Sam started to get up to his feet and felt her strain as she tried her best to help him.
He could get up on his own, but he liked her touching him. Feeling her support, letting her help him, made him hope that she'd accept more of his help, too.
Seaton didn't strike him as someone who liked to lean on other people for help.
He believed that she was more of the kind of person who liked helping others.
When he was on his feet, he saw her expression and it was a little darker than he liked to see.
"Can you tell me what's in your head right now?"
Seaton looked over at the Deputy Sheriff's car at the curb before she lifted her gaze to his. "I think it's best if we don't spend time together after tonight."
Sam felt a muscle tick in his jaw.
When her eyes widened, he knew she'd seen the change in his expression.
She took a half-step back and while his instinct was to reach for her, he knew that she was tense and looking for a way out, so he wasn't going to push the issue. "Is this because of that guy?"
She nodded slowly. "That's my ex. My ex-husband, as far as I’m concerned. I didn't give him my new address. And I told him I never wanted to see him again. This," she gestured between them with her hand, "is going to cause problems for you."
He waited for more, but when she didn't continue speaking, he stepped in. "I don't see it as a problem. I see it as something I can help you with, Seaton." He smiled at her. "That, and I want to get to know you better. I want to ask you out when you're ready for it. But most importantly, I want to be here for you and help you when I can."
He saw her eyes narrow on him as if she was looking at him through a microscope or something similar.
He certainly didn't blame her.
After having a horrible husband, she wasn't about to jump into a relationship with someone else.
He liked that she was trying to protect herself.
Daryl probably didn't protect her from much when he didn't bother to protect her from himself.
"I know that you're a nice man, but... I don't want him to set his sights on you as a person to bother," she explained. "I don't want you to end up hating me."
"That," he assured her as he reached out for her hand, "wouldn't happen. Especially not because of your ex."
The hesitant look on her face said she didn't believe that.
"Daryl can be... as persistent as he is mean. You don't need to have that in your life."
"What if I want you in my life, Seaton?"
Her expression spoke volumes.
She was torn.
He hoped that meant that she cared about him. Whether it was as a friend or if she wanted more it didn't matter at the moment.
As long as she cared, he was fine.
He could be patient.
He could work around a lot of things.
Apathy?
There was no cure for that.
