I dropped my thick manila folder on the counter and sat down directly across from them both with a calm, unreadable face.

“What’s all that paperwork, Claire?” Peter asked nervously, eyeing the tidy stacks of documents in the folder.

“This is our revised family operating plan for the next twelve months, Peter, and we’re going to go through every page of it together,” I answered evenly.

Gretchen rolled her eyes with a loud scoff and made a show of checking the gold watch on her wrinkled wrist.

“Are we really going to put ourselves through another emotional lecture when there are practical realities to deal with, Claire?” Gretchen asked condescendingly.