His eyebrows rose in surprise as he slowly lifted his gaze from his plate to the woman in front of him. Her praise, if it was that, was enough to make him pause again. "I ..." And what to say in return? Again, he lifted his fork and finally had a bite from a pie that he didn't really like. Cherries would have been better - even key lime that came out of a jar that claimed it was homemade. After swallowing what felt more like rocks than banana creme, he drew in a breath and tried again.
"That's big praise," he finally managed. "Probably more than I deserve." There was a weak laugh and a calculated grab for his soda. Something was happening and he felt like a complete idiot for being oblivious as to what it was. What was he missing here? Something that had transpired before and that he'd forgotten after he left the hospital? What? "How is the pie?"