Page 20 of Balancing Act

Jamie couldn’t help but silently disagree. How could Beth think she was boring when she’d occupied Jamie’s thoughts so completely for weeks?

“Boring? I highly doubt that, Ms. Walsh,” Jamie responded, with a grin as the ferry announced their arrival.

They gathered their things and made their way to the front of the boat to disembark.

“Where are you headed?” Jamie asked, hoping it was in the same direction as her and that they could prolong their time together.

“To my studio in Capitol Hill. You?”

“Doctor’s appointment at the University hospital,” she said simply.

“Oh. Is everything okay?” Beth looked genuinely concerned.

“Peachy,” Jamie said. They reached the street level. “Well, I should...” She gestured across the street vaguely in the direction she was headed in.

“Yeah,” Beth said airily. Neither showed any sign of hurried movement, and Jamie had just turned on her heel to cross the road when she heard Beth’s voice call after her.

“Jamie?”

She whipped around so fast she thought she might have given herself whiplash. “Yeah?”

Beth laughed lightly. “Thanks for the reset. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you... as a friend.” A silver sedan pulled up in front of them. “This is me,” she said softly, before climbing into the car that then whisked her off and up the rolling hills into the city.

FIVE

BETH

“Mom!” Lily’s voice broke through her consciousness. “We’re going to be late!” A door slammed, and Beth groaned as she blinked sleep from her eyes.

She rolled over and peered at the clock beside her bed. 5:45a.m. She had been having the best dream involving herself and a specific curly-haired gymnastics coach. She must have slept through her alarm again. She could have sworn she had set it for 5:30.

Beth slid into her favorite sweatshirt and jeans before tying her hair into a low ponytail. It was just a gym drop-off, but there was always the off chance she might see Jamie. She wanted to at least come across as presentable.

Lily was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs with her gym bag slung over her shoulder. To Beth’s surprise, the smell of fresh coffee greeted her, and she noticed a travel mug in Lily’s hands.

“You made me coffee?” Beth tried to hide her bewilderment as she took the mug from Lily. She took a sip. It was exactly how she liked it—with a splash of oat milk and a little sweet.

“Yeah. Whatever. It’s not a big deal. Here,” Lily said hurriedly, thrusting Beth’s car keys into her hand and rolling hereyes. “Let’s go! I want to be the first person there today,” she said, ushering Beth out of the house.

When are we not the first to arrive at the training center?Beth thought. She didn’t mind, though, because getting there early meant a higher likelihood of chatting with Jamie while Lily did her warm-up, and Beth was definitely interested in that.

The autumn air nipped at them as they climbed into the car. Lily seized the aux cord, plugged her phone in, and within seconds, Lily’s favorite angsty pop music filled the space. Beth hummed along to the familiar tune as they drove through the misty morning grayness to PGTC.

“You’re getting better, you know,” Lily said, fiddling with the volume before turning it down completely.

Beth blinked, caught off guard by her daughter’s words. It was rare for Lily to initiate small talk these days, and Beth was hard-pressed to recall a recent time when Lily had openly complimented her.

“What?” she said dumbly, unsure if she had heard Lily correctly.

“I know early mornings aren’t your thing,” Lily continued, “but you’re getting better at them. Today was the first time in like ten days that I had to wake you up.” Lily smirked as she kicked her feet up on the dashboard.

Beth’s eyes flickered with a hint of surprise, a rare moment of connection piercing their usual strain as Lily’s words resonated. A cautious smile edged across her face, acknowledging this unexpected observation shared by her daughter.

“Thanks for noticing,” she said, and her smile widened.

Lily turned the music back up without acknowledgment, but it was replaced by a ringing sound from Lily’s phone. Beth glanced at the clock, even though she didn’t need to. Sarah was consistent—a creature of habit. 6a.m. on the dot, just like every morning.

“Hi, Mom!” Her daughter’s bubbly voice greeted Sarah as she came into view in the palm of Lily’s hand.