Pepper wasn't suprised to hear Natasha's name mentioned. In fact it made her feel good to know that someone felt that way about her friend. Because there were a lot of things that Nat wanted and deserved to get from a good person. "Back home, Nat was always someone I found hard to read. I knew she had a lot of secrets, but she hid it very well as part of her job. She was someone I could trust, but to what end, I didn't know. Then there was here and at first she seemed very unwilling to let anyone past that hard shell and slowly she's softened up and I honestly don't know what I would do without her now that I've gotten to know her."
Turning suddenly in her chair, she stopped Steve's hands, taking both of them in her own. "She's had a rough go of it here because of Bruce and Maria, not that they've done anything to her, but because of her unresolved feelings for Bruce. She's managed, but she deserves some happiness too, to get what she wants. You need to get out there and make sure she knows about how you feel."