The officers could have left right then, filing it away as a false alarm. But instead, they exchanged a glance, and Rivera grinned.
“Tell you what,” he said. “Since we’re already here… how about we help blow up those balloons?”
Sarah blinked. “You’d really do that?”
“Of course,” Officer Jensen replied. “Besides, I’m great with frosting. Or at least, I think I am.”
And so, that night, the Parker house turned into a scene no one would forget. Two uniformed police officers sat at the kitchen table, helping Sarah frost cupcakes while Daniel taped banners to the walls. Oliver squealed with delight as Max barked and chased the floating balloons.
By the time they were done, the living room looked like something out of a storybook—streamers, balloons, a stack of cupcakes, and a cake that read in messy icing: “Happy 7th Birthday, Oliver!”
