The little girl straightened immediately on Callum’s shoulders and waved both arms excitedly. “Mum!”
The couple rushed toward them.
“Oh my God, thank you so much,” the woman breathed out the second they reached them, one hand pressed against her chest like she was trying to steady her heartbeat. She looked around their age, flushed and visibly shaken. “We turned around for two seconds and she just vanished.”
“I wasn’t lost,” Maggie corrected seriously. “I was with them.”
Callum bit back a laugh.
“Right,” her father said, clearly too relieved to argue. “Of course you were.”
The mother let out a nervous laugh. “Honestly, thank you. We were about five minutes away from calling the police.”
Alejandra laughed softly while Callum shook his head. “She’s been keeping us entertained, at least.”
“I told them about my hamster,” Maggie informed her parents proudly.
The father snorted a laugh for the first time since arriving. Some of the panic finally drained from his face.
Callum felt Maggie suddenly lean down and wrap her arms around the top of his head in a fierce hug before he crouched so she could climb off his shoulders.
“Thank you for the ride,” she whispered very seriously into his ear.
“You’re welcome.”
Alejandra smiled as Maggie immediately grabbed both their hands again before her parents could steer her away.
“Mum, take a picture with Alejandra and this giant man.”
The parents laughed while she squeezed herself between Alejandra and Callum like they’d known each other for years. Callum barely had time to react before Maggie hooked her arms around both of them and beamed at the camera.
Somehow, he had apparently become a hero in the process too.
A few moments later, the family disappeared back into the crowd, Maggie perched on her father’s shoulders now, waving at them so enthusiastically she nearly lost balance twice.
“Bye, Callum! Bye, Alejandra!”
They waved back until the crowd swallowed them whole.
Alejandra and Callum slowly walked back toward the stall.
“We make a good team,” Alejandra said, smiling up at him.
Callum smiled back. “How do you feel?”
“Better,” she admitted, exhaling slowly. “Thank you. Staying back in the Athlete Zone was making me forget why I started surfing in the first place.”
Callum stayed quiet, letting her fill the silence at her own pace.
“When I was younger, there were no women around me who surfed. No one to look up to.” Her gaze drifted toward where Maggie and her parents had disappeared into the crowd. “Being that person for girls like Maggie… that’s the main reason now.” She paused. “The titles, the Olympics—they fuel my ego, sure.” A small self-deprecating smile pulled at her lips before fading again. “But once your body breaks… You’ve got to hold on to something else.”
The honesty in her voice settled heavily between them. Callum looked at her for a long moment before answering.
“Good,” he said softly.
Not dismissive. Not casual. Like he genuinely meant it.
Alejandra glanced down briefly, suddenly unable to hold his gaze for too long.
