Page 27 of The Beat of her Heart

Addie chuckled softly, though her amusement faded when she saw the flash ofsomething—pain?—in Giselle’s eyes. “No,” she said gently, “they didn’t force me into anything. They just wanted me to be happy.”

Giselle didn’t respond right away. Instead, her gaze drifted toward the window at the far end of the hall. Addie watched her closely, noticing the way Giselle’s shoulders tensed and her hands clenched at her sides.

Before the silence could stretch too long, Addie pushed herself off the wall, her ankle still protesting slightly. “You know what? I think we’re done here. My ankle could use a break, and I think we both could, too.”

Giselle hesitated, but eventually nodded. She started walking ahead, but Addie noticed that she slowed just enough for her to keep up.

Addie tried not to think too much about everything that’d just happened. Giselle had cracked, but only enough to hold a brief conversation. It meant nothing. It definitely wasn’t enough to justify the wide smile currently on her face. She glanced at Giselle.

Giselle’s lips were pressed into a thin line as they stepped outside. Her gaze drifted to the sky, watching as the sun dipped lower behind the horizon. For a second, Addiethought she might open up more, but then Giselle straightened her posture, the cold mask slipping back into place.

“Thanks for getting some air with me,” Giselle said, her tone cool again, though not unkind.

They walked back inside together, the hum of the hospital surrounding them. Giselle stayed quiet beside her, her hands tucked into her coat pockets as they made their way down the hall. There was a stiffness in her posture again, a careful distance that made it clear whatever had almost happened earlier wasn’t up for discussion.

Just as they reached the end of the hallway, they ran into Josephine, who was heading toward them with a smile on her face.

“There you two are,” Josephine said. “Just the people I wanted to see.”

Addie raised an eyebrow, glancing between Josephine and Giselle, who remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.

“We’re having a small gathering for Ember’s birthday this weekend,” Josephine continued, “and I wanted to extend the invitation to you both.”

Addie blinked, taken aback by the sudden invitation. “I don’t know if I can make it. I’ve been having trouble getting around lately.”

Josephine tilted her head, curious. “Trouble?”

Addie shifted her weight slightly, feeling a bit self-conscious about the lingering weakness in her ankle. “I had an old injury flare up, and my driver is usually booked on the weekends. It makes getting out of the house a bit complicated.”

Josephine didn’t miss a beat. “You can carpool with Giselle.”

Addie’s eyes widened and she looked at Giselle, who’d been standing quietly beside them. Giselle looked up at that, her expression as unreadable as ever, but there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

“I…what?” Addie managed, her mind racing. The idea of spending more time with Giselle, let alone in a car outside of work, felt like a lot more than she was prepared for.

Josephine smiled, clearly pleased with her suggestion. “It makes sense. You two already work together, and Giselle drives. It’ll be easy.”

Giselle’s lips parted, but no words came out. She seemed as stunned as Addie, though she kept her face neutral, eyes flicking briefly to Addie before settling back on Josephine.

“I guess that could work,” Addie said, though the words felt strange on her tongue. She wasn’t sure how to navigate this—spending more time with Giselle outside of work after everything that had happened earlier. But before she could think of another excuse, Josephine nodded.

“Perfect,” Josephine said, clearly satisfied. “It’ll be a great chance for everyone to relax outside the hospital. You’ll both enjoy it.”

Addie glanced over at Giselle again, her pulse quickening. Giselle’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, neither spoke. They just stood there, staring at each other.

9

GISELLE

The moment Josephine suggested the carpool, Giselle’s mind started spinning. Spending time with Addie outside of the hospital, in a social setting, was the last thing she wanted.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Addie—she liked her too much, and that was a problem. The kiss they’d almost shared earlier weighed heavily on her mind. It had been unexpectedandintense, and everything about it made Giselle want to keep her distance.

She could already feel the excuses forming in her head. She could say she was busy, had something else planned, or simplywasn’t feeling well. Anything to avoid the party and the awkward situation of driving Addie there.

“Giselle?” Josephine called.

Giselle sighed. There was no getting out of this.

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