Page 10 of Merry With A Milkman

I choose a few samples from my cheese cave and consider business names as I’m wrapping them. I need to name some of the cheeses as well to indicate the type of milk base used. So many things I hadn’t considered. There will be more, I’m sure, as the process moves forward. Thank god I decided to attend that meeting.

Once the deliveries are made, I park behind the chocolate shop and study the building next door. While I don’t need that much space now, if I’m successful, there would be room for expansion later. With Tegan’s help I’m sure we could make the shop interesting, no matter how much of the building we use.

The bonus of being next door to her every day swings the possibilities far to the positive side.

A knock on the passenger window jerks me from contemplating those positives and I turn to see Noah grinning through the window. He makes a cranking motion with his fingers and I push the button to lower the window.

“Hey, Rhone. Didn’t think we were scheduled for a delivery today.”

“You’re not. I hoped to catch your sister during a not so busy time. I’ve got questions. Uh, business questions.” I pointto the canvas bag containing the cheese samples. “Brought some cheese for her to taste. I’d appreciate your opinion as well.”

“Come on in. It’s been slow today, so no worries.”

I follow him into the store and to the office area. He clears off the corner of a desk. “We can do the tasting here. Hey, you got crackers?”

I chuckle at his hopeful expression. “Yeah, But we could use some water to help as a palate cleanser.”

“My wife keeps lemon water in the fridge at all times.”

“That’d be perfect.”

He leaves and I hear him direct Tegan back to the office. The bag is nearly unpacked when she wanders in.

“Oh. Noah didn’t tell me you were here.”

“I hope you don’t mind me just stopping in. I brought some of my product for you to try.”

“That’s great. Thank you.”

We stand in awkward silence staring at each other. I want to both say something about last night, and I don’t. If she doesn’t remember, my questions or comments would make no sense. Or make her uncomfortable. What if she does remember, but has changed her mind? It’s better not to start out by making of fool of myself so the silence drags on.

Noah bursts into the office and sets two large, insulated tumblers on the desk. “I’ve got to do…something. You two go ahead without me. I’m… Uh, the store’s covered, so take your time.”

He backs out and closes the door behind him.

Tegan huffs and shakes her head. “Subtle he’s not.” She turns her smile to me. “What ‘cha got for me today?”

She’s laid the ground rules. Business only. I can’t decide if I’m relieved or irritated. At least I know cheese. “I brought some cheese for you to try. Be honest in your opinion of the flavors.Hopefully while we’re at it we can brainstorm a business name. And cheese names.”

She pulls a chair to the desk. “Sounds like fun. Okay cheesemaker, what are we starting with?”

I grab the sleeve of unsalted crackers from the bag and set them beside the pile of cheeses. “Blander first. I brought a mozzarella.”

“The kind of milk you used will alter the flavor so it will be important to include that either in the name or at least on the labels.”

Nodding, I slice the small round of cheese. “As a point of reference, this is a normal cow’s milk mozza.”

“Are you using raw milk?”

“I have in the past, but it takes a special permit and labeling. Steve decided he didn’t want to deal with the regulations. There would be even more involved with the cheese. And selling across state lines is often prohibited which would lower my possible customer base. So all my cheeses are made from pasteurized milk.”

“Good for you for checking all the regs and making a wise decision. Any safety concerns a food oriented company can mitigate is good both for the company and their customers.”

“Even your chocolates?”

“Yeah, there’s always a chance of microbial growth if roasting is done improperly. That’s why we have exclusive arrangements with small family farms in Ecuador. They don’t use any pesticides or other chemicals and roast to our specifications. And we do frequent checks on any beans we have in storage.”

“There’s always something to watch out for. Steve is in frequent contact with his organic feed suppliers.”

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