Page 137 of Balancing Act

“Mom might be on board—she gets the business side. But Mama? That’s gonna be harder.”

Jamie winced. “Yeah, your mom’s not exactlypro-internet.”

“Right?” Lily groaned. “She still thinks social media is a cesspool of negativity.”

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” Jamie joked.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Iknow, but it’s also a tool, and if I do it right, it could really help my career. I need her to see that.” She gave Jamie a pointed look. “Which is why I need backup.”

“You wantmeto help you convince your mom,” Jamie said slowly.

Lily shrugged, attempting innocence. “It would mean a lot if you were on my side.”

Jamie sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. This felt like a parent thing, and she wasn’t Lily’s parent. Just the bonus adult in the house.

But Lily was looking at her like Jamie’s opinionmattered.

Like shewaspart of this decision.

“I’m not saying I’ll fight your battle for you, but if you need help articulating your points, I’ve got your back.”

Lily grinned. “That’s all I need.”

Jamie shook her head. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“I know,” Lily quipped, bumping her with her shoulder.

Jamie smirked, watching the lights reflect off the water before shifting the conversation again. “Speaking of the internet—are you still getting messages from the girls at your old gym?”

Lily’s face twisted slightly, but she shook her head. “No. Nothing in a while. I think they got bored.”

Jamie watched her, the way the wind picked up the blonde wisps of hair that had fallen from her ponytail and how her eyes narrowed. Lily glanced at Jamie out of the corner of her eye. Jamie wasn’t sure if that was true or if they had moved on to someone else, but she didn’t press.

They lapsed into an easy silence, the steady hum of the ferry filling the space between them.

Then, out of nowhere, Lily said, “Hey, Jamie?”

“Hey, Lily,” she responded on instinct.

Lily hesitated, fiddling with her hands. “You know how they say you should never meet your heroes?”

Jamie’s chest tightened unexpectedly, suddenly understanding where Lily was going with this. She suddenly felt too big for her own skin, like she was taking up too much space. She had never thought of herself as anyone’s hero—never thought she deserved to be.

Lily looked up, a small, quiet smile pulling at her lips. “Well, I got lucky. Because mine ended up being pretty great in real life, too.”

Jamie’s throat closed up.

Something in her heart clenched between overwhelming gratitude and the deep, aching weight of responsibility.

She had no idea what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything. She moved instinctually, wrapping an arm around Lily’s shoulders and pulling her in, a motion that had once felt so foreign to her but now felt like second nature. Lily didn’t resist, but leaned into her, pressing her face briefly against Jamie’s hoodie before pulling back.

It was quiet for a moment.

Then Lily asked, casually, as if she were asking about the weather, “Are you going to marry my mom?”

Jamie choked on air. “Jesus, Lily.”

Lily grinned, entirely unbothered. “What? It’s a valid question.”