Fairfield Family Wines bought black-and-white pictures to hang on the tasting room walls and presented themselves as a Moonstone Cove institution. Tourists ate it up, and local vintners rolled their eyes.
“Is Fairfield still pressuring him to sell that acreage along Ferraro Creek?”
Henry nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think Nico’s tempted even with what Fairfield is offering, because the cabernet vines that grow along there have been amazing the past few years and they’re the backbone of our estate red blend. Danny told me Fairfield doesn’t even want to plant it. But it’s right across the creek from his tasting room, and he wants to expand his event space.”
“Are you serious?” Toni rolled her eyes. “What an asshole.”
“Yeah.” Henry glanced at Toni. He looked nervous. “Someone told me they saw Marissa and Fairfield having drinks in town. Have you heard about that? Do you think Nico has?”
Toni’s eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
“You think it’s just gossip?”
Henry shrugged. “No idea. The two of them deserve each other, if you ask me.”
The only harsh word Toni had ever heard from Henry was about Marissa, Nico’s ex-wife. Or… almost ex-wife. He’d been trying to get her to sign the papers for six months. She’d up and left him and their two kids a couple of years ago, but Marissa was still hoping to wrangle some of the winery from the Dusi clan.
“I used to think it was kind of shitty that Grandpa Dusi never signed that land over to Nico outright since he was the one who loved it the most and was obviously the one who would take over eventually, but now I am so glad he didn’t.”
“I think Nico’s happy about that too.” Henry finished his coffee. “But I still hate the idea of Fairfield fooling around with Marissa and messing with Nico that way.”
“I don’t think he’ll care,” she said. “It’ll bug the kids though.” She narrowed her eyes. “If it really is Fairfield messing with Nico, I hope that finger we found is his.”
Henry chuckled. “So vengeful.”
“You should know this about me.” She looked over at him. “I have a mean streak.”
“I know. I think it’s cute.” He stood and handed her his mug. “I better get back to cleaning up those vines before it gets too hot. Really appreciate the coffee, Toni.”
“Sure.” And thanks for knocking me up with your thirty-year-old super-sperm and upending my entire life. Really appreciate that, Henry.
Toni took both mugs back in the house and shot Shelby a dirty look as she rolled around in the window, baring her belly to a retreating Earl. “Have some dignity, woman.” She shook her head. “You know, this is what happens when you let a man in your life.”
Chapter 5
Sunday dinners with the Dusi clan were a rotating affair. They were mainly held at Bobby and Rose Dusi’s house where they’d retired, but now that her parents were a little older, her brother Frank sometimes hosted them at his ranch house out in the country, or Nico hosted them at the giant Mediterranean house at the winery.
Toni’s house, thankfully, would never be big enough for Sunday dinner.
Regular attendance from her and her brother was expected. Her older sister Luna and her family lived in Monterey and could skip out on most of them. Nico and his two kids were usually in attendance, especially in the years since Marissa had left.
And mixing into that core group were various aunts, uncles, grown cousins, and myriad third-generation Dusis, Lanzas, Herreras, and Mendoncas. In all, Sunday dinner was usually between thirty to fifty people, all eating copious amounts of tri-tip barbecue and homemade pasta in the garden behind her parents’ house.
Sunday dinners were some of Toni’s favorite times with her family, but they’d become a minefield since her empathy had developed. She had to be cautious, or she’d quickly become overwhelmed.
She grabbed a plate of food and settled in her favorite spot at the picnic table in the back corner. That concentrated family drama on two sides instead of four. Within minutes, her sister Luna joined her.
“Where’s your wine?” Luna didn’t sit down. “Did you forget it? I’ll get you some.”
“No.” She motioned for her sister to sit. “Not drinking anything today.”
Luna was instantly concerned. “Nico brings brand-new bottles and you’re passing? What’s wrong?”
Not wanting to be hit with another coffee-type situation, Toni had come prepared with a cover story. It wasn’t that her family were alcoholics—none of them had a drinking problem that she knew of—but in a family of farmers and winemakers, not drinking the new wine was noticeable.
“Okay, it’s kind of weird and it may be an overreaction—”
“Oh my God, what’s going on?” Luna’s emotional temperature spiked.
“My blood pressure is a little high. Chill.” Toni held up a hand. “My doctor told me it might just be stress but to cut back on caffeine and alcohol and stuff for a while until we can follow up.”
Luna’s eyes were wide. “Blood pressure? Did she put you on any meds?” Luna was a marine biologist, but the operating word there was biologist. She was keenly interested in anything medical if it had to do with her family. “Did you tell her about Dad?”
“I told her about Dad.”
“And Auntie Gina? Did you tell her about Gina?”
“I told her about Gina too. Like I said, she’s being cautious and wants to just see what happens if I cut out the wine and coffee and try to get more sleep.”
Luna pursed her lips. “What did I say, Toni?”
“Yes, I know. Welcome to my forties.”
The satisfied smirk was infuriating. “And you were soooo sure—”
“Can we not?”
“I’m just saying.”
“I know you are.” Toni adored her big sister. Luna drove her crazy sometimes, but Toni adored her.
A few minutes later, they were joined by their sister-in-law, Jackie. Jackie’s family were vegetable growers, and Frank and Jackie had been high school sweethearts. Toni hardly remembered when her sister-in-law hadn’t been part of the family.
Jackie sat down and let out a long sigh. She motioned for Luna and Toni to scoot together. “If you guys just scoot a little closer together, I don’t think the kids will be able to see me.”
With Jackie’s presence, the emotional energy in Toni’s small bubble turned up to eleven—that was just how her sister-in-law rolled—but Toni didn’t mind. Jackie was a lot, but she always cracked Toni up.
“Where’s Rani?” Jackie asked. “I didn’t see him around.”
Luna waved a hand. “He was scheduled to go out on the boat with a group of doctoral students from Central Coast State this weekend. He couldn’t change it.”
“Gotcha.”
Luna’s husband, Ranil Abaya, was a marine climatologist who’d come to Monterey via the Philippines and South Africa before he’d gotten a job in California. He and Luna had been working together for barely a year before they’d announced they were getting married. Having a Filipino son-in-law might have been a surprise for their parents, but since Rani was Catholic, they had no issue with it.