THE DAY I INHERITED MY GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE—AND MY FAMILY TURNED ON ME

My sister, Catriona, came over just then, wiping her eyes. She threw her arms around me dramatically. “You know you’re my favorite brother,” she sniffed, even though I was her only brother. “Please, Royston, think of my boys. They need a yard to play in.”

I wanted to yell. But I couldn’t. Everyone was watching us—old family friends, cousins I barely knew, Grandpa’s church buddies. So I just nodded and stepped away, muttering something about needing air.

Out on the porch, the summer heat hit me like a wave. The wind rattled the old screen door Grandpa had fixed countless times. I could almost see him sitting there, in his favorite chair, telling me stories about how he and Grandma built this place from nothing.

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