14
Aknock 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 toget 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.”
