Soft, surprised laughter escaped her. "Coming from you, that's quite a compliment. You don't suffer fools at all gladly. Thank you." She grinned up at him, her smile turning cheeky. "Would it do me any good to ask why you've been so nice to me this year? Not that I'm complaining, because I'm most certainly not. It's just... " She shrugged a little, "I never thought you noticed me at all, before."