person in the room. He always has.”

Candace raised an eyebrow and gave Jessica a look that said she was full of it.

Jessica giggled. “I know you don’t believe me, but he does. Talk to him. That’s all you need to do.”

Candace knew she needed to, but part of her wondered if it was too late.

There was only one way to find out.