Victoria stood in the middle of the living room, arms crossed, surveying the stacks of boxes and bags filled with decorations. Balloons in vibrant colors, a mountain of party favors, and an array of dinosaur-themed props filled every corner of the space. Sophie sat cross-legged on the floor, a banner in her lap that read “Happy Birthday, Ethan!” in bold letters.

“Do we have enough streamers?” Sophie asked, tying a knot in one of the balloons.

Victoria smirked. “We have enough streamers to cover the entire neighborhood if we wanted to.”

Sophie laughed. “Good. Ethan’s going to love this. I mean, who wouldn’t love a dinosaur birthday extravaganza?”

Victoria smiled,...