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“Yup. Just be careful, okay?” Caitlin handed her the container. Pearl put the spinach in and Caitlin stirred.
“It always gets so small,” Pearl said as she put another handful in. “It’s like a magic trick.”
“It is.” Caitlin smiled. “Does it make you want to eat more of it?”
Pearl nodded, a look of pride coming onto her face. “I eat more vegetables than anyone else in my group at Little Clams.”
“I bet you do.” Caitlin pushed Pearl’s hair out of her face, her smile gentle.
Her heart felt so much lighter. Maybe lighter than she’d ever felt before. She knew the feeling would last this time around.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Michael had been to a lot of surfing competitions in his life, but never one quite like this. A small booth with a sign that said “parent-child surfing competition” sat near the path from the boardwalk to the beach. Some kids from Little Clams had colored in the block letters on the sign, giving it a cheerful, haphazard look.
Parents and kids were clustered closer to the water with their boards, excitement in the air. Michael squeezed Caitlin’s hand as they approached the booth, and she squeezed it back. The energy buzzing around her was more nervous than excited.
“You okay?” Michael asked her quietly.
“Mostly. Pearl’s never done something like this before,” Caitlin said. “I’m not sure how she’ll do. I know she’s been learning fast, but I hope she doesn’t feel too much pressure.”
“She’ll do great. We’ve been practicing so much over the past two weeks. I’ll make sure it’s fun.”
Caitlin smiled up at him, lacing her fingers in his. The trust and warmth in her eyes only strengthened his desire to make this an amazing afternoon for both of them.
“Here to check in?” the booth attendant asked.
“We are.” Caitlin rested her hand on Pearl’s head.
The attendant checked Pearl and Michael in, then gave them each stretchy armbands to show they were part of one team.
“We got the purple ones,” Michael said with a smile. Pearl’s favorite color was purple—her wet suit was a lighter shade of it, and her board had a lavender stripe down the middle.
But Pearl only nodded, stretching the band. She bit her bottom lip.
“Nervous?” Michael asked, coming to a stop and putting their boards down.
“Yeah.” Pearl twisted her armband in her hands. “What if I mess up?”
“It’ll be okay.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and squatted down to her level. “It’s not about winning or being perfect. It’s just about having fun. And we’ve had a lot of fun learning, right?”
“A lot of fun.”
“So just pretend we’re practicing again. If you fall off, you can get back on. All that matters is that you try your best.”
“If all of our teams could line up down here, we’ll get started,” the event organizer called.
“Good luck, honey,” Caitlin said, giving Pearl a kiss on the forehead.
Michael picked up their boards and walked them out to the water. He placed Pearl’s board down in the shallow water next to his and they paddled out, just far enough to catch some small waves. Pearl rested her palms on her board, absently kicking her feet in the water.
“Okay, we’ll start with our blue team!” the organizer shouted through a megaphone. “Catch the next wave!”
They turned toward the pairing with blue armbands, a young boy and his mother. They caught a wave and rode it, earning everyone’s applause. Michael glanced out onto the shore, where a small crowd had gathered. Still, Michael’s eye went straight to Caitlin. He waved at her and she waved back, her smile bright enough to see even from the water.
The more teams that went, the more Pearl loosened up. Some other kids fell off their boards or didn’t get to their feet, but everyone cheered anyway. The pressure that Caitlin had feared wasn’t an issue at all. The more teams went, the more joined them over where they were. Pearl played with some of her friends and Michael got to chat to some of the parents who he knew from Tidal Wave Coffee.
“Purple team, you’re up!” the organizer said.
