Page 9 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

“Oh my God!” Beth squealed with delight as she wrapped her arms around the lanky teen who had entered with Sean, pulling her goddaughter into a tight hug. “Dylan Cassidy, you need to stop growing right now. You’re taller than I am!”

“Dylan and Nic flew in this morning. Dylan’s going to spend a few days with me while Nic gets her mom settled in.”

“You have to come over tomorrow night when I’m at Mom’s house, and we can have a sleepover. I’ll catch you up on everything,” Lily added, as the two girls started chatting away rapidly.

They all grabbed their plates and served themselves. Lily and Dylan disappeared to the basement, while Beth, Sarah, and Sean sat around the small table in Beth’s living room.

“So, Sean, how’s the gallery?” Sarah asked, a hint of coolness to her voice.

“The galleries ,” he corrected, “are great. Thriving after all the press Beth’s show got. You really managed to impress Fiona.”

Sarah and Sean had always butted heads. While married to Beth, Sarah had at least kept her disdain for Sean to a minimum.

After all, he was not only Beth’s friend, but also her manager.

But he wasn’t Sarah’s first choice of company, and that is exactly why Beth had invited him over tonight. She needed a buffer.

“Fiona?” Sarah asked.

“Jesus, Sarah. Fiona Barrett. She’s written a dozen articles over the last year about Beth and how wonderful Beth is, how amazing her art is.

You can practically feel her crush jumping off the page.

I guess you couldn’t find the time to read any of them.

” He scoffed, and Beth had to conceal a slight smile that threatened to expose itself at Sean’s words.

She loved that he wasn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with Sarah.

“Who wants more?” Beth asked, taking the last sip of her own glass and grabbing the second bottle of wine.

“Beth, I got a phone call from Lane Walker,” Sean said, then paused for effect.

“The curator of the Los Angeles County Art Museum?” Sarah asked, sitting up a little straighter.

“Yup. They were so impressed with your tour, and after meeting you the other week, they are extremely interested in featuring some of your work in the museum’s upcoming winter exhibit.

We’re talking multiple pieces, corporate sponsors, and possible residency programs—everything you’ve been working toward.

Looks like the last year of us flying all over the country showing off your work paid off. ”

Beth sat there, slowly blinking, processing the words coming from Sean’s mouth.

Admittedly, she had thought Sean had been crazy when he approached her with the idea of a year-long, six-city art tour.

He had pulled his connections with other art-dealer friends and gallery owners across New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and even Washington, DC, to set up a series of short-run gallery showings featuring her work to get her name and art out there more than it already was.

She sometimes forgot that Sean was as much of an artist as she was, except his art form was bringing the right people together at the right time.

“Look at you, hotshot.” Sarah winked at her, a smile spreading across her face. Beth knew she was trying to redeem points with her after Sean’s earlier observation about how out of the loop she had been with Beth’s tour success.

“Well, don’t jump the gun yet. Lane wants to meet in a few weeks to discuss details. It’s already on your calendar. But you need to be the one to bring that charm, and, of course, talent.” He smiled smugly and finished off the last of his wine so Beth could pour him another.

Sarah’s fingers brushed against Beth’s thigh under the table, lingering a second too long. Beth glanced up, catching the softness in Sarah’s hazel eyes before the moment dissolved.

“You’re really doing it, Beth. I always knew you had it in you,” she said, with that sincere look that had won her over twenty years ago. Sean made a small sound of disgust, which he quickly hid in a cough, but she couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge pulling somewhere deep within her.

“She hasn’t done it yet,” Sean corrected, oblivious to the moment happening between her and Sarah. “Not until the artwork is hanging on the wall in a museum can we cross this goal off our list.”

“Jesus, Sean, can’t you just celebrate what an amazing thing this is for Beth?” Sarah said, swatting his arm.

“I don’t believe in counting my ducks before they hatch—or whatever.”

This was really happening. A museum was interested in featuring one of her pieces... more than one of her pieces. She had worked so hard for this, and for the first time, her dream was within reach.

“I hate to be the first to break this party up, but I’ve got to head back to the city,” Sean said, checking his watch. “Dylan and I should probably leave now to catch the next ferry.”

They exchanged their goodbyes with hugs all around. Beth noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sarah and Sean had instead opted for an unnecessarily firm handshake.

Beth turned to Sarah as the door clicked shut.

“I feel like we need dessert,” Sarah said, clapping her hands together.

“Can we go get ice cream?” Lily called, from the couch where she had plopped down.

“From the good place, the one that has lavender ice cream?” While the similarities between Beth and her daughter were few and far between these days, they weren’t entirely nonexistent.

They had always bonded over their love of all things lavender.

“Ice cream does sound good,” Beth agreed. “I don’t see why not.”

Soon, the three of them sat on a bright yellow bench outside the ice cream shop on Main Street.

The street was alive on a Friday night, full of folks enjoying what was probably one of the last rain-free weekends before the hallmark PNW rainy season started, marking the official end of summer.

String lights twinkled above them, lighting up the surrounding benches.

The first time she took the ferry across the bay from Seattle, Beth had been drawn to Bainbridge Island’s quaintness. She preferred the slower pace over the hustle and bustle of the city but still liked being close enough to enjoy all the perks of metropolitan proximity.

As expected, Beth and Lily got the lavender ice cream, and Sarah stood firmly behind her stance, saying that chocolate-chip cookie dough was the only ice cream flavor worth getting.

Lily groaned at Sarah. “But, Mom, after you eat all the cookie dough pieces, you’re stuck eating vanilla ice cream, and that’s so boring.”

“Well, then, I guess I’m boring.” She poked her tongue out at Lily. “And I’m perfectly okay with that.”

Sarah was an amazing mom. Anyone with eyes could see that.

From the moment they decided to start a family, Sarah had taken the lead in making their dream a reality, researching fertility clinics, scheduling appointments, and selecting a reputable cryobank.

Lists, phone calls, and crucial decisions had all been navigated with Sarah’s typical type-A efficiency.

While Beth had been first to express readiness for motherhood, her confidence had wavered when they actually conceived.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be a mom; she had always pictured herself in that role and deeply desired it.

The reality, however, struck her differently.

At twenty-seven, feeling still so young and somewhat unprepared, the positive result of the pregnancy test suddenly framed her own youth in stark relief.

But by then, they were irrevocably on the path to parenthood.

Beth took another bite of her ice cream, her gaze drifting to Sarah as she laughed with Lily.

For a moment, she let herself remember how Sarah had been the one to step up when parenting felt overwhelming, her steady presence a sharp contrast to Beth’s self-doubt.

Sarah had never seemed fazed by any of it.

She had always made it appear so effortless—planning playdates, signing Lily up for swim lessons, knowing exactly what to say when Lily scraped her knee.

Meanwhile, Beth had stumbled her way through, always wondering if she was enough.

“Look, it’s Jamie!” Lily said, snapping Beth’s attention back to the present moment.

Jamie was approaching their spot on the bench with their ice cream.

Beth couldn’t help how her eyes swept over Jamie for the briefest of moments.

Tonight, her hair was pulled back in a wild ponytail tucked under a faded and worn purple University of Washington baseball cap with a small rip across the bill, a few dark curls framing her face.

Beth wanted so badly to reach out and tuck the one above her right ear back into place, to feel the softness of her curls against her skin again. How was it possible for one person to be so effortlessly hot all the time? How did anyone make going to get ice cream sexy?

Okay, so maybe Beth had made it a point to get into the habit of getting to the gym a little early for Lily’s pickups so she could sit in the parents’ viewing gallery under the guise of watching her daughter, which she was.

Still, she might have also stolen a glance (or two, or many) at Jamie over the last two weeks.

She couldn’t help herself. Jamie was incredibly intriguing, but she couldn’t put her finger on why exactly.

“Hey, Lily!” Jamie said, her voice matching Lily’s enthusiasm. “Sarah, Beth.” She gave a small nod and a wave as she approached.

A wide smile stretched across Lily’s face, and an equally wide one stretched across Jamie’s, exposing those perfect dimples. Her brown eyes sparkled under the twinkling lights above.