He rises at the same time she does, and accepts her hand gently, already aware of the gesture. He is still cautious with her, letting her apply what pressure she will, rather than doing so himself. Even now, he occasionally exerts too much pressure on inanimate objects, and has no interest in injuring someone accidentally.

The reference is self-explanatory enough, though somewhat inexplicable, and he allows it to pass.

"Yes, we can." The fact that she's signaled that this will not be the last discussion they will have is success enough.