Page 66 of Balancing Act

Jamie blinked at her, a little thrown off by the suggestion. “True or false?” she clarified. “Like the game?”

Beth nodded, her smile widening a fraction. “Yeah. Simple questions. True or false. That way, it’s not a whole big thing. Just small truths.”

“Okay. True or false.”

Beth’s words hung in the air between them—I want honesty. Jamie could do that, or at least she could try.

“You ready?” Beth said again, her voice breaking the silence.

Jamie inhaled deeply, glancing over at Beth. She wasn’t sure where this was going, but there was something in Beth’s tone that made her nod.

“True or false: you like pineapple on pizza?”

Jamie blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected question. Shaking her head and laughing, she answered. “False. I firmly believe that pineapple has no place on a pizza.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” she said, laughing. “I’m a Hawaiian pizza enthusiast.”

“Guess we’re pizza incompatible.” Jamie shrugged, unable to help her grin.

Beth gave her a teasing nudge that Jamie wanted to sink into.

“We’ll figure it out. I’m sure we can find common ground.” The playful banter brought a brief, much-needed ease to the conversation, but both knew the real questions hadn’t started yet.

“True or false: you miss being an elite gymnast,” Beth asked, cocking her head just so.

Jamie’s smile faded, her heart tightening in her chest. She hadn’t expected Beth to go there—to dive right into the personal stuff.Okay. We’re doing this, she thought, taking a breath, staring at the rain-soaked ground beneath their feet.

“True,” Jamie admitted. She missed it—the discipline, the adrenaline, the purpose. But the cost of it, the physical and emotional toll, had been too much. Jamie felt exposed in a way she hadn’t allowed herself to be in a long time. It was uncomfortable, but only for a moment and then that feeling started to fade. “But more so because why I left made things feel so... unfinished.” She added. There. The truth. She could do this.

Beth only nodded before continuing.

“True or false: you like coaching.” Her blue eyes were curious, and Jamie wondered what she was trying to piece together with these questions.

“Somewhere in between. I like being Lily’s coach,” she said slowly, “but I don’t know if I would say that I like being a coach overall.” Beth nodded again as they continued to walk.

“True or false: you’ve thought about us as more than friends.”

Jamie’s pulse quickened as Beth’s words sank in, each hitting a little too close to the truth. She could feel Beth’s gaze but didn’t dare look up.

More than friends.

The answer was obvious, yet it was the one she had been running from for weeks.

“I think you know the answer to that one,” she whispered.

Beth’s eyes softened before she repeated, “True or false.”

Jamie met her gaze, understanding. She needed to hear Jamie say it so that she could believe it.

The words tangled in the back of her throat, refusing to be spoken. “True,” she managed to choke out.

Beth let Jamie’s confession settle just a moment. “True or false: you like me.”

Jamie closed her eyes, trying to steady herself and control her emotions. There was no running from this one. She had to face it.

“True,” she finally whispered, like it had been trapped inside her for far too long.

Beth let out a sharp gasp. Her lips parting slightly as Jamie’s confession hit her; her fingers twitched at her sides as if holding herself back from reaching out. Those blue eyes softened with something dangerously close to relief.