Page 46 of The Beat of her Heart

Their hands moved together on the clipboard, fingers almost touching, and Addie’s breath caught. She tried to push the thoughts away, but her gaze flicked up, catching the edge of Giselle’s profile.

The memory of last night lingered, making it hard to concentrate on the words in front of her.

Suddenly, Giselle’s hand brushed against hers, lingering for just a moment longer than necessary. Addie’s heart raced.

She looked up, meeting Giselle’s gaze, and for a brief second, it was as though everything else faded away—the office, the clipboard, the hospital.

Giselle moved closer, and without a word leaned in, her lips brushing against Addie’s in a kiss that was both hesitant and certain,as if it was something she’d been holding back for far too long.

Addie’s mind went blank, and the only things grounding her were the warmth of Giselle’s lips and the softness of her touch. It was slower this time, deeper, a kiss that felt like a promise neither was ready to break.

When they finally pulled back, Giselle’s expression was a mix of longing and restraint, her gaze still locked with Addie’s. She took a small breath, as if gathering her thoughts.

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Addie.”

The words were soft, almost pained, and Addie felt a pang of frustration, but she kept her face steady as she nodded.

“I agree,” Addie said. “Right now, we have a kid to save.”

15

GISELLE

The surgery was intense but successful. Giselle and Addie worked seamlessly alongside the team in the ICU, the quiet rhythm of the monitors underscoring their coordinated movements.

The patient, a small child with an unexpectedly severe complication, pulled through under their steady hands, leaving a faint but gratifying sense of relief as they wrappedup the case.

Days passed, but Giselle’s thoughts kept drifting back to Addie. She caught herself thinking about her more than once, wondering what it was about Addie that made her presence linger long after they’d parted ways.

She told herself repeatedly to focus, to brush these thoughts aside, yet here she was, distracted once again at her desk. She sifted through the files in front of her, forcing her mind to clear and her focus to settle on her work. But every effort seemed to draw her right back.

Seated at her desk, she looked at her computer, narrowing her eyes as she reviewed patient charts. Her attention snapped when she noticed an email notification from Addie. She’d barely clicked it open when, as if on cue, Addie stepped into her office.

“Giselle,” Addie said, stepping forward and holding a file. “Something is missing in this chart.” She opened the file, pointing to a section of the notes. “A small omission from the parents’ report—something we need to follow up on.”

Giselle leaned in, glancing at the highlighted section as Addie explained, noddingalong. But her focus drifted, settling on the way Addie’s hand moved across the page, her fingers grazing the paper with a gentle ease.

Her mind wandered, drawn to the soft line of Addie’s jaw, the way her eyes held a quiet intensity even as she discussed something so routine.

“This omission could impact our treatment plan,” Addie continued, glancing up at Giselle, unaware of her gaze. “I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

Giselle caught herself, nodding. “Good catch. We’ll need to follow up with them, then.”

A silence lingered between them, and Giselle noticed the warmth in Addie’s gaze, the hint of something she couldn’t quite name. She forced herself to maintain a calm expression, reminding herself that this was nothing more than a fleeting attraction.

Adistraction.

Even as her pulse raced with every glance, she convinced herself it was just that—a passing fascination. It couldn’t be anything more than that.

But Addie’s presence had this effect on her, drawing her in without effort. Giselleleaned back, letting her gaze linger a moment longer than usual.

Addie’s expression softened. “You seem distracted,” she said, an almost teasing edge to her words.

“I’m not,” Giselle replied, straightening in her chair, though the faintest smile pulled at the edge of her lips.

Addie raised an eyebrow. “Right. And here I thought it was just me.” Her tone was light, almost playful, but it carried a hint of something else.

Giselle looked away, shifting the files on her desk as if they held all the questions she was avoiding. “We should focus on the work,” she said, though her words felt hollow.

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