“Mommy!” Isabella squealed the moment Elise opened the apartment door.
The little girl launched forward like a tiny rocket, her backpack bouncing against her back, her doll squeezed tightly in one hand. Elise bent down quickly so Isabella wouldn’t collide with her knees, catching her daughter in a warm, practiced embrace.
“Hello, sweetheart,” she murmured, brushing a kiss to Isabella’s forehead. “How was your lunch with Daddy?”
Isabella immediately pulled back, eyes sparkling with excitement—the kind of excitement only a four-year-old could summon, pure and overflowing. “It was so fun, Mommy! We went to the mall and we saw Ms. Marian and her friend! And then we all ate lunch together because Daddy said it’s a special day. Mommy, did you know Ms. Marian is Daddy’s special friend? Daddy c
