Maggie had woken earlier and was busy carrying the supplies up to the top of the hill to lessen Quincy’s burden as they left the beach. By the time Nat had wiped the sleep from her eyes, Maggie had carried the last of the crates with their supplies up the hill. “Good morning,” she whispered. “The coffee is on the back fire.” “Thanks,” Nat whispered back. She gently shook Marissa awake and stood to get them coffee. She poured sand from her boots and slipped them on her cold feet before walking into the cave. Nat returned moments later with cups of coffee and stirred the embers in the fire to give them warmth as their bodies awoke. Marissa had gotten up and rolled their bedrolls tightly. She gladly accepted the coffee from Nat and used it to warm her hands. “Thank you,” she said as she took the cup from Nat. “You have been busy,” Nat said. “I woke up early and thought I would make good use of my time,” Maggie said with a grin. “I also dug some clams to take back with us, hoping your aren’t sick of chowder yet.”
