Page 45 of The Beat of her Heart

Addie laughed softly, watching as Sophie and Natalie’s faces broke into matching grins. The relief in Sophie’s expression tugged at her heart, and before she knew it, she was nodding.

“Alright, then.” Addie looked down at Sophie, who let out a delighted squeal and immediately wrapped her arms around Addie’s waist. “But make sure you listen to Josephine and Ember, okay?”

Sophie nodded vigorously, her expression lighting up. “I will, I promise!”

With that, Sophie let go and grabbed Natalie’s hand, the two of them rushing back toward the kitchen where Ember had already pulled out the ingredients for waffles. Watching them, Addie felt a warm sense of reassurance settle in her chest.

Josephine touched her arm lightly. “See? Easy as that. Don’t worry; we’ll have her home before you know it.” She gave Addie a warm, knowing smile.

“Thank you, really. I know she loves it here.” Addie’s gaze lingered on Sophie,watching her animatedly talk to Natalie as they gathered around the counter.

Josephine chuckled as she watched the scene, too. “Sophie’s a wonderful kid, Addie. You’re doing an incredible job with her.”

Addie felt a blush creep up, but managed to smile. “Thank you, Josephine.”

“May we?” Giselle asked.

Addie nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”

They climbed into the car, and as they pulled away from the beach house, Addie let the silence settle around them, her mind racing with questions she knew wouldn’t be answered today. She told herself to let it go, to accept the distance Giselle had put between them.

As they drove, she couldn’t shake the memory of the warmth they’d shared, a warmth that felt as real as the morning light now streaming through the windows.

Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting soft shadows across the dashboard as they drove. Neither spoke. Addie glanced sideways, catching Giselle’s profile as she kept her eyes on the road. Once or twice, Giselle’s gaze flicked toward her, but each time Addie looked over, Giselle’s attentionsnapped forward again. Addie tried not to think too hard about it, but there was no ignoring the sense that something was unresolved between them.

Minutes passed before Giselle broke the silence.

“I hope you…didn’t think too much of…anything last night.” Her words came out hesitantly, almost like an apology she was reluctant to give.

Addie’s hand tensed against the seat.

“Just drive, Giselle.” She didn’t look at her, choosing to focus on the trees rushing by instead.

The response hung between them, simple but clear. The silence settled in again, heavier, until they finally pulled up to the hospital entrance.

The familiarity of the hospital parking lot brought a strange sense of relief, and both women shifted back into the professional roles they wore like armor.

As they entered, Addie felt herself fall back into the rhythm of work, but it wasn’t long before a nurse with an annoyingly familiar smile ambushed them in the hallway.

“Morning, Dr. Wolfe, Dr. Carlisle.”Madeline’s smile was wide and a little too knowing as her gaze flicked between them. “So both of you coming in together today?”

Addie noticed Giselle’s expression tighten, the warmth she’d felt from her that morning replaced with a brisk professionalism.

“Is there something you need?” Giselle’s tone was curt, a look of impatience crossing her face.

Madeline cleared her throat, the smirk dropping as she held out a clipboard. “Emergency in the ICU—a young girl. They brought her in early this morning.”

Addie took the clipboard, her mind already shifting to the case in front of her.

“Thank you. We’ll get on it right away.”

She moved past Madeline, Giselle close behind her, both of them already absorbed in the details of the case as they walked down the corridor. Giselle’s office was closer, and as they neared it, Addie glanced over at her.

“Let’s take a look inside.”

Giselle nodded and they slipped into the office, the door closing softly behind them. The quiet inside the room brought anunexpected intimacy, a reminder of how things had been just hours before.

They stood side by side, both absorbed in the clipboard, their shoulders nearly touching as they read through the file. Addie’s mind was on the case, but she was acutely aware of every inch between them, every brush of her shoulder against Giselle’s arm.

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