“Okay, Bill, here’s the plan,” Molly said, peering through the bushes at the brightly colored balloons. “We sneak in during the cake cutting.” “Cake cutting? You mean the part where kids scream for sugar?” Bill raised an eyebrow. “Brilliant.” “Focus! We grab the presents while they’re distracted. Easy peasy.” “Right, because kids are known for their attention spans. What if they see us?” “Then we just pretend to be clowns!” Molly grinned. “I’ve got a red nose in my bag.” “A clown? You think they’ll buy that? You can’t even juggle!” “Hey! I can juggle…sort of. Besides, it’s not about the juggling; it’s about the distraction.” “Distraction? You mean like the time you tried to distract that dog with a stick and it chased you up a tree?” “Shut up! This is different. We’ll be in and out before they even notice.” “Right, and what if the parents catch us?” “Then we’ll just say we’re lost party entertainers. ‘Surprise!’” “Great, so we’ll be the clowns who steal presents. That’s a new low.” “Come on, Bill! It’ll be fun! Think of all the toys!” “Fine, but if we get caught, I’m blaming the clown nose.” “Deal!”