Ben blinks. “Brave cocoa?”
“Mmhmm. Remember how we talked aboutsmellinghot cocoa earlier? Well now we’re going tomakeit. Special recipe. Makes you extra brave.” I’m making this up as I go but I’m committed now. “Rosa, do we have cocoa?”
Rosa catches on immediately. Bless her. “Of course. The best.”
I guide Ben to one of the kitchen chairs. She climbs up, still clutching her plush.
I move to the counter where Rosa is already pulling out mugs. Cocoa powder. Milk. She works with the efficiency of someone who’s done this dance many times before.
“We need to breathe while we stir,” I tell Ben. “That’s part of the recipe. Want to try?”
She nods.
Rosa hands me a wooden spoon. I stir the cocoa slowly while Ben watches.
“Smell,” I instruct. “What do you smell?”
“Chocolate.”
“Good. Now blow on it. Gentle. Like we did before.”
She blows. The steam ripples.
We do this three more times. Stir. Smell. Blow. Her shoulders drop incrementally with each breath.
Marco lingers in the kitchen doorway. Silent. Watching. His arms are crossed but his expression has softened.
Rosa sets Frederick on the counter between us.
“So he can smell, too,” Rosa says, completely straight-faced.
I could kiss this woman.
When the cocoa is ready, I hand Ben her mug. She takes a small sip.
“Better?” I ask.
“Yeah.” But then she sits up straight, as if she’s forgotten something extremely important. “Wait! The marshmallows.”
Rosa produces a bag of mini marshmallows. I’m startingto love her.
We sprinkle several of the minis into our cocoas, and then we sit there at the kitchen table and drink. Frederick sits between us like a tiny chaperon.
Through the doorway opposite Marco I can see someone watching. A woman with a tablet and that efficient energy of someone who runs things. She catches my eye and nods once. Approval? Assessment?
Can’t tell.
Ben sets down her mug. Then she picks up Frederick and does something that makes my chest crack open.
She presses the plush against my chest. Right over my heart.
“He needs your brave,” she says softly.
I have to blink back sudden tears. “Yeah? Is he scared?”
“A little.”
“That’s okay. We can share.” I hold Frederick over my heart for a moment. Then I press him back to her chest. “Now you have extra brave.”
