“Back then it was a hell no.” This, the angry part, was a lot easier to talk about than the accident. “When I look back now, I figure I could’ve gone one of two ways when my dad died. I could’ve gotten my act together, changed my ways, gotten back on track, or I could let myself be overcome by the blackest anger. Seventeen-year-old Cole chose anger.”

Sierra’s only response was to squeeze his fingers.

“They thought I was bad before, but that was nothing,” he said. “Senior year was more fights, more visits to the principal’s office because of mouthing off. I started skipping classes, stopped doing homework, grades plummeted, but I’d had a high GPA to start with, so I managed to graduate in spite of myself.”

“But no college.”

“That was my giant fuck-off to the world,” he said. “At least that’s how I viewed it. I’d show them. Family expectations? Shove ’em. Family business? Hell no. I think I thought, subconsciously anyway, if I didn’t go to college, I couldn’t work for North Brothers. It’d shut them the hell up. To make sure of it, I signed away my rights to my share of the company.” He blew out a heavy breath. “I know what a jackass I must sound like.” She had to be grasping exactly how giant of one, and even though that was his original intention, it bothered him. “I’m sure you don’t understand. Have you ever done anything rebellious in your life?”

Sierra laughed and raised her head from his shoulder. “Have you seen what I do for my career?” She sat up straighter and grimaced when she raised her bad leg. It had to be killing her to rest it on the floor.

“I chose not to go to college too,” she said. “I knew what I wanted to do, was already doing it. Couldn’t wait to do it full-time. My parents didn’t understand. My siblings, I’m sure, thought I was stupid and spoiled. My grandpa was still running the company then, and he supported me. After a couple of years, he encouraged me to get an associate’s degree in construction management. I did it online, before online was cool or common or respected. So yeah. I might not have had the anger thing going for me, but I’ve gone against the grain and done the opposite of what everyone else thought I should.”

This time he was the one to squeeze her fingers. He’d not thought about it before, what she must’ve gone through back then, the battles she’d had to fight herself, whether internal or with her family. She was such a strong leader, so sure of what she was doing now that it was hard to imagine her struggling with the decision back then.