Page 27 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

TEN

JAMIE

Jamie watched as the waves danced and splashed over the rocky shore, their rhythmic push and pull echoing the churn of her thoughts.

She sat on a piece of driftwood, sipping on her coffee and nibbling on a protein bar—her feeble excuse for breakfast—and stared out at the water, turning over the previous day’s events.

The game yesterday was fun. Seeing Beth with Sarah, however—not as fun.

She couldn’t quite piece together what the deal was with Beth and Sarah.

At first, she thought she had been imagining it, reading too much into the familiar, casual touches she’d observed.

But the more she’d looked for them, the more she saw, and yesterday, she’d seen something different.

Beth seemed to tense whenever Sarah had been around.

She had seemed generally off since they’d arrived at the stadium—it was subtle, but Jamie noticed.

That had been the most confusing thing to her—the two versions of Beth she had gotten yesterday.

When it was the two of them, Beth seemed to finally relax.

She’d laughed at Jamie’s admittedly lame jokes, accepted her sweatshirt, and smiled in a way that completely filled Jamie.

And fine, maybe Jamie had even flirted a little.

She couldn’t help it. It always seemed to slip out when she was around Beth.

But the thing was, Jamie could’ve sworn Beth had been flirting right back.

But then there was Sarah.

Her stomach twisted as the questions filled her. Was she in the way of something she didn’t belong in? What if Beth and Sarah were working things out? Reuniting for Lily? What right did she have to interfere with Beth’s family?

She set her empty cup down and pulled her knees to her chest, searching for answers. Everything felt so messy, so complicated, and it really shouldn’t. She didn’t do relationships in the first place. So why did it bother her that she couldn’t figure this out?

There had been a choice. At the end of the game, Beth had hesitated when Sarah suggested dinner. But she’d chosen to leave with Jamie. That had to mean something, right?

Jamie sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. Her mind told her to be cautious. She was leaving at the end of the year, heading back to Oregon. That’s what she’d always planned. So why did the thought of leaving Beth behind gnaw at her?

She picked up a smooth rock and flicked it across the water, watching it skip and disappear beneath the waves. She had more questions than answers at this point, but she couldn’t keep pretending she didn’t feel anything for Beth.

A sigh left her body as her shoulders dropped. Confronting that feeling terrified her. She was so out of her element.

Her phone buzzed. Amanda’s name lit up the screen, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Amanda’s bubbly tone greeted her.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jamie replied, as she fished her keys from her jacket.

“Sarah’s running late with Lily, so there’s no rush to get here. You could come help with paperwork, though.”

“That’s a hard pass. Is Lily okay?” A surge of protectiveness rose in Jamie before she could stop it.

“Yeah, just a scheduling mix-up,” Amanda replied, her suspicion evident. “Why?”

Jamie shrugged it off. “No reason. Just curious.”

“Mm-hmm, sure. Enjoy your morning. Do something for yourself.”

“I will. See you in a bit.”

The call ended, and Jamie slipped her phone into the cupholder. She took a deep breath, glanced at the gray water one last time, then started the van. She needed to clear her head—to go for a climb.

A soft chime rang out as she pushed open the door to the Drip Drop Café. Jamie had wrapped up her climb at the rock-climbing gym a little early, leaving enough time to swing by the café for a coffee before making her way back to PGTC.

She made friendly chatter with the girl behind the register, who couldn’t be more than twenty-five, by Jamie’s best guess.

Skye, with her electric blue hair tied up in two perky space buns, also turned out to be the shop owner’s new girlfriend.

She made a mental note to file that tidbit away to share with Beth later as the lore of the infamous coffee shop continued to expand.

Excitement filled her, and she could feel the smile tugging on her lips.

She had just finished placing her order and was about to pay when a voice rang out over her shoulder. “I’ve got this one for her.”

She knew that voice and turned to see Beth, her sapphire eyes sparkling.

“Hey, stranger,” Beth said, handing over her card. “Golden Dream Latte, please.”

Jamie grinned, unable to help the warmth that spread through her at their greeting. “Hey.”

They stepped aside to wait for their drinks, and Jamie could feel the familiar pull she always did around Beth—it was so comfortable and easy to slip in to.

“No gym this morning?” Beth asked, her body shifting slightly closer.

“Sarah’s running late. No Lily to work with, no point being at the gym.” Jamie shrugged, watching Beth’s expression shift from curiosity to frustration.

“Of course Sarah is,” Beth muttered under her breath, her hand fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket.

“You okay?” Jamie asked.

“Yeah. It’s... Co-parenting with Sarah can be... uh... complicated.” She sighed. “Sometimes it can feel like it’s her world and we’re all living in it.” The look she gave was restrained, like there was more there she wasn’t saying.

“That sounds frustrating,” Jamie said, her eyes lingering on Beth’s lips as she sipped her coffee. Beth caught Jamie’s gaze, and grinned.

“You need to try this,” Beth said, holding out her cup.

Jamie took a sip, the earthy sweetness of turmeric and cinnamon surprising her.

“Oh, you’ve got a little—” Beth gestured at her lip, handing Jamie a napkin, a teasing glint in her eyes, and Jamie quickly wiped her mouth, feeling a flicker of embarrassment.

“Messier than I expected,” Jamie said, laughing it off.

“Do you have time to sit?” Beth motioned toward an empty table by the window, biting her lip slightly, her hope evident.

Jamie hesitated, checking her watch. She was cutting it close, but she said, “Yeah, I’ve got some time. Let me text Amanda real quick.”

“Lucky me.”

There was that smile again. That absolutely perfect smile that Jamie had learned was impossible to say no to. For weeks she had been enjoying finding all the different ways she could make it appear. It had been like a game to her.

Jamie fired off a quick text to Amanda, letting her know she would be another thirty minutes, then settled into the chair across from Beth.

The morning light filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow over the small café.

Beth leaned back in her chair, entirely at ease, her fingers wrapped around her cup.

Jamie found herself studying Beth. Her relaxed confident demeanor reminding her of that first night they’d met. This Beth differed from the one Jamie had seen around her family, where she often seemed tense and uncertain.

“What’s got you smiling like that?” Beth asked, catching Jamie’s eye.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood today. I like seeing it,” Jamie said, leaning forward, her forearms resting on the table.

Beth shrugged, her confidence unwavering. “Why wouldn’t I be? Good coffee, better company.”

She was so drawn to this version of Beth, the one who seemed effortlessly sure of herself. But what about the other version, the one who pulled back and dimmed her light around Sarah and Lily?

“You’re different when it’s us,” Jamie said cautiously. “I’ve seen you like this before, confident and glowing. But other times... Other times you seem more, I don’t know—not like this version of you.”

Beth’s smile faltered for a split second, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup. “What do you mean?”

Jamie hesitated. “It’s like you’re lighter when we’re alone. But when I saw you with Sarah, like at the game yesterday, you seemed more tense.”

Beth’s eyes dropped to her cup, and she let out a short, bitter laugh. “Tense, huh?”

Jamie leaned in a little. “I’m not trying to put you on the spot, but I do notice it and I guess I’m having a hard time understanding everything.”

Beth’s hand stilled on her cup, eyes fixed firmly on the table. She let out a long, slow breath before looking up. And that’s when Jamie saw it—the frustration, the pain, the sadness.

“It’s complicated,” she admitted, her voice lower than her usual bright and airy tone but still steady.

“Sarah and I, it’s—there’s a lot of history there.

She’s so sure of everything all the time, and I just.

..” She paused, shaking her head slightly.

“I think I need to tell you about last year.” The blue of her eyes picked up the reflections of light coming through the window, making them sparkle.

“Only if you want to. You don’t owe me anything”

The slightest bit of worry crept into the lines on Beth’s face as she continued, and Jamie couldn’t help but wonder what had happened the year before to make Beth respond like this.

“No, it’s fine. We probably should have had this talk a little sooner, given our history.

” She gestured between them. “Especially after meeting again at the gym, when we knew you’d be working so closely with my family.

No time like the present, right?” Her nervous laugh was hollow.

“Please, Jamie, just promise you won’t judge. ”

“I’m not a person who is ever in a position to judge. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, Beth.” Curiosity filled her as she waited in anticipation to hear what had transpired the year before.

The sounds of the café buzzed softly around them, but the noise faded into the background as Beth spoke. Her hands cradled her latte, her eyes distant. Jamie could feel the shift in her demeanor. This was different. Deeper. Heavier.

“So...” Beth started. “About a year and a half ago, Sarah and I—we tried to give us another go.”