Page 113 of Balancing Act

“You’re annoyingly good at reading people,” Jamie said.

“It’s a skill,” Sarah replied lightly.

They stood in easy silence for another stretch, the rhythmic sounds of water lapping against the rocky shoreline drifting to them.

Jamie had spent so much time resenting Sarah without really understanding her. But watching her now—watching how she took care of things without being asked, the way she made space for Beth and Lily and even her without expecting anything in return—hit Jamie in a way it hadn’t before.

Sarah wasn’t lingering or waiting for a second chance with Beth. She was just here. Because she loved them. Because she wanted to be.

It surprised her, but Jamie didn’t feel threatened by that. She didn’t feel like she was standing in Sarah’s shadow. If anything, she felt a quiet kind of sadness for her.

She studied Sarah, an impulsive question forming in her mind, and before she could stop herself, she asked, “What happened between you two?”

Sarah stilled.

Her fingers tightened slightly around her glass, but her expression remained composed. She turned, meeting Jamie’s eyes, her movements as effortless and purposeful as ever. After a measured sip of bourbon, she said simply, “It’s not important.”

Jamie let the words hang between them, watching Sarah as she said them—not with avoidance, not as a dismissal, but with the certainty of someone who had already made peace with the answer. Jamie had spent so long worrying that Sarah was part of Beth’s past that she hadn’t considered that Sarah was part of who Beth was. And maybe that was okay.

Maybe it wasn’t important. Not anymore.

Jamie nodded slowly. “Maybe not.”

Another beat of silence passed before them before Sarah glanced at her again, wearing an unreadable expression that Jamie had decided she wasn’t meant to understand, now or maybe ever. Still, Sarah had let her see it, and that meant something.

Then, just as smoothly, Sarah’s lips quivered into the faintest smirk. “Beth’s going to come out here if we don’t go back inside.”

As if on cue, the door creaked open again, and Beth’s voice broke through the quiet.

“What are you two up to?”

Jamie turned and spotted her in the doorway, one eyebrow lifted in playful suspicion.

Without missing a beat, Sarah lifted her glass. “Discussing Lily’s D-score on vault. Riveting stuff.”

Beth snorted and crossed her arms. “Right. Because that’s exactly what you two would be talking about alone on the deck.”

Jamie smirked but didn’t argue.

Sarah downed the rest of her bourbon and clapped Jamie on the back. “On that note, I’m heading inside before you drag me into actual gymnastics talk.”

Beth stepped aside as Sarah brushed past her and disappeared into the house.

Jamie glanced back, looking where Sarah’s silhouette was moving through the kitchen. At that moment, she understood that Sarah would always care for Beth. Jamie knew that now, in a way she hadn’t before. But for the first time, she didn’t feel like she was standing in the shadow of it. Because Beth was hers now, and she wasn’t afraid to believe in forever.

Beth’s gaze lingered on her. “You okay?”

She nodded and set her glass down before stepping toward her.

“Yeah,” she murmured, sliding an arm around Beth’s waist, pulling her in just enough. “Needed a little air.”

Beth hummed in understanding, leaning into her warmth.

“You’re thinking about the results, aren’t you?” Beth murmured softly against the skin where her neck met her shoulder.

Jamie inhaled, her eyes looking out toward the dark water. She wanted to say no. She wanted to brush it off. Instead, she swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah,” she admitted softly. “I am.”