I held his fingers tightly. “I have no idea.”
The two officers entered the apartment. The male officer glanced toward the stack of wire baking racks sitting beside our sink.
The female officer exchanged a look with her partner.
“No one is facing charges.”
I stared at her, completely confused. “Excuse me?”
She repeated herself. “No one is facing charges.”
A single sharp, breathless laugh escaped me. “Then for what reason are law enforcement agents standing in my living room before dawn?”
She exchanged another glance with her partner. “Because this situation expanded far beyond what anyone anticipated.”
Noah frowned. “What exactly expanded?”
The male officer smiled warmly. “You did, apparently.”
The female officer took out her phone. “The staff at the senior center uploaded photos yesterday afternoon. The relatives of the seniors distributed them online. One gentleman phoned his grandkid in tears because your baked goods brought back memories of his spouse. That grandkid happens to work for a regional community organization.”
Noah blinked several times. “All due to some pastries?”
The male officer laughed softly. “Evidently due to forty pastries.”
The female officer continued explaining. “The tale went viral overnight. The organization wishes to present you with an award at the community gathering this evening. The city leader’s office stepped in. A neighborhood bakery proprietor wants to provide you with a funded spot in their weekend pastry classes if you care to join.”
And that was the moment I broke.
Completely.
I barely managed to ask, “That is the reason you showed up?”
The officer nodded. “Charles demanded that an official inform you face-to-face before the tale spreads any further. He stated, and these are his exact words, ‘That boy did not bring dessert. He brought people back to life for ten minutes.’”
It was not quiet crying.
My whole body shook as I sobbed uncontrollably, pressing one hand against my forehead because all the fear I had been carrying suddenly had nowhere else to go.
The officer understood completely.
Noah hurried over to me. “Mom? What is wrong?”
I held his face between my hands. “Nothing is wrong. Kiddo, I honestly believed-”
I did not have enough breath to finish.
