Honeysuckle Overflow - Riley Tags Elaine

[Riley Adams]

A couple of kids bumped into Riley as they ran around the mall. He laughed, raising the paper bag of pie higher so it wouldn't get knocked over, before proceeding to his destination.

It was unfortunate that Riley hadn't been to visit Elaine any sooner ever since he was under the impression that she had run into some sort of trouble back in December. He didn't know exactly what but he had hoped it wasn't anything too damaging.

And as he pushed against the door of the floral shop, his eyes took in the changes that had occurred. "Hey, Elaine. Um...did you redecorate?" Riley offered a smile as he approached the lady at the counter.

"I brought you pie. I should have come by earlier, but work has actually been pretty time-consuming." He grinned. "How are you?" The landscaper asked, pulling up the paper bag and placed it on the counter.

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine was sitting at the counter putting together a few wreaths for Mother's Day. It was right around the corner, and she knew there would be an explosion of orders soon, so it was good to get ahead of the game. She was surrounded by lilies and carnations, daisies and tulips--all good, spring flowers that meant friendship and affection. She also had a couple spools of wide ribbon that she could tie around each bunch of flowers and hand write "Happy Mother's Day."

When the door opened she looked up with a nice smile, which only grew when she saw who was coming in.

"Riley! It's good to see you again. How are you doing?" She stood and placed the wreath she was working on carefully to one side, stepping out of the pile of flowers to give her friend a hug.

"Yes, I redecorated after the break-in. You like it?" She threw in the comment in an off-hand sort of manner, kind of assuming that he'd heard a little bit of what had happened and hoping that if she didn't make a big deal out of it he wouldn't either. "I got to redo the paint and put in a few upgrades, which was nice. See that cooler in the back? That's new, and I even found space to put up a few pictures back behind the counter."

There was a bulletin board she had set up with a few snapshots of different members of her family, including a new one that Darryl had sent her of the new baby, Tory. There were also pictures of a lot of the people who she had helped over the years and who had become her regular customers. "If you give me a picture," she told Riley, "I'll add you to the board."

She moved the paper bag further onto the counter to ensure it wouldn't fall. "I'm doing well. A little flustered with some of the things that have been going on...Morgan's been giving me some trouble." She bit her lip as she thought of her son, who had gotten caught up in something she suspected was far too big for him. "But other than that, everything is great. I'm starting to get a lot of orders with all the holidays--Easter was a mass of customers, and there's still Mother's Day coming up. But I'll be all right soon enough. And I'm sure you've been busy, too, with spring coming around. Every person who works with plants is busier during this season. Don't worry, I don't hold anything against you."

She smiled again at him. "It really is great to see you, though. It's always nice to see my friends come in. Tell me, how is everything going for you? Work seems to be going well. Do you have anybody special who you talk to?" She remembered the first time she'd met Riley and the vague pushing she had done in order to put Riley and Stephen together, and she wondered how that had turned out. Still, she didn't want to ask directly.

"Now you have to tell me, though, what's in the bag? It smells heavenly...is that peaches I smell?" It was sometimes difficult to tell, but she was fairly willing to bet that the peaches were part of the pie, not just part of Riley's natural aura.

[Riley Adams]

"It's good to see you too, dear." He returned the hug as enthusiastically before letting her go to look at the things she pointed out to.

Riley was aware enough to know Elaine wasn't the type to be fussed over. They were alike in that manner but also much like a mother, Riley was a fusser and it was going against his nature not to fuss over Elaine. But he restrained himself. He didn't want to upset the younger woman and she seemed fine with it anyway. It let her make the place that much homier, if that was even possible.

"It looks amazing, Elaine." He reassured her with a soft smile. His eyes traveled to the bulletin board and saw a picture of a baby and he cooed. "Is that Midori's baby? She gave birth already? The baby is beautiful." By the looks of the blanket, it looked like the baby was a boy. Riley distinctly remembered Midori with the bump when they danced at the dinner bash and he also remembered a tiff that had happened between Clarisse and Darryl, the man Stephen had had drinks with that night. Things were clicking in his head finally that this was why Elaine had a picture of Midori and her baby boy. And there were pictures of Darryl and Morgan [only recognisable because he saw a picture of him in Cobalt's apartment] on the board too so it sort of made sense.

"Oh I couldn't." He gave Elaine a flustered look. "The last picture I took was when I was still in my thirties...those were...unfortunate accidents." He laughed as he continued to inspect the pictures.

"Morgan?" Riley's smile still intact, he turned away from the board as Elaine spoke of the coming events. "Why would he be giving you trouble?" Riley asked, curiously. "Oh yeah, I'm trying to finish up this current site so I can move on to two others. I'm starting to think I need to get a For Hire ad up soon for people who don't mind doing hard labour," he chuckled, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"It's good to see you again too," came the response from the landscaper in reply to Elaine's enthusiasm at seeing him again. "We never did get to talk during the New Year's party." Something he had regretted greatly but was appreciative that he could rectify it now. "I...I do. I wanted to thank you for that actually," a slight blush powdered his cheeks then. Though he was already very comfortable with his relationship status, it was still quite fresh and it took awhile for the landscaper to be rid of the bright eyed bushy tailed complex he had had since before Michael.

When directed to the question of what was in the bag, Riley grinned and nodded when Elaine guessed correctly. "It is. I had bought a few really good ones from the farmer's market the other day. Ate a few and I couldn't let it go to waste so I figured why not make a pie out of it? The filling has a bit of custard in it. Hopefully it works well." He shrugged with a smile. "And you, Elaine. Is there anyone special around you could talk to?" He figured the turnabout was only fair.

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine really appreciated that Riley didn't pressure her about the break-in. She took the compliments with a smile and a nod, proud of herself for putting the shop back together so well.

"Yes, that's little Tory! It's amazing how fast time seems to fly sometimes. Seems only yesterday I learned that he was even going to exist..." She trailed off, not wanting to get into the specifics of all that. "He really is beautiful, though. Almost as cute as Morgan was when he was born." Because no one would ever be as beautiful as her own baby.

"Well then you will have to get another picture taken. One with your new family and friends here in Pilot Ridge. It's not right for there not to be any memories of you for people to keep. Besides, I'd like to be able to bring my whole group of friends together in one place." Pictures were memories, and Elaine placed a large stock in those. It was why she saved just about everything in large boxes in her house. The attic was cluttered with old art projects and photo albums.

"Morgan recently got injured in an accident." That was all she'd been told about the incident so far. "He is on bed rest and I try to take care of him. He should be up and moving, though we're not sure if he'll ever completely heal. He took quite a beating." Though she didn't mention anything specific, because it appeared to be some sort of special secret. Even she hadn't been informed what sort of incident it had been.

"Looking to take on some extra hands, huh? You are not the only one, believe me. Though I don't think I can take anyone on full time, I'm looking at getting a part-time assistant just to help me put together all these floral arrangements and man the counter when I need a break." She'd gotten a few applications so far, but she was hoping to get a few more applicants before she had to make a decision.

"Oh, so it's going well with Stephen? I'm really glad that worked out. You two seemed like such nice people, and I'm really glad you are happy." And she was! She was also a little proud of herself for successfully playing matchmaker. Even if it never developed into anything more, she'd managed to force at least the initial introduction which had led to at least a few months of happiness.

"That sounds delicious. I love peach pie. Though sometimes I feel like I put too much sugar into the crust. Still, no one ever seems to complain. I guess they wouldn't until the diabetes diagnosis came back. One of these days I'll adjust the recipe, but for now...I guess I'm just too lazy. I've never tried custard in the pie, though. That might work as a good substitute and let me change the flakiness of the crust, letting me get a nicer balance and possibly even a shorter cooking time." She was already thinking of ways she could go home and experiment with some of the different recipes, as well as people she could give her new creations to.

"Someone special? Of course I have special people around. Morgan is always there, and I have Cobalt, who is the best cranky old brother a woman could ever have." She managed to get off a nice grin before she had to look away really quickly. "But as far as romantic relationships...no, I haven't talked to anyone in years. It's all right, I do just fine, and I'm really very happy with my store and the way everything is set up. I have a warm, loving family and amazing friends. What more could a girl want?" And here she managed another weak smile.

"Enough about that. I have some plates in the back. Let's dish up some of this pie, shall we? And if you promise not to tell anyone, I will even let you have a little bit of my secret ice cream stash. I try not to let most people know I have quite a bit of food in the store for any time when I get hungry, because then certain people would just come in and wipe out all my food." She laughed a little as she headed into the back room to get plates and silverware.

[Riley Adams]

Not taking anything more than what was given at face value, Riley smiled at how obviously happy Elaine was with her little family; blood related or not. "Nobody can really be as beautiful as our own progeny to be sure." Riley said absentmindedly, not knowing at all that Elaine was thinking the same thing.

The suggestion to take a picture of his new friends was met with an enthusiastic raise of an eyebrow and a couple of nods. "You're right. I didn't think of that." He grinned. He can finally take his camera out of it's dusty bag in his closet. He admittedly found his niche in photography when he saw a need to immortalise Michael in picture. And much like that was the reason he started, Riley stopped mostly because Michael was gone. The man was slowly gaining that same need again; to capture people at their best moments.

"Food is always a good reason to bring everyone together." Riley suggested with a smile at Elaine's idea. Food was a great buffer as well. Hell, besides their love for his pie, Riley's friendship with Cobalt and Josh involved lunch. Sure, they had a few breakthroughs but really who was he kidding? He liked hanging out with his friends during lunch breaks.

"Oh my...I hope he's alright. Is he up for visitors? I could come over...try to help him um...recover faster?" Riley was still very unsure if he could use his powers without any negative repercussions to himself but he was definitely willing to help. Because so far, he knew his powers wouldn't make the injured any worst. The implications had always been on himself. That he was very sure of.

"I just hired someone to do freelance work for my company and I also hired this sweet girl from Hammel to do book-keeping and man the office while I'm on site and stuff." He leaned against the counter as thoughts went back to those applicants and Riley smiled. They were great additions to the Patching Adams family to be sure.

Riley's smile widened, his cheeks colouring just slightly at the mention of his boyfriend. "Things are great. It's been...four months I think...maybe a bit more but yeah. I've been meaning to thank you for the help." He reached an arm over the counter and squeezed her arm gently.

Peppering Elaine's words with laughter, Riley made it a point to visit Elaine more often. She was great company. "Oh really, the custard was just to make the peaches sweeter, if that was even possible."

Riley simply laughed at Cobalt's description before giving her a little sympathetic smile. "You're too amazing a woman for any man to be with anyway. Though whoever manages to be with you would be the luckiest man alive." He nodded decidedly before perking up just slightly when she mentioned ice cream. "Oh please, you enjoy the pie. I made it for you. I might have eaten more than my share last night when Stephen came over." Riley chuckled, not catching how that might have sounded to someone else who wasn't him.

"But really, I wouldn't say no to ice cream." He said before following her to help with the utensils, bringing them outside to the counter. "I'm not getting in your way am I? I know it's Saturday but I'm sure you have things you should attend to." Instantly feeling slightly guilty, Riley chewed on his lower lip.

[Elaine Tonaya]

"They say love is blind. We're sure to think our kids are the most beautiful because we see them even through their murk." Of course, talking about blindness was hitting a bit close to home right now, so she let the subject go after that.

She nodded firmly in order to encourage Riley to bring in another photo of himself. "It would make me happy to have you on the wall," she said, waving a hand behind her. "It's time to join the family."

Elaine completely agreed about the food idea. "Exactly. And sometimes it's the only thing that brings everyone together. I am not the most stunning conversationalist, so it must be my great turkey that gets everyone to come to my house on Thanksgiving." And the cookies that drew people into the shop. And the promise of a free dinner that drew in house guests. Because food was a good excuse to invite everyone over, even if what she really wanted was just some company.

"Morgan will be fine, or at least all the doctors say so. He's currently just on bed rest, and if you would like to visit you may. But please, don't feel like you need to go out of your way. Though it's good to know that he's got plenty of people who are willing to help him." In a slightly stubborn way, Elaine wanted Morgan to have to heal on his own as a sort of punishment. Punishment for not telling her what he was doing, for running into something like this, and for letting her worry so much. Yes, it was selfish, and yes it was petty. More often her motherly feelings and desire for him to get better won out, but it couldn't be denied that she was still angry about the whole mess.

Elaine had never actually asked Riley--or anyone else for that matter--what exactly his powers were, if he had any, but from the way that he stood there shuffling back and forth she guessed that he wasn't talking about just helping Morgan by baking him some food. And if he had a power that might help her son, a part of her desperately wanted him to come help. Another part of her didn't want to feel that she wasn't capable of taking care of him herself. Nor did she want to feel indebted to Riley or to feel like she was pushing him into something. He was a very kind person, but it wasn't right to involve him in family matters.

"Well good for you, actually finding some helpers. I'm still going through the applications." She scrunched up her face as she thought about it. "Your sweet girl from Hammel wouldn't happen to have any equally sweet friends who would be willing to come help out here, would she?"

Elaine smiled again as Riley blushed over his relationship with Stephen. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad to see you so happy. And thank you for being so willing to accept my help. Certain other friends are less...open to any help I try to give." Though Cobalt mostly was that way just because he saw himself as the older brother who should be helping her as opposed to the other way around.

She blushed unexpectedly when Riley complimented her. Had she not known better she would have suspected him of trying to flirt. But of course, Riley was too awkward to flirt that smoothly. "Thank you, Riley. Whether it's true or not, I appreciate the sentiment." She then turned to the pie. "Don't be ridiculous, you're having at least one piece, even if it's a small one. I can't eat alone--makes me feel like a lab rat under the scientist's gaze," she stage-whispered conspiratorially.

"Ice cream it is then!" She pulled out all the materials for a meal and handed them to Riley before following with a couple placemats. There was no point in being a mother if you weren't prepared for anything. She settled on a stool and pulled out another from behind the counter, then scooped up the ice cream and pie onto plates.

"No, you're not in the way at all. I'm just putting together some wreaths for Mother's Day. If you want to help you can, but I warn you that if you do, I'll have to give you a free wreath to take home," she teased as she bit into her first piece of pie. "My goodness, this is heavenly! You and I will have to exchange recipes, I see. I warn you, though, my lasagna is to die for." And she gave him a wink before taking another healthy bite of pie.

[Riley Adams]

Riley's heart constricted when Elaine said what she said. There wasn't a day that went by that Riley thought if that were true, then what had happened to his childhood? He always tried to push that thought away but it was always there, eating away at the back of his mind. Smiling despite the stabbing pain, he verbally agreed to Elaine. It was a touchy subject but Elaine didn't need to know that.

The smile however turned more genuine when Elaine invited him to join the family on the notice board. "That would be nice. Thank you." He was flustered but he just kept smiling, fearing his face would just break in half.

"I don't believe that for a second, Elaine." Riley chided Elaine softly. "I've enjoyed your company the few times I've had the pleasure of seeking you out." And it was true. Riley himself was rather conversationally stunted but speaking to Elaine seemed so easy. There wasn't any pretense or awkwardness or whatever. Riley was drawn to Elaine in a pleasantly inexplicable manner.

"It really isn't getting out of my way to visit. Especially if the person I'm visiting is a son of a friend. So really, it would be no problem at all." He of course wasn't pushing Elaine to let him visit her son but he always felt grateful every time he visited someone. He liked being reminded that even when he was facing adversity, someone else would always be worst off than him. It was a wake up call for him really. He couldn't always feel bad for himself.

Riley laughed lightly when Elaine asked about Ann. "I...will definitely ask her if she does. I'm sure since graduation is coming up, Hammel students would want something to do to pass their time and earn some pocket money."

As Elaine spoke about the help she had given, Riley couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head for two reasons. Having known the nature of Cobalt and Elaine's relationship, his thought jumped straight to Cobalt when Elaine mentioned the friends who weren't too open to accept help. Second reason was that at the time, he didn't even realise Elaine was enabling his and Stephen's conversation which led to what they were now. "I must admit, at the time, I didn't even know you were helping. But thank you all the same. I honestly couldn't have spoken to him if you hadn't helped."

Elaine's doubt that he was telling the truth or not was met with a grin. "I wouldn't lie to you, Elaine." He said, tilting his head slightly to the left, giving her an incredulous look. "Oh alright then, if you insist. Pie and ice cream. Always a good combo." He grinned, helping her with the placemats and slid up on to the stool against the counter.

"A free wreath? As a warning? Must be my lucky day." He chuckled and gave her a warm smile just as she dug into her piece of pie. "Oh that would be great. Oh you must meet Anya. You will love her and her food is simply to die for." He nodded, taking a bite out of his pie. Mmm...would taste much better with more cinnamon.

"Oh! Speaking of lasagna," Riley laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Josh, Cobalt and I were talking about lasagnas and how we should have a bake off. Now you can beat all of us simply because you're a mother. You get the pretty and motherly award down pat." He laughed at his own lame joke. "But really, I would most definitely love to have a taste of your food someday."

[OOC: Shall we skip the pie eating and wreath making and such? I honestly love them together but you have to admit, they are barfing Hammel up ^^ We made our points ^^]

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine was glad that the conversation was going so well. She got along fairly well with most people, but she had to admit that she felt very comfortable talking to Riley. They shared a lot of interests and some of the same ideas, which was always nice to have in a friend. She hadn't known the large man for long, but their talks together and her understanding of his aura made her feel as though she had known him for years. She would have trusted him with just about anything, though she wouldn't necessarily ask the same of him. It still took time to develop a mutual trust, and she wouldn't try to force confidence out of anyone.

"Enjoyed my company...for the food? Or the actual conversation?" she joked. "But really, thank you. I enjoy talking to you as well. You are a very kind and interesting individual, underneath all that shyness. Though my assessment of how interesting you are might be biased, since I think anyone who enjoys cooking is automatically someone worth talking to." Not that other people weren't worth talking to, but excellent cooks, well, they were at least bound to have a few fun stories about when they were first learning to cook and some great kitchen disasters.

"If you're sure that it's not a problem," Elaine said slowly. "I will talk to Morgan and see what he says, though. He's not...well, he's still getting used to the new arrangements. It'll be a long time before he's back to something that can be considered normal." Though if Riley was what Elaine suspected, it might help Morgan. She would still want to check, though, to make sure that her son was all right with other people coming by to see him.

"Thank you, then. And yes, I'm hoping there are at least a few students who want a new job. I have a few applications, it's just going through them that is hard. I never feel like I know who someone is until I meet them in real life and get a real sniff of their personalities." She was so used to referring to her power in this manner that she didn't really recognize her use of the word here, and so she didn't catch herself. However, though it wasn't a usual choice of words, it still might not be caught out as referring to any special ability.

"My pleasure. I did try to keep it from being too obvious, and I didn't want to try to force anything in particular...but you two both seemed so nice, and I suspected you wouldn't get up the courage to speak to him if left to yourself. What can I say? I'm just a manipulative person sometimes." She grinned.

"Anya? Does she live in town, then? It sounds like I will have to meet her. If her food is to die for, I might have a competitor in my midst. Clearly, I must steal all of her cooking secrets in order to secure my crown." She laughed a little and took another bite of the pie. She wondered how it might do with a tiny bit more cinnamon.

"Excellent. No challenges in the motherly department. And yes, I would destroy you in a bake-off, because I know the secret ingredient and I happen to know that none of you have it. Everyone knows that cookies are better with a mother's touch." She held up a finger. "If you would like a taste of my food, then you will have to join me for dinner sometime. Or we could actually have a bake-off and put all the food together for a party to see what people like best."

[OOC: I agree, we can probably skip the pie-eating and wreath-making and just make sure that we finish up all the conversations here, what is left to close.]

[Riley Adams]

If Riley had known what Elaine thought of him, he would have had to agree and tell her he felt the same way. Elaine was exactly how his mother was like; protective, warm and just full of love. Exactly what a mother should be. He forced a smile which turned genuine once Elaine's reply came to view.

"Elaine," Riley chided playfully, meaning nothing to it. His head tilted slightly as the younger woman complimented him. He laughed when Elaine spoke of her bias. "I couldn't agree more. I mean, the recipes I can siphon off people who enjoy cooking is enough to form a friendship." He joked with a chuckle. Oh, the first time he tried cooking was definitely a disaster. He had once thought tumeric powder was curry and flubbed up the whole dish.

He nodded when Elaine seemed to reassure herself that Riley didn't mind. Which he didn't, at all. If it meant he could help someone, he would gladly do it. No questions asked. "Of course, you should definitely ask him first. I wouldn't want to impose but I thought it would be nice if I could...help out." He said with a smile.

Riley was still quite unsure of Elaine's power or if she even had one. If he knew that both her and Cobalt were around when he was still in Hammel, he knew they would have been fast friends. As it were, Riley didn't think twice about Elaine's powers so said nothing about her choice of words, thinking he would have done the same thing practically. "I completely understand. I might not be a telepath but you always know right then and there if you have a good person around you, you know?" He smiled.

He bit into his pie just as Elaine spoke of his crippling inability, knowing she was completely accurate. He laughed a little and nodded in agreement. "Can't argue with that." He said, grinning as he chewed into his pie. "You're a sly woman, I will give you that." He laughed.

"Yes, Anya's a local. She helped me with the pie eating contest for the field day the other day. I didn't see you then so I couldn't introduce you to her. She's such a sweetheart." Riley gave Elaine a small grin. Anya was just a ball of sunshine, really. He laughed at Elaine's unexpected though obviously joking sense of competition. "Oh I'm quite sure nobody around here can claim your place as queen, I can assure you that."

Riley couldn't help but laugh at Elaine's assesment of the bake-off. She was right too. None of her 'competition' had her advantage of being a mother, even though admittedly Riley did have motherly instincts but really...

"Oh but that's just unfair. People would obviously love yours over mine." He shook his head in amusement. He was two bites away from finishing off his pie and ice cream combo and he decided to help Elaine with the wreaths. It wasn't like he had anything else to do that day. "Okay you must let me help with the wreaths. I won't take no for an answer." He pointed the fork at her warningly before breaking into a grin.

[Elaine Tonaya]

"Exactly. Never turn down an opportunity to develop one's cooking skills. It's not my only life motto, but it's one of them." One of many. 'Never turn down an opportunity to recycle a good motto' was another one of her favorites.

"Thanks for that. I would appreciate your help." She really was glad to hear that Riley might be able to help Morgan. But she did need to ask her son first. After all, it was his problem in the end, not Elaine's.

"Yes, I do know," she said, referring to knowing good people. "Though I suppose I have a bit more of an edge than most people. Aside from being a mother with all the years of instinct that's given me, I have a grand old sniffer that's never steered me wrong." She laughed a bit and tapped the side of her nose.

Elaine bowed slightly when Riley complimented her on her matchmaking. "Sly doesn't begin to cover it, but I'll accept the compliment in whatever form."

She listened to Riley's description of Anya carefully. She frowned a moment and said, "Yes, I'm afraid I wasn't able to make it to the field day event. But I'm glad to hear it went well. And I will have to find some other time to meet your friend. She really does sound great."

She chuckled a bit about Riley's response to her cook-off challenge but decided not to push the matter further. She finished off her slice of pie and was eying the wreaths again when he spoke again.

"All right, if you're sure you are ready for this. Which would you prefer: braiding, ribboning, or calligriph-ing?" She smiled back at him a bit menacingly. "Or do you want to turn this into a challenge to see who can turn out a better wreath?"

[Riley Adams]

Riley offered a grin at Elaine's 'life motto'. "I can agree to that." He bit into his last piece of pie and set the fork on the plate as Elaine thanked him once more. He waved it away with a smile, not saying anything else.

As Elaine tapped her nose, Riley couldn't help but ask. "Is that your power? Mother's intuition?" he laughed slightly, the grin on his face near breaking his face in half.

Riley nodded when Elaine said she would have to meet Anya some day. "You'll love her. Maybe I should get a dinner together and we can all bring our signature dishes for everyone to enjoy,"

"I think...ribboning would be more up my alley." Riley decided with a nod. "Oh no, please. I'd fail miserably." He laughed. And with that, they started on the wreaths. Riley of course needed help with the first few just to get the hang of it but he managed to pick it up eventually and they spent a good chunk of the afternoon doing up the wreaths and chatting about practically everything under the sun.

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine nodded sagely at Riley's guess. "Yes, my superpower is a mother's intuition. And a highly sensitive nose. The kind of nose that can tell you exactly what kind of person you're dealing with. So long as they don't wear really heavy perfume. And shower regularly." Even an all-knowing mother had her limits, and for Elaine it basically came down to being able to identify the aura of someone under whatever other scents they chose to wear.

"I'd love to bring my signature dish to a meal, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to identify a signature dish. Morgan always used to ask for macaroni and cheese. Maybe that counts. Or else I can just bring my roast chicken to show off." She shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. It does sound like a marvelous idea, though, to have a nice get-together of chefs. at least the food will be excellent."

Elaine handed Riley the ribbons and a wreath that needed to be wrapped up. "Here you go, then. Since you don't think you are able to keep up." She grinned wickedly and started braiding the flowers together. By the time the afternoon was done, she had enough wreaths to keep herself well in stock for at least Mother's Day, and possibly the next two weeks on top of it, if the flowers would hold. All in all she felt that it was a most productive afternoon, for the work and for the wonderful conversation.