Page 120 of Balancing Act

Her fingers shook as she grabbed the back of a chair, gripping it so hard her knuckles burned. Her mind raced. Had Jamie left? Was she hurt? Has something happened?

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. A sound so loud it drowned out every other thought.

And then—it hit her like a punch to the ribs.

Everything. The stress. The worry. The exhaustion. Jamie had promised she would be there for Lily, and she hadn’t been. The fact that she was gone, and Beth had no idea where or why.

A choked sob ripped out of her throat as she clapped a hand to her mouth, but it wasn’t enough to hold back the next one, or the one after that.

TWENTY-SIX

JAMIE

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think it’s actually happening.” Shannon York grinned, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. “Everything is lined up for the launch next week.”

Jamie scanned the chaos spread out before them—papers stacked haphazardly, snack wrappers shoved to the side, coffee cups in various states of emptiness. The coworking space in Downtown Seattle had become their unofficial headquarters, and after hours of fine-tuning every last detail of Empwr’s launch, exhaustion was starting to set in.

“It almost feels too lined up,” she muttered, half to herself. “Like we’re tempting fate.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Relax, Jamie. We’ve done everything we needed to. Now it’s time to be excited.”

Jamie huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head. Excitement was there—somewhere underneath the anxiety, the pressure of making sure this thing they had built worked.

“Yeah,” she murmured, reaching for her coffee. “I guess we’re doing this.” Jamie wrapped her hands around the cup, letting the warmth seep into her palms as she glanced across the table at Shannon.

Jamie didn’t know what she had expected when she agreed to partner with her, but she didn’t expect the friendship she now valued. At first, it had just been business—the two of them grinding toward the same goal, nothing more—but after months of late nights, chaotic brainstorming sessions, and too much caffeine, she realized she had made a friend along the way. Shannon was quick-witted, sharp, and surprisingly easy to talk to.

Yeah. She didn’thatemaking new friends. Who knew?

Shannon stretched her arms over her head. “God, I need sleep. Or tequila. Maybe both.”

Jamie smirked. “Sleep first, tequila after your game tomorrow. Drinks on me if you win.”

Shannon pointed at her. “See? This is why I keep you around. You keep me responsible.”

Jamie scoffed before taking a sip of her coffee. “I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of being the responsible one.”

Shannon snorted but tilted her head slightly. “Hey, isn’t Lily competing today?”

Jamie blinked, her brain still caught in the whirlwind of spreadsheets and launch plans.

The competition.Shit.She was supposed to call Beth.

She fumbled for her phone, her pulse kicking up as she checked the time. She’d been so caught up in work that she hadn’t even thought to check in with Beth.

“Yeah,” Jamie said quickly, already swiping to FaceTime. “The competition is about to start. Mind if I duck out for a bit? I need to call Beth.”

Shannon nodded, saying she could use a break herself. They agreed to meet back at their table once Jamie had wrapped up.

Jamie wove her way through the coworking space, swiping a snack from the kitchen before finding a quiet place to call.

“Just in time,” Beth murmured, a weak smile pulling at her lips. The video feed adjusted, and suddenly, Jamie had a front-row seat in the arena.

Jamie grinned, leaning closer to the screen. “Hell yeah. Let’s go, Lils!”

She couldn’t see Beth’s face with the camera focused on Lily, bouncing on her toes, shaking out her arms before stepping onto the mat, but there was that quiver in her voice, in the way it faltered ever so slightly that gave her pause.

“Wait. What’s wrong?” Jamie asked, her brow furrowing.