Page 112 of Balancing Act

Later that week, Jamie stood in Beth’s kitchen—soon to be their kitchen, she supposed—wineglass in hand, leaning against the island. Lily sat at the table, animatedly breaking down her latest D-scores, her excitement filling the space as she rattled off numbers and connections.

Jamie half listened, nodding along at the right moments, but her mind kept drifting. To her phone sitting on the counter. To the call that hadn’t come yet. To the what-ifs she had been trying to ignore. Occasionally, she caught Beth looking at her with theslightest glint of concern in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything, which Jamie was thankful for.

“My beam’s at a 5.9 right now, but if I stick with the full series, it’ll push to 6.0 with the side aerial we added in.” Lily’s voice was bouncing excitedly, her hands gesturing as she spoke. “And if I upgrade my dismount before trials, I could get another tenth.”

“That’s amazing, Lil,” Beth said, stirring the pot on the stove. “But maybe let’s focus on getting through this competition before reworking your routine.”

Jamie, catching Beth’s eye, smirked into her wine.

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Lily said, grinning. “Got to think big, right? Since Jamie and I added the double-double to my floor routine, all my routines have been way up.”

Across the kitchen, Sarah was hanging up her phone.

“Car service is confirmed for six thirty,” she said, reaching for her glass of bourbon. “They’ll take us straight to the terminal.”

Beth turned. “We have car service now?”

Sarah took an unbothered sip. “Of course.”

Beth shook her head, hiding a smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I preferthorough,” Sarah corrected. “And we’re all flying first class.”

“Jesus, Sarah.” Beth groaned.

“What? I want the best for Lily.”

Lily beamed at that. “First class? Hell yes.”

“Language, Lily,” Sarah and Beth said reflexively.

Jamie took a sip of her wine, quietly watching the way Sarahwas. It had become clear to her that Sarah loved the people closest to her effortlessly—not in some grand, dramatic way, but in the details. The logistics. The way she made things easier without ever needing acknowledgment.

Jamie had spent so much of her life being wary of people who took up space—especially people like Sarah, with their sharpedges and unwavering control. But watching her now, seeing the way Beth teased her and Lily leaned into her excitement, Jamie felt grateful. Yeah. It was weird.

She excused herself under the guise of needing some air. Beth shot her a concerned look, and Jamie responded with her most sincere smile. She was good, but she needed a moment.

April was beginning to roll into May. Outside, the evening was cool but not cold, the sky painted in deep blues and purples while the last remnants of sunset disappeared beyond the trees. Jamie leaned against the porch railing. The weight of the last few weeks sat with her—not heavy, exactly, just ever-present.

Jamie took another slow sip of wine. Moving in with Beth, Lily’s competition, the Empwr launch looming in the background like a ticking clock... It was a balancing act, but not in a way that felt like she was on the verge of falling. It was more like she was learning to move between the life she had built for herself and the one she was stepping into, each demanding a different part of her. It was more complicated than she’d anticipated, but maybe that wasn’t bad. Maybe it meant that, for once, she had more than one thing worth holding on to.

Amid all the chaos, however, one thing lingered at the back of her mind—a thought she couldn’t shake. The doctor’s office still hadn’t called about her mammogram results. And the longer she waited, the harder it was to convince herself that no news was good news.

She heard the door click open behind her and wasn’t surprised when Sarah stepped out, bourbon glass in hand. She smiled at her, letting her know her presence was welcome. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Jamie watched the way Sarah held herself—casual but composed, always—the amber liquid in her glass catching the porch light as she took a slow sip.

Jamie took a sip, too, letting the wine settle on her tongue before finally breaking the silence. “You were right.”

Sarah glanced at her, her expression amused. “That’s a bit vague.”

Jamie smirked. “That thing you said about Beth.”

Sarah didn’t say anything; she just took another sip of bourbon.

Jamie turned her gaze back to the yard sloping down toward the water’s edge, fingers tracing the rim of her glass. “I don’t think I understood what you meant in the moment, but then it clicked and—you know—thank you.” Jamie couldn’t help the slight crack in her voice as she spoke. As much as she hated it, Sarah’s words had gotten through to her. That thought should have unsettled her, but it didn’t.

Sarah let out a quiet hum. Not quite anI told you so, but notnotone either.