He shook his head.
“Because your dad strikes me as someone stubborn as hell, and Callan’s even worse.”
The smallest smile cracked through.
“And me?” Ethan asked.
I pointed at the Coke in his hand.
“You’re drinking soda at six in the morning during the end;that alone tells me your survival instincts are excellent.”
He laughed—a real laugh this time, the tension draining from his shoulders; he sat up straighter and took another sip.
“You know…” he said slowly.
“What?”
He tapped the Coke can against the table. “If we’re planning on leaving eventually… shouldn’t we start moving food onto the boat?”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Well—” he straightened up, warming to it. “If we have to leave fast, we won’t have time to pack, but if the non-perishable stuff is already loaded on the boat, no scrambling.”
I stared at him.
I set my coffee down and pointed at him.
“That’s a really good idea.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Really.”
I stood and grabbed my mug. “Come on.”
He hopped off the bench. “Where are we going?”
“To make you popular with the rest of the group.”
We walked into the storage hallway where Callan and I had organized supplies along the walls—stacked cans, boxes of dry goods, cases of water lined up in neat rows. I pointed to a stack of large plastic storage totes leaning against the back wall.
“See those?”
Ethan nodded.
“We fill them with this stuff,” I pointed to the stuff Callan and I had already organized. Canned goods, dry food, bottled water—anything that won’t spoil. Pack them tight, label them, stage them near the marina access.”
His grin spread slowly. “Then we move them to the boat?”
“Exactly.”
He grabbed one of the totes and hefted it experimentally, bouncing it in his hands. “This is kind of like prepping for a camping trip.”
I raised an eyebrow. “The worst camping trip in human history, perhaps.”
He laughed. “Fair.”
We started pulling cans—beans, soup, tuna, boxes of pasta. The rhythm came easily. Grab, stack, fill. Something about the simple work loosened the knot in my chest. Purpose. Direction. Even a small one.