When Adrian judged the cocoa to be ready, he handed the spoon to Brody. “Keep stirring that.”
“Aye, aye, sir!”
Chuckling, Adrian went to a cupboard and removed a dark brown bottle. He poured some of the contents into each of two mugs.
“Okay, Marine, put the spoon in the dishwasher.” While Brody was doing that, he ladled cocoa into each mug.
“Come on, let’s go have this by the fire.” They sat side by side on the sofa.
After a tentative sip of his drink, Brody said, “Mmm, that’s not like the cocoa Mom used to make. What did you put in this?”
“Kahlua.”
“Never heard of it. But it sure does great things for cocoa.”
“I’ll remember you like it.”
They sipped the sweet, hot beverage, watching the fire, listening to the music. Brody’s eyes closed. He was feeling warm, content, relaxed, slee
