Page 10 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

The two weeks since Beth and Jamie’s encounter in the gym stairwell had been quiet, punctuated only by scattered thoughts of Jamie that she couldn’t quite shake.

Their brief exchanges—polite acknowledgments, at first—slowly evolved into something warmer, with greetings stretching into inquiries about each other’s day.

Despite this subtle shift, Beth was cautious.

The memory of Jamie’s clear stance on keeping things strictly professional lingered in her mind, tempering her impulses.

She wasn’t eager to risk overstepping, to extend herself only to face potential rejection, even though she wanted to so badly.

Beth could feel her pulse quickening as she unconsciously scooted away from Sarah, where they had been sitting beside each other, their thighs touching.

“What are you doing here?” Lily asked.

“Same thing you’re doing,” Jamie said, wiggling her eyebrows at Lily.

“My sweet tooth won tonight. I love the lavender ice cream here.” Jamie looked first at Sarah and then right at Beth.

She paused momentarily, and Beth felt like Jamie slowly drank her in.

“It’s locally sourced from a nearby farm. ”

“That’s my favorite, too! And Mama’s. You should join us!” Lily said excitedly.

“Lily, we don’t want to be rude. Jamie probably has plans,” Beth said quickly.

“Nope, no plans.” Jamie offered Beth a smile, her eyes sparkling in that same devilish way they had the night they met. “I was taking myself out on a little ice cream date. I’d love to join you guys, if you don’t mind?”

“We’d love that,” Sarah said, beaming.

Jamie ducked into the ice cream shop with the promise that she’d return in a few minutes.

Beth felt a cold, sticky trail of melting ice cream winding down her hand, followed by a small plop as a large drop landed on her pants.

“Oh shit,” she said quickly, taking a lick of her melting ice cream. “I need a napkin.” She shot up and entered the shop.

Jamie turned around from the counter and took one long, languorous lick with her cone of lavender ice cream in hand. Beth froze. She couldn’t help how her eyes locked on Jamie’s tongue as it lapped at the ice cream.

“Beth?” She hadn’t realized Jamie had been talking to her as she had let her mind wander to other things Jamie’s tongue could be exploring. “You okay?”

“Yup, just sticky,” Beth said. She flushed. “Sticky fingers. From the ice cream. I need a napkin.” She peered around and spotted the napkin holder on the counter. Reaching around Jamie, she grabbed a few and wiped the remnants of sticky liquid from her fingers.

“You sure it’s okay if I join you? I don’t want to intrude on family time.”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

Jamie paused for a moment before taking another lick of her ice cream, subtler this time, and Beth could have sworn she saw the slightest hint of that playful, cocky smile she had seen the night at the gallery. “I want to make sure I’m not making things awkward for you.”

“It’s fine, Jamie.” Jamie’s name left her lips softly before she could catch herself. “We’re all adults here. I’m fine,” she assured her.

“Okay, then. After you,” Jamie said, holding the door open for her, and they rejoined Lily and Sarah.

They chatted as Lily asked Jamie all sorts of questions. Beth leaned back against the bench, watching her daughter’s face light up as she chatted animatedly with Jamie and Sarah about everything from the Puget Sound Pride soccer team to Taylor Swift. It turned out Jamie was a big fan of both.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Lily asked, with genuine curiosity. That caught Beth’s attention. She perked up.

“Lily, love,” Beth warned, shooting Jamie a glance that said I’m so sorry .

“What? Do you?” Lily asked again.

Jamie laughed and looked down at the ground before looking up at them again.

“I don’t.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Lily asked next.

“Lily!” Sarah warned, her voice stern.

“What? I’m being inclusive!” Lily shrugged, and Jamie laughed.

“It’s okay. I’m happy to answer. I don’t have a girlfriend right now, but I am a lesbian.” Beth, who obviously knew this particular information, watched Sarah, whose shock flashed for only the briefest moment before being replaced with a thin-lipped smile.

“Oh, cool! My moms know a ton of lesbians you could date!”

At that moment, Beth wanted to crawl inside her skin and die of embarrassment. She thought she had put the years of her kid saying embarrassing things behind them now that Lily was a teenager. She’d clearly thought wrong.

Jamie let out an audible laugh. “I’m sure they do.”

“You know what? Lily’s right,” Sarah said cheerfully.

“We do know a ton of lesbians. Even if you’re not looking to date, we have some pretty amazing friends.

You should come to the next Puget Sound Pride home game with us in a few weeks.

I have a box, and a few friends usually attend each game.

It would be fun for you to meet some people.

You and Beth can take the ferry over together.

The next home game is in three weeks. Let me grab your number, and I’ll text you the info. ”

Jesus, Sarah. Beth’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She hoped it wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

“Really!?” Jamie replied. “That would be great! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to catch a game in person. I’ve been living in Oregon for the past few years.” Jamie and Sarah exchanged contact information as Lily finished off her ice cream.

“What took you to Oregon?” Beth asked curiously.

She had known from their night together that Jamie had just returned to town.

She’d told her as much, but she hadn’t said where she had been or why she had been away, and Beth couldn’t let go of those questions.

That had been information they were supposed to discuss on their dinner date—the date that would never happen.

“I’ve got a house down there on the coast. It’s where I spend most of my time these days. It’s my favorite place in the world. There’s something about the gray and how the ocean crashes against the cliffs that helps me think.”

“That’s got to be beautiful,” Sarah said.

“I love the Oregon coast. Beth, remember that trip we took there right before we had Lily?” Sarah’s hand gave Beth’s knee a gentle squeeze, and her whole body tensed, her eyes immediately glancing to Jamie, whose eyes were fixed on Sarah’s hand, her perplexation at the touch on her face.

Jamie’s eyes snapped up to meet her own as she nodded in response to Sarah’s question.

“Some of the most breathtakingly beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. ”

“What brings you back here? Besides coaching?” Beth asked.

“Coaching for now. I’ll head back to Oregon at the end of the year. Amanda called me shortly after Lily decided to switch coaches. She sent me some footage of Lily competing, explained the situation with her injury, and wanted to know if I could come to help for a few months.”

“Wait a minute. You’re literally only here to help me?” Lily asked suspiciously, slowly making the connection. “Why?”

“Talent recognizes talent when it sees it.” Jamie beamed at Lily.

“And hey, you’ve already made strides in the past two weeks.

” Beth watched her daughter’s reaction, expecting to see the excitement on Lily’s face at what Jamie said.

After all, Jamie was someone Lily fiercely looked up to.

Instead, her face fell slightly. Jamie took notice of the shift, too, and shot a glance at Beth.

The only person who didn’t seem to notice was Sarah.

“Well, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re thrilled to have you working with Lily.” Sarah wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulders, squeezing her. “We’re going to get our girl to the Olympics.”

“Eww, Mom, stop it.”

“I’m thrilled to be here.” Jamie checked her Apple Watch. “Thanks for letting me crash your family ice cream night, but I’ve got to run. See you guys at the gym tomorrow morning.”

After saying goodbye, Jamie walked back up the main street in the direction she had come from. Beth, Lily, and Sarah returned to the car to head back to her house.

At home, Sarah helped clean up from dinner while Lily stretched in the living room.

Jack Johnson played quietly through the Bluetooth speaker.

Soon after, Lily announced that she was going to bed, popped into the kitchen to say good night to both of them, and wrapped her arms around Sarah.

Then, much to her surprise, around Beth.

Beth let her body sink into the hug for a moment as she soaked it in. This simple act that was so normal had felt forced between herself and her daughter over the last year.

“Good night, Mama. I love you.”

“Night, my love.” She kissed the crown of Lily’s head like she always had since Lily had been big enough to hug her, and for a moment, Beth felt like everything between them would be fine. She glanced around, caught Sarah’s eye, and smiled gently.

Once Lily was downstairs and Sarah was confident she would not return, Sarah asked, “So, should I head home? Or should I pour us another glass of wine?” Her jaw settled into a lazy flirtatious grin that Beth had always been a sucker for. She had been since the day they met in college.

Beth knew exactly what Sarah was asking. Would they fall right back into the same pattern? Friday night, family dinner, Lily goes to bed, a few glasses of wine between them, and they inevitably end up in bed together.

For a while following their divorce, family dinners had been an excruciatingly awkward event as they learned how to navigate co-parenting and their new dynamic as exes.

They had each dated other people since the divorce, but neither of their relationships seemed to stick.

While time had healed some wounds, allowing them to build a friendship out of the ruins of their marriage, that line between friends and lovers always seemed to be a little bit blurry for them, which always led to Beth finding herself back in the familiarity of Sarah’s bed.

It was shocking to Beth how easy it had been for her to fall back into her old life with Sarah.

It was comfortable, like putting on her favorite cozy sweater.

She allowed herself to be wrapped up in that feeling and clouded from the reality that their same problems still existed.

Inevitably, that same comfy sweater would begin to feel a little too tight and the tiniest bit itchy, until one day, those feelings would finally get to her.

That’s how she always felt afterward, but she still found herself coming back to Sarah for more.

She leaned back against the kitchen counter and took Sarah in.

Her honey-brown hair fell in effortless waves landing just below her exposed collarbone, where it poked out from beneath her black scoop-neck T-shirt that had been teasing Beth all evening.

High-waisted jeans hugged her hips perfectly, accentuating her long, lean legs.

When they stood next to each other, Sarah had a good six inches on her, but she had never minded.

She gripped the counter and bit her lip as she warred with herself.

Beth had promised herself it wouldn’t happen again. Not after the last time—or the time before that. But here she was, telling herself it was different. Just this once.

Instead, she chose to lean into Sarah as the pull of hungry eyes fell on her. In that moment, all sense of reason and rationality left her. She was a glutton for punishment, but that beat the hell out of rejection, which she knew was bound to happen if she went after what she really wanted.

Beth’s fingers curled against the counter as Sarah pulled her in like gravity.

An image flashed in her mind—Jamie’s easy grin, and the way her curls had framed her face under that baseball cap.

She shook the thought away, telling herself it didn’t mean anything, because Beth couldn’t have her.

But Sarah—Sarah she could have right now.

“Let’s skip the drink,” Beth said, her voice soft but resolute as she slipped a hand around Sarah’s waist, leaning in to her. “We both know where this ends.”