Part 2Heir Apparent

Across the dinner table, Ashley angrily locked her phone and slammed it face down.

My mom finally looked up from her own phone, tapping the table. "Chloe, can you put that away? Look at your cousin. Ashley knows that dinnertime is for family."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"You never FaceTime me when you’re at school," she continued, her voice layered with guilt. "You’re finally home for the summer. Can't you just be present? Once Ashley leaves for college next year, how many of these family dinners will we have left?"

It was just the three of us at a massive ten-person table. Some "family dinner."

Ashley immediately softened her expression, turning to my mom with a syrupy sweet smile. "Oh, Aunt Linda, Chloe and I are different. When I’m in Europe, I’ll be calling you every single day. You’ll probably get sick of me." She shot a smug look in my direction. "I mean, it’s just undergrad. How busy can you be? If someone doesn't have time for a single call, it’s because they don’t want to make time."