Page 11 of Balancing Act
“Now, as mentioned in my email a few weeks ago, I’ve read through all the notes from the doctors and physical therapist about Lily’s recovery,” Amanda said, “but I truly believe that to get her back to competition level, it would benefit Lily to workclosely with someone who has had hands-on experience with this injury.”
“That’s where I come in.” Jamie put on her best professional tone and looked directly at Lily. “You and I have a lot in common. I did nearly the same thing to my knee before London 2012. If you’re ready to put the work in, we can help you get back to where you were before. Better, even. Let’s have you go out on the mats so I can evaluate where your starting point is.” Lily headed over to the mats to begin stretching, and Jamie looked first to Sarah and then to Beth. “I’ll work with Lily for two hours, just to give us a chance to get to know each other one-on-one before we dive into things tomorrow.”
“You’re both more than welcome to stay and wait in the parents’ viewing room,” Amanda said, gesturing up to the windows on the second floor.
“I need to head back to the office,” Sarah replied, pulling her phone out and flicking it on.
“It’s the weekend, Sarah,” Beth said quietly. “I thought we were all going out to lunch after this?”
“Big merger coming up. All hands on deck. You know how it is.” Sarah’s tone was brisk, her attention on her phone as she typed. “I already talked to Lily about it. It’s just going to be you two for lunch today.” She tucked her phone away, turning her attention back on the group. “It was nice meeting both of you. I can say this for all of us: we’re looking forward to this change for Lily.” She waved to Lily as she exited the gym.
Jamie saw a shadow of disappointment flash across Beth’s face before she forced a smile, her jaw tight. “Can someone show me how to get back upstairs? I don’t quite remember where the stairs are.” Her question, Jamie noticed, only seemed to be directed at her instead of Amanda.
“Uh—yes, of course. Follow me,” Jamie said, leading Beth out of the practice area and down a hall where the door to theupstairs was tucked away. She pushed through the metal door, holding it open for Beth. The door had barely closed when Beth turned to face her.
“So...” Beth said, tilting her head so the blonde strands of hair that framed her face shifted slightly.
“Yeah, that was...” Jamie looked at the ground.
“Delightfully unexpected?” Beth offered, cocking an eyebrow at Jamie and stepping closer to her, her voice light and airy.
Jamie stood there, the electric memory of the night before coursing through her as Beth’s grin sparked and spread across her face.
But Jamie didn’t match it. Her morning had been a wild sprint through emotions—from the thrill of asking Beth on a date to the complete whiplash of thinking she’d unknowingly been a homewrecker, and finally to the heavy realization that any potential between the two of them was gone because Beth was, in fact, the mother of one of her athletes. This wasn’t just “unexpected.” It was a downright mess.
“Unexpected for sure,” she conceded, folding her arms across her chest. She knew what she had to do, even if she didn’t want to do it. “I think we should probably cancel that date, though. Since I’m going to be working so closely with Lily, I don’t think it would be a good idea.”
There. Done. Easy.
Those thoughts didn’t make that slight twinge of disappointment go away.
“I’m sorry,” Jamie added, and she meant it. She had been looking forward to their dinner.
Beth’s brow furrowed, confusion etched across her features as she reached for Jamie’s hand. Her touch was oddly comforting in the awkward aftermath of their night together.
“Sorry for what? There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Jamie,” Beth assured her, her thumb brushing Jamie’s hand in a way that should have felt out of place but didn’t.
Jamie resisted the urge to pull away, wanting a few more seconds before reality would inevitably pull them apart. She wanted to tell Beth how excited she had been for their date, how the thought of more time with her made her palms a little sweaty in a way she didn’t want to think about right now.
“If anything, I should apologize to you for putting us in this position.” Beth squeezed Jamie’s hand before dropping it. “I should have recognized your name. Lily has been talking nonstop about moving to this gym and getting to work with Amanda and you. God, it’s her dream to train with her two all-time favorite gymnasts. Last night, when you introduced yourself, your name sounded familiar to me, but it wasn’t until I got here today and saw you again that it clicked. I’ve been so busy with the tour the last few months, and—well—I only ever saw photos or old competition footage of you from when we were younger. And then there you were last night, and God, in that suit...” Beth let out a breathy laugh, her cheeks pink. “Sorry. I swear I’m usually more composed than this.” She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, glancing up at Jamie with something between regret and hope.
“But now, looking back... we shouldn’t have, right? I mean, we couldn’t have known, but...” Her smile faltered.
Jamie felt the corners of her mouth twitch involuntarily as Beth rambled. This was not the confident and assured Beth who had approached her at the gallery last night. No, Beth was standing before her nownotbrimming with confidence, but seeing this side of Beth—a slightly more anxious side of her—Jamie found it incredibly endearing. This side of her was real and raw, and she was showing that to Jamie. She couldn’t quitehelp the unconscious way her body seemed to lean into Beth’s aura like a moth drawn to a flame.
“Beth.” Her name left her lips softly, quietly, nearly a whisper, before she mustered the courage to say what she needed to say.
“Jamie . . .” Beth’s voice was equally as soft.
“Last night was incredible, but I hope you understand—if I had known who you were, I wouldn’t have let it happen. My focus here is on Lily and helping her get to the Olympics. I can’t have anything distracting me from that.”
The finality of Jamie’s words echoed between them. No dates or what-ifs, just the straightforward reality. Jamie watched as her words settled on Beth’s face. A shadow of something—chagrin possibly—flickered across her briefly before she could replace it with a more neutral expression.
“Of course. Right. I understand.” Beth’s voice shook, her response a little too quick to be believable. Jamie registered the disappointment she tried to mask.
“And you’re okay with that?” Jamie said slowly. “I don’t want you to think I regret last night, because I don’t. It’s just now, knowing what we know...” Her words fell away as Beth eyed her.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. We were two adults who consented to a good time. A fantastic time. But I understand where you’re coming from. I would never want to put you in a compromising position.” Beth’s cheeks pinked as she registered the implications of her words, but she continued. “Consider this our secret,” Beth said softly.