"Oh," I reply, immediately mentally scolding myself for not bothering to text ahead. I shouldn't have just assumed she'd be here, that was stupid.

But the guy seems nice and he's offered to help instead of just telling me to come back later so I latch on, nodding with a smile. "Actually, you might!" I tell him. "I have a friend who just got here a few weeks ago and I'm lookin' to see if I can broaden his wardrobe beyond a bit. I'm hopin' for something not too pricey, but still nice if you think that's possible."