Page 5 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

TWO

JAMIE

Jamie hadn’t even wanted to go to the event. Art wasn’t her thing, and she’d much rather have spent the evening curled up with a video game. But Amanda, ever persistent, had dragged her along—which, to be fair, she had fully expected.

Beth, however, was magnetic, poised, and completely unexpected. Something about her felt untouchable, making Jamie nervous. Yet she had approached Jamie, suggested they go back to her office, and then had unraveled completely in her arms.

The memory still thrummed in Jamie’s veins, warm and insistent.

Beth’s laugh, low and teasing, had wrapped around her.

The way she’d leaned closer, lips casting into that smile as if she had known precisely what she was doing to Jamie.

The way their bodies had melted together, soft and unguarded.

Jamie hadn’t stopped thinking about the press of Beth’s lips or how her name had sounded whispered in the dark.

For Jamie, sex was easy—fun, uncomplicated, and exactly how she liked it to be.

The rest? Not so much. Commitment wasn’t her thing.

She had decided long ago that life was too short for all that.

But Beth? There had been something real, something electric, between them that made her want to see Beth again, and soon.

A foreign flicker of excitement shot through Jamie at the thought of seeing Beth again. Jamie would only be in town for a few months, after all. Might as well have some fun.

Jamie jumped as her phone vibrated in her hand, snapping her thoughts back to the present moment.

Amanda 6:37 AM

Hiii! Can you pick me up at the ferry terminal in 15 mins? Bike’s in the shop again. I have lavender scones!!!!! Your favorite, so now you can’t say no to me!

Jamie smiled and tossed her phone on the bed as she finished getting ready. For Amanda, her answer would always be yes.

She pulled up to the curb outside the small ferry terminal that serviced Bainbridge Island, the small island across the bay from Seattle, Washington. Amanda stood with her flaming red hair tucked into the hood of her black rain jacket, a bag slung over her shoulder, and a paper bag in one hand.

“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.” She handed Jamie the crinkled paper bag. “A gift of my undying gratitude.”

Jamie had met Amanda when they were six and taking their first gymnastics class together. They had been quick friends. The fiery, spirited redhead had taken a shy Jamie under her wing, and they had been inseparable ever since, in both life and gymnastics.

Gymnastics had been the one constant in their lives. Jamie and Amanda shared the same goal of making it to the Olympics and were always there to push each other to be their best. That bond only intensified as the years passed and they achieved their dreams of becoming Olympians.

“Last night was fun! Right?” Amanda chirped from the passenger seat. “I’m glad you decided to come out after all. I lost track of you after a while, but I finally got some time alone with the hunk of a gallery owner, Sean.” A flush crept up her neck.

“Yeah. It was fun,” Jamie said, purposefully trying to keep it cool.

“Oh, come on. I saw you chatting it up with the artist! And then you disappeared. Did you get bored and slink off to head back here?” she asked.

“Uh...” Jamie tried to decide exactly how much to tell Amanda about the previous night. “Eventually, but not at first.”

The redhead, clearly intrigued, looked at her expectantly. “Spill. What happened last night?”

“You could say I got to know the artist on a personal level.” With a smirk, she added, “But a lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

Who was Jamie kidding? She loved to kiss and tell, and Amanda was usually her go-to. They’d been long-distance best friends for the last seven years since Jamie had moved away, but Amanda was still the first person—really, the only person—she called when needing a good post-hookup download.

“A lady, huh?” Amanda’s smile was wide now, her eyes bright with excitement. “Tell me everything.”

“There’s nothing to tell. We had a good time, and I got her number so we could maybe keep having a good time until I go home in a few months,” Jamie said slowly, anticipating the reaction from her best friend.

“Jamie Lyons!” Amanda squealed.

“Calm down.” Jamie’s lips twitched as she recalled her night.

The thought of Beth—her laugh, her lips, and the way she’d devoured her with those stunning blue eyes like she was a treat to be savored.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself.

It wasn’t that deep. It couldn’t be. “We got interrupted last night, and I figured since I’m only here for a few months, it could be fun to see her again.

” Who was she trying to justify this to?

Amanda, or herself? “Can you blame me? You saw what she looks like, right?”

“At least tell me you’re going to take her out on a real date,” Amanda chided.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, as they pulled into the parking lot of the Pacific Gymnastics Training Center—the gym she’d helped Amanda open two years ago to train future elite gymnasts. “You might be surprised to hear this, but I do actually know how to be chivalrous.”

Amanda squealed again. “I’m sorry, but this never happens to you. You like her—at least enough for round two!”

“Can we please cool it with all the ‘like her’ talk? We’re talking about dinner and sex, not forever.

I’m only here for a few months, and then I’m going back to Oregon.

” That was their deal. Jamie would stay through the holidays to help Amanda with her new gymnast, then return to her quiet life, away from the world of elite gymnastics. Exactly how she liked it.

“I know. But you know what? I’m happy for you, Jamie.

You deserve to be excited about someone.

It’s good to see that part of you is still there, even if you want to pretend it isn’t.

” Amanda juggled a set of keys before pulling open the door to the building.

“And I’m really excited you’re staying for a few months.

It means a lot to me that you came.” Jamie rolled her eyes playfully but didn’t answer her as they entered the empty gym.

“The place looks great,” Jamie said sincerely.

Pacific Gymnastics Training Center had been Amanda’s dream, and there was very little Jamie wouldn’t do for her.

Despite Jamie’s initial reluctance to open an elite gymnastics training center, given her goal of keeping herself as far away from that world as possible, Jamie had said yes when Amanda pitched the idea to her, but with one condition: she didn’t want anything to do with running the day-to-day operation or coaching.

So Amanda took care of all that, and Jamie helped with the financing.

“I was thinking things could use a little sprucing up. Still feels stark in here,” Amanda said, looking around the room while removing her coat.

“We’ll talk about it at our next quarterly meeting.

” Jamie winked at her as she dropped her gym bag on the floor and pulled out her water bottle.

“Please go easy on me. It’s been a while since we’ve worked out together, and I’d still like to be able to stand when it’s time to meet the new girl.

” She tried to recall the name in Amanda’s email, and the girl’s profile.

She knew it was a floral name, like Rose or Ivy.

“Jamie! Did you even bother to read the email I sent you?”

“I did! I promise. It’s Ivy, right?”

“Lily. Lily Gallagher.” Amanda let out an annoyed huff. “Ready?”

The pair moved around the gym in a pattern practiced by former teammates: warm-up, then conditioning, a little bit of cardio, and finally, a cool-down. By the time they finished, they were both lying on the floor mats, breathing heavily but high on post-workout endorphins.

“I need to shower before Lily and her parents get here,” Jamie stated, lifting her wrist to check the time.

“Oh, did I tell you? Lily has two moms! See, lesbians are out there. In the wild. Procreating. You could be one of them, too, if that’s something you want.” Amanda earned herself an impressive eye roll. “Kidding, but also not. Just want you to know that you have options.”

Jamie ignored her, pivoting the conversation back to Lily instead.

“I still don’t understand how you convinced her parents to drop her coach mid-season. Where was she training again?”

“Cascade Gymnastics Academy,” Amanda said nonchalantly, purposefully not making eye contact.

Jamie frowned. “Wait, Cascade as in CGA, as in Kendall Varner’s gym?”

Amanda continued to avoid her gaze. “Yeah. Look, I know how you feel about her, but?—”

“How I feel ?” Jamie snorted. “I don’t feel anything about Kendall. Haven’t in years.” She shifted uncomfortably as she stretched.

Amanda gave her a skeptical glare but didn’t push. “Anyway, Lily’s talent is wasted there, and Kendall knows it. Kendall was the one who suggested I meet her parents. She said Lily needed someone who could handle her potential.”

Jamie blinked. Okay, that was not what she had expected from limelight-loving Kendall Varner.

“She reminds me of you,” Amanda said softly. “Lily—she has the same fire, but she needs someone to teach her how to harness it so she doesn’t get burned by her own strength.”

Jamie reached above her head and stretched her arms, and she couldn’t help the teasing tone that accompanied her words. “You know this ‘small favor’ is turning out to be quite the pain in my ass already.” She tossed Amanda her best displeased smirk before standing.

“Consider it payback for all the times you’ve been a pain in mine.”

Quietly, Jamie asked, “So, are you and Kendall, like, still friends?”