I glanced at Lily. She was twisting the hem of her sweater.
“Mom,” she whispered, “can we just go home?”
My heart sank. She’d been looking forward to this day for weeks, and now she wanted to disappear.
I looked at Karen, who was already turning away as though the conversation were over.
Something inside me snapped.
But instead of arguing, I smiled.
“You know what? You’re right. We’ll leave.”
Karen smiled, clearly delighted with herself.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the enormous white chef’s hat I’d brought for Lily.
Before Karen could react, I stepped forward and plopped it right onto her head.
“Congratulations, Karen! You’re officially the head chef now!”
The hat was so tall it nearly doubled the size of her head. Several parents nearby burst out laughing.
Karen froze, her mouth hanging open.
Then her face turned bright red.
