Finish What We Started by Amylynn Bright Page B

took excellent care of her. He made sure she ate, which she had a tendency to forget when she was working hard. It was such a little thing, but it meant a lot.
    They had a lot in common. He may not have as many siblings as she did—just a younger brother and sister—but he was a devoted family man. When his father had died unexpectedly several years before when he was only twenty, Lee had assumed the role of the head of the family. There had been no life insurance, so he’d left school and went to work. It was more important to him that his mother didn’t lose the house and that his brother and sister were able to finish their own schooling with as little disruption as possible. Well, as much as could be expected with the gaping hole in their lives. He’d sent his brother to culinary school in Paris and when his sister married her high school sweetheart, he’d been there to walk her down the aisle.
    One night early in their relationship, as they’d lain in bed, Candace had told him all about the school in Scotland. She knew so much about the place, it was almost like she’d already been there. There had been pictures of the university hanging in her childhood bedroom the way other girls had pictures of Zac Efron.
    He had hugged her and told her how excited he was for her. “I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get there.”
    Then he’d shown her exactly how much he was going to miss her.
    Afterward, she’d confessed that she was nervous.
    “Of course you are.” He’d stroked her hair, spreading it across his chest like a thick blonde blanket. “It’s a long way from home. But we’ll video chat.”
    “And you’re coming for the spring break, right?”
    “I’ve already sent in my passport application.”
    They said the L word that night for real. They talked of marriage, but it was always after she finished school. Lee hadn’t officially proposed because he knew she wanted to wait, and he was wholly supportive of her. His talk of the future always included a big family. That was the only thing about their relationship that worried Candace. She wanted kids—of course she did—but they seemed as far away as marriage did. A distant thought, to be considered after her other goals had been met. Knowing that Lee and everything he represented was there waiting for her was a powerful incentive. So as she read every single word of the welcome packet, it was Lee she couldn’t wait to share her excitement with.
    Later, she was packing her kitchen and wondering where Lee was when her cell rang. His grinning face showed on the screen. “Hi.” There was only silence on the other end. “Are you there?” She pulled the phone away from her face to see if she’d lost the connection when he finally spoke.
    “Sarah and Pete and Sidney were in an accident.”
    “Oh my God.” She put down the cups she was wrapping so she could give him all her attention. “Are they all right?”
    “No.” His voice sounded like it was filtered through gravel. “We’re at the hospital now.”
    She grabbed her purse and fished around for her keys. “Which one? I’m coming.”
    When she entered Regional Hospital through the emergency exit, she was directed to the fifth-floor surgical waiting room. Lee and Mark were sitting in a small grouping of uncomfortable chairs with four other shell-shocked people. Lee stood as soon as he saw her exit the elevator. He took her by the hand and pulled her into a little alcove away from the others.
    “Sidney’s in surgery,” he blurted out. His expression was tight and his normally charmingly disheveled hair had a manic quality about it.
    She placed her hands on his face, one on each cheek. “What happened?”
    He swallowed, hard. “A kid in a pickup ran a red light and T-boned the car going about seventy. It rolled a couple of times.” He looked away and composed himself before continuing. “Took the fire department forty-five minutes to get them out. Pete died at the