Harper willed herself to chill out. And then, slowly, she started to get the hang of it.
“I see. There’s a rhythm to follow,” Harper said.
“Exactly. See! You’re a natural.”
She was almost disappointed when it was over.
Tommy added some feed to Bessie’s trough and grabbed the bucket that was nearly half-full. He poured a bit into a large cast-iron skillet.
“For the barn cats.” Harper saw a couple of skinny cats and a few kittens come out of their hiding places.
“They’re so cute!”
“Good mousers, too. Everyone’s got a job around here.”
They walked to where a big machine was churning the milk. Joe had already dumped his bucket in and gone up to the house.
Tommy dipped a ladle in and said to Harper, “Here, have a taste.”
“Oh, I don’t drink milk. I think I might be lactose intolerant.”
“Ah. That’s just something TikTok has told people. I promise; we’ve drank milk all our lives. Trust me?” Tommy motioned her to try it. “I promise you’ve never tasted cream like this.”
“Is it safe? It hasn’t been cleaned or anything.”
“You literally can’t get milk fresher than this. It hasn’t had a chance to get messed with. That’s what they do at the factories before they ship it out to you folks in Brooklyn.”
“Manhattan. I grew up in Brooklyn but moved to Manhattan.”
“Is there a big difference?”
“How much time do you have?”
“Clearly not enough,” he said. “Here. Drink up!”
“Okay. But if I get sick, you’ll owe me... something.”
“I’m confident you won’t get sick.”
She decided a little couldn’t hurt and brought the ladle to her lips. A sweet cream that felt like velvet coated her tongue. She swallowed and was surprised by how good it tasted. “Okay, you were right. That’s so different from back home.” She bent her head down for one more taste.
“I’ve always loved it,” he said, removing his gloves and taking Harper’s to put in the bin. “In fact, I have a dream of starting a little ice cream store on one of the back roads of the farm. Like a special destination with an Instagrammable setting. But my family thinks I’m crazy.”
“I like the idea. It’s like that movie about the baseball field in Iowa.”
“Yes, you get it! Build it and they will come,” Tommy said. “I even have a name picked out.”
“Let’s hear it,” she said enthusiastically.
“Alotto Gelato.”
“Oh, that’s awful.” She laughed. “But I see the potential.”
They smiled at each other, and he instinctively reached up to tuck one of her loose curls behind her ear.
She let his hand linger, enjoying the moment.
As they walked back, she felt lighter in spirit than she had in months.