Page 37 of The Beat of her Heart

“Sophie?” Ember cut in. “She’ll be with Natalie, honey. The room is for you and Giselle.”

Giselle? Addie’s head spun. Spending the night with Giselle wasn’t part of the deal. She looked at Josephine, then back at Ember. Both women had matching grins on their faces.

“Is that a good idea?” Addie said. She racked her brain for an excuse. Eventhough she couldn’t quite define the reason why, she was certain that spending the night with Giselle wasn’t a great idea, especially since her belly fluttered at the thought.

“Giselle doesn’t seem like she’d like company while she sleeps,” Addie said, and immediately regretted it. It made no sense, since she’d never spent a night with Giselle before.

“Oh, I’m sure Giselle won’t mind,” Josephine said.

“Besides, it’s got a king bed. Plenty of space to share,” Ember added.

Addie gave a quick nod, not sure what to say. If there was anything she was certain of, it was that there wasn’t any use trying to change their minds.

“I guess I don’t mind,” Addie said. “After you.”

Ember led the way down the hall, her arm linked with Josephine’s. They laughed quietly together at some joke Addie didn’t hear. Her mind was too preoccupied with the fact that she’d be with Giselle until dawn.

If she was lucky—or unlucky—the bed would be large enough for two people tosleep on without bumping into each other. That was a bigif.

She shook her head from side to side, then slowed down, silently reprimanding herself. There was absolutely no need to have the thoughts she was having. It was just a room. Just Giselle.

WherewasGiselle? Addie looked around.

Addie hadn’t seen her since she’d walked upstairs with the girls.

“Here you are. The best guest room in the house.” Josephine opened the door with a flourish.

“You mean the only guest room in the house,” Ember said.

They both laughed. Addie merely flashed a smile and stepped inside, taking in the spacious room.

A king-sized bed dominated the center, a wide, low platform covered with white linens that looked soft under the dimmed lighting. Heavy curtains framed the large window, which opened up to a view of the beach, now cloaked in darkness.

There was a quiet luxury about it, the kind that made it easy to forget about theworld outside. She could imagine the morning light streaming in, the sounds of the waves, everything bathed in a warm glow…and Giselle lying in a corner.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. She turned to find Giselle walking in.

“Just in time,” Ember said.

Giselle scowled. “What for?”

“Your room,” Josephine said. “At least, for the night. The storm should abate by morning.”

“It should be spacious enough for you and Addie,” Josephine said.

Addie watched as Giselle’s eyes bulged at Josephine’s words.

“Oh,” was all Giselle said.

She moved to the other side of the room, her gaze shifting to the window as if weighing the view. Even standing at the far end, she commanded attention.

Addie sucked in more air.

“It does have quite the view,” Addie said to no one in particular.

“To nothing that’s visible right now,” Giselle replied. “It’s still so dark outside.”

“It’ll be morning before you know it,” Ember said.

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