{Laura walks into Stefan's study, and they smile at each other}

Stefan:  “I’m glad you're here. You've just saved me from reviewing yet another legal brief, an obvious misnomer. Are you still interested in taking the horses to the south shore, or has the weather turned too cold?”

Laura:  “It is a little brisk out there.”

Stefan:  “Something happen? Is it your mother?”

Laura:  “No. My mother's fine. She's better, in fact. It's just that on my way to the launch, I ran into a couple of Luke’s friends. They didn't know that I saw them, but -- anyway, I just felt like -- I felt like they caught me doing something wrong. Luke may have left me, but I’m still not free.”

Laura:  {Stefan hands her a cup of tea} “Thank you. Thank you. The other night when you slowed things down and said that I wasn't ready yet, you were right. Thank you.”

Stefan:  “My motives were purely selfish, Laura. When you come to me, I don't want anyone else in the room. In the meantime, I see no reason we can't spend time together, unless it will make you uncomfortable.”

Laura:  “No.”

Stefan:  “Good.”

Laura:  “I really appreciate your patience.”

Stefan:  “It's my strong suit.”