I pressed my face against the living room window and watched the driveway anxiously.
The house was filled with whispered voices and barely contained excitement as family friends and neighbors crouched behind furniture, waiting.
"Is she coming?" Aunt Carmen whispered from where she squatted behind the couch.
"Not yet," I whispered back, as I checked my phone for the third time in two minutes.
Mom had been gone for almost an hour now, driving across town to pick up the "special flour" I'd insisted she needed for her weekend baking.
It was a complete lie, but it was the only way I could think of to get her out of the house long enough to let the event planner set up and for everyone to arrive.
When Jennifer from Celebrate! Events had called about the surprise party, I'd initially be
