"If you'd like," was her pleasantly surprised reply. "I certainly wouldn't turn it down. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I should gather... There seems to be a lot of us here."

Lucky for Belle, she was never the easily embarrassed type. Getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, didn't really bother her. Perhaps it was just natural for her to give off such a friendly aura to strangers! She wiped her fingers off on her apron to lessen the residue of the berries, and then extended her hand in greeting. "I'm Belle. It's a pleasure to meet you."