Page 22 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

“Promise me you’ll consider moving back here.

I think it would be really good for you.

You could keep coaching, or even consult.

Do you know how many people would kill to have you mentor them?

Hell, I miss you kicking my ass in training every day.

Don’t you? Just come back and find your footing. ” Amanda squeezed her arm.

Come back and start living again. The words echoed in Jamie’s mind, clashing with every excuse she’d spent years perfecting.

Oregon was safe, simple, quiet—everything Seattle wasn’t.

But quiet didn’t feel as comforting as it used to.

And lately, the idea of being seen in deeper ways didn’t feel as terrifying as it once had.

“I’ll think about it. I promise.”

Amanda’s seriousness was replaced with her warm smile again.

“See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it? Your therapist deserves a huge raise, though. I thought for sure you were going to take off sprinting at one point.”

“What can I say.” Jamie’s voice was dry. “Growth is possible.”

The rumble of Beth’s Land Rover pulled Jamie’s attention before she realized she was searching for it. The sound seemed to vibrate through her chest, settling between her ribs. She waved instinctively, her pulse quickening as Beth stepped out.

“You’ve got one massive crush, Jamie Lyons.” Amanda leaned in closer before whispering, “Now you need to decide what you’re going to do about it.”

Jamie kept busy at the gym that week, but she couldn’t shake the question Amanda had asked her.

Was her life enough? The thought gnawed at her.

Amanda’s words always crept back in, no matter how hard she focused.

She was still turning it over when a voice carried across the gym, snapping her back to the present.

“Earth to Jamie.” Lily waved her arms across the floor mats. “Are you going to go or what?”

She shook her head and centered herself in the moment. She and Lily had been playing Stick It, a game Jamie and Amanda had made up when they had been kids. The idea was similar to the game Horse in basketball. The first one to spell out Stick It loses.

“What? Afraid I’m gonna win?” Lily called out.

“What’s the call, Gallagher?” Jamie teased back.

“Roundoff, double back handspring, double layout.”

Easy , Jamie thought as she rolled back her shoulders, setting herself in the corner of the mat.

She lined herself up for her turn, her focus sharp.

It took ten seconds for Jamie to execute a seamless roundoff followed by the double back handspring, culminating in a perfectly landed double layout. Hell yeah. She still had it.

“Oh man, I thought that one was definitely going to get you.” Lily’s voice was laced with disappointment. Much like Jamie, she liked to win.

A familiar prickle ran down Jamie’s spine before, and she knew why. Sure enough, Beth was there, watching from the parents’ viewing area. She gave a slight wave, causing her cheeks to flush furiously.

“Oh, look! Mom’s here for the meeting already.” Lily beamed as she waved to Beth. “Good, she can watch me beat you.”

Jamie scanned the gym, thinking about what move she wanted to call for her turn before pointing to the balance beam.

Lily let out a groan. “You picked that on purpose, didn’t you? You know the beam is my least favorite.”

“It’s called strategy, Lily. You should try it. We’ll do a dismount—how about a roundoff double pike? Do you want to go first, or should I show you how it’s done?”

“No thanks. I can show you how it’s done.” Lily flipped her ponytail, and Jamie laughed quietly. Yup. One hundred percent a competitor, exactly like Jamie.

Lily mounted the beam, her eyes sharp with determination.

Sprinting down its length, she launched into a roundoff double pike dismount.

Jamie spotted the mistake immediately—Lily’s rotation was a fraction too slow.

Her heels hit the mat first, the momentum carrying her into an unsteady step forward.

“That’s an ‘I’ for you,” Jamie teased.

“Yeah, but you still have to land it, or else I win,” Lily smirked, stepping aside.

Jamie stepped onto the beam, her body remembering before her mind could catch up. She was weightless in the air—until she wasn’t. Too much power. She hit the mat with a solid thump, the wind knocked from her lungs.

“Jamie, are you okay?” Lily was down on the mats next to her, concern on her face.

“I’m good.” She coughed, sitting up and catching her breath. “My ego, though, not so much. I can’t believe I lost.” She smiled at Lily, whose grin rapidly spread across her cheeks.

“What an embarrassing fall,” Amanda teased, as she approached them.

“And to think you used to be the best in the world at that.” She held a hand to Jamie, who took it, letting her hoist her to her feet.

“Lily, your moms are here for our check-in. Can you please take them to my office? Jamie and I will meet you there in a minute.”

Jamie grabbed her water bottle and hoodie, the latter crumpled on the edge of the floormats.

“She seems like she’s warmed up to you. Did my advice work after all?”

Jamie smirked, took a long swig from her water bottle, then wiped her mouth with her hand.

“I guess.” Jamie shrugged. It was easier than admitting the truth—that Lily’s trust settled deep inside Jamie, unfamiliar but solid.

It had been a long time since she’d earned someone’s trust instead of breaking it.

Thankfully, they arrived at Amanda’s office before she could press her for more. The adrenaline from earlier still lingered, humming through her as they entered.

“Thank you both for making it to the first parents’ meeting,” Amanda started, taking her spot behind her desk. “We like to do these meetings regularly to keep an open dialogue going between us and ensure we’re still all working toward the same goals. Jamie, do you want to dive in?”

She pushed herself off the wall she had been quietly leaning against. Her eyes quickly met Beth’s before landing on Lily’s matching set.

“Sure. As you all know, Lily and I have been working closely the last month, and that’s given me a lot of time to observe and assess where she’s at.

” She caught a slight flash of nervousness in Lily’s gaze, still fixed on her.

“From what I’m seeing, we have a shot at getting you to the Olympics next summer. ”

A stillness settled in the room before Sarah clapped her hands together, and Lily squealed. “Oh my God! You really think so? Like, you’re not just messing with me!?”

“I do,” Jamie confirmed. “But I don’t think it will be easy.

Lily, you’ll most likely be the youngest person there, competing against girls who are anywhere up to eight years older than you, but I truly think we can get you on that Olympic team.

In the next few weeks, our focus will be getting your skills back to the same competition level you were competing at in the spring.

You’re in a great spot with your floor routine and vault, but the beam and bars still need some finessing. ”

“Our first big hurdle will be getting the US Gymnastics Federation to accept you competing as a Senior Elite gymnast,” Amanda added.

“Because you’ve missed most of this season due to injury, we have to petition the federation for acceptance, but I don’t think we’ll have any problems there.

You have the necessary skills, but this is more of a formality.

I’ve already reached out, and someone will make the trip up in December for an evaluation. ”

“I hate to be the one to bring this up,” Beth interjected, her usual light tone replaced by something sharper—almost hesitant, “but do we think Lily is ready for all this? This seems like so much. She’s only fourteen.” She reached out and squeezed Lily’s forearm.

“I’ll be fifteen in two months, Mom,” Lily shot back quickly, as if it made a difference.

Jamie’s eyes were still on Beth, and her mouth had opened slightly to speak, but Sarah beat her to it.

“What if the federation denies the petition?”

“It’s unlikely, but if that does happen, Lily would not be able to compete at the Senior Elite level, nor be eligible for the Olympic trials in June next year,” Amanda answered, her tone neutral.

“In which case,” Jamie chimed in, “I would recommend shifting our focus to planning for Lily’s collegiate career, possibly exploring specialization as a strategy for the Olympics in 2028.

But, like Amanda said, we feel that’s unlikely.

” She met Beth’s impossibly blue eyes, hoping she could offer her the reassurance she was seeking.

“As for Lily’s readiness, Amanda and I wouldn’t recommend this if we didn’t feel it was a viable path for Lily.

” Jamie paused as she carefully selected the words she next wanted to say.

“Your daughter”—Jamie looked first at Beth and then to Sarah—“has got something I’ve never seen in a gymnast before, and we’re at a moment here where I truly believe Lily has the chance to be one of the greats of this sport. ”

Silence fell over the room as Jamie’s words sank in.

Lily was the first to speak, her voice smaller than usual. “One of the greats? Like you two?”

“No, better,” Jamie said.

“And you—you think this, too?” Beth asked Amanda.

“I do. That’s why we think it would be beneficial for Lily to continue training with Jamie one-on-one through the end of the year.

We’ll get Lily through the petition with the federation and prepare for the Glacial Cup in January.

That competition will be our big indicator for how we proceed,” Amanda finished matter-of-factly.

Jamie tried to subtly catch Beth’s eye as Sarah asked follow-up questions, but Beth didn’t give her anything, so she turned her attention back to Lily.

“I have a few questions,” Lily interjected, as the adults continued their conversation. Jamie crossed her arms with a smirk. She liked seeing Lily comfortable enough to open up to them as a group.