"I'm sure those kids could have learned a lot from you," he says, eyebrows arched. He plays it casual, but inside, he's starting to catalog things. He's still working on figuring out what makes Kate tick, and this is just another part of it. "Something about being older and wiser?"

He finds what passes for an opener around these parts and opens the bottle, then deftly fills both of their glasses. It's nothing he's ever heard of before, but he's had to lower his standards on wine significantly.

"To not being alone, then," he says as he hands Kate her glass, lifts his to toast.