The little girl had been in a high state of excitement, ever since she had gotten up impossibly early that morning. Even so, she missed Marco who had left for work even earlier. Elise had thought to stop him, but he'd been in such a foul mood for the last two days, she simply pulled the covers over her head and listened to his footsteps when he stopped outside Mimi's room briefly. The soft thud of the front door and the faint rumble of his Land Rover signaled his departure for the day. Mimi's disappointment was palpable, but Elise managed to reassure her that daddy would be even more surprised, and that yes, he would make it to Nonna G's later. But she couldn't shake the niggling suspicion that he might well not show up. She'd left him a note before they had departed for Mamma G’s, but he'd been so unapproachable since that day in his study, she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't bother to read it. He certainly hadn't bothered to respond to the several voice messages she left him since.
