"I really appreciate everything that you've been doing for Eric. I was worried about him being alone while I was out there with Daryl." Aaron leaned against the kitchen island, setting his bottle of beer on the counter. "We were usually together out there, and when we were here it wasn't always so easy."
Carol looked up at him, pausing as she finished wiping down the prep area. She had been chopping vegetables to create a tossed salad. Daryl and Aaron had brought in several rabbits, and a deer, which had been butchered and then seasoned for grilling, and they were hosting a small barbeque in the back yard. Daryl had volunteered their house since so many of their group would be present, and Carol had agreed so that they would be doing the clean-up as well. It had been a perfect day for it, and she worried that it wouldn't last.
"Some of the neighbors. I've heard." She nodded, more to herself, and continued, "I enjoy spending time with him, so I'm happy to help when I can." They both looked out the back window, to where Eric was sitting with Carl, teaching the teen how to play chess while Michonne and Tara watched and chatted next to them. "It isn't good for anyone to be alone too often, and sometimes this place seems too good to be true after all of the things we went through out there."
"I think I understand. It isn't easy to let go." He picked up his drink again, sipping it before making a broad gesture with the bottle, "This turned out pretty well. Daryl and Rick thought that some of the rabbit would be ready soon, but they're arguing about meat temperatures and the grill settings. It seemed like a good idea to get out of that conversation."
Carol laughed, "You don't know the half of it. Those two can be like brothers; they will argue about the little things and then have each other's back over anything else. I never would have predicted that when I first met either one of them." She shook her head and wrung the dishrag out in the sink. "I'd bet that neither of them thought that I would have survived this long too."
"Daryl has a lot of faith in you. I think he trusts your judgement more than his own sometimes." Aaron watched her carefully as he made this statement. He had seen a lot between this group of people before approaching them, so he had never believed the act Carol had put on for the other residents. He heard a lot about her from Eric too, and he was willing to bet that she was more honest with them than any of the other residents that she interacted with in Alexandria. There hadn't been many outside their group to be invited to this small party.
"Daryl is a good man, but sometimes he second guesses himself when he doesn't need to." She glanced outside again, toward the barbeque pit. Daryl and Rick were still standing there, gesturing at the different pieces being grilled and grinning. Rick stabbed one with the long two-prong fork and the charcoal underneath smoked briefly.
"That doesn't change the fact that he trusts you. Considering how long it took him to do more than grunt when I tried to talk to him, I think it's important. He needs you. Maybe not in the same way that I need Eric, but anyone can see that he relies upon you in a way that he doesn't with the others, even Rick." He shrugged, taking her silence as a hint that he should change the subject again. "Do you want help getting all of this outside?" He gestured with the bottle again, pointing at the dinnerware and salad she had just finished putting together.
"Sure, if we can get some of this out there maybe Glenn and Maggie can come in a grab the rest." She flashed a smile at him and grabbed the large salad bowl.