Martin looked at me with a funny expression on his face, like he wasn’t sure what I was talking about. “Dude, you never had to work. Believe me, if I didn’t have to do this, I’d be home playing video games. Besides, you more than make up for it now. Grandma’s always talking about how proud she is of you, how her ‘baby boy’ is out there fighting the good fight.” I’d always loved Alfreda, she’d been good to us. She’d see my mom, sister and me smarting from whatever scathing comments my father had directed at us, and feed us, or give us an excuse to smile.

“Thanks for saying that. Is Alfie in there? I’ll go say hi.” He nodded distractedly and pointed to the house, already busy taking keys from another customer.

I braced myself as I walked into my parents’ place. It was my grandfather’s eighty-fifth birthday and he’d asked for something with close family. My mother interpreted his request as a themed party with a hundred guests and high-end catering.

I made my way through the crowd, dreading the inevitable clash with my father. I was so not up for the usual passive-aggressive jabs he used as a way to communicate with his children. I think my mother sided with him just from sheer exhaustion.

I spotted my grandpa hiding in a corner with my sister and smiled as I walked over to them. These days my grandfather had no filter and a hilarious low tolerance for what he called “blue-blood bullshit.” My sister, Emma, I actually enjoyed spending time with. She worked for the family as the winery’s marketing director, but she did not take any crap from my dad. She was brilliant at marketing and had done amazing things for the business since she’d taken over. He needed her, and they both knew it.

I bent down to give my grandfather a hug as soon as I got to them. “Hey, old man. You’re looking fancy.” He was dressed in a burgundy cashmere sweater and slacks. His feet ensconced in the handmade house shoes I’d gotten him for Christmas.

He held on to me for a few seconds longer than usual and let me go with a sigh. “How are you, son? How’s the business of putting bad guys away going?” I smiled, touched by the pride in his voice. When I told my family I’d be joining the district attorney’s office after I finished law school my parents weren’t exactly thrilled. My grandpa, on the other hand, thought it was fantastic, and he’d been supportive ever since.

“It’s all right. Some troubles with the sheriff’s department.” My sister, who had been talking to someone else, turned back to us as I said that.