Sam accepted the offered hand and returned with a firm shake. "Sam Winchester," he said. "Don't suppose you've seen my brother, Dean? Short, spikey hair, looks like a thug in the right light?" It was a long shot, but Sam had hope. Not good things tended to happen when he and Dean were separated, and so far there was no sign of his brother. But if he was here, maybe Dean was too. Then everything would be all right.
"You're the first person I've met, so." He shrugged. He had hope that Dean was around. Without that hope, he'd be defeated, so he clung to it desperately. He had no reason to think Dean wasn't around. Even if this Steve hadn't seen him, that didn't mean he wasn't out there somewhere.