Diedrich froze completely. He had no idea what was going on. Okay, calling her by a nickname was really rude, especially considering this was the first time they had talked. And maybe a girl doesn't want to be called PJ I mean who wants to be called pajamas?! Who was Doris why was she paying people what is going on

Eventually his thoughts are running too fast for him to catch up and he just sits there stiffly. Oh, she apologized. He should say something.

Say something.

Why isn't he saying something?

"-ry. Sorry. I'm... sorry." It was barely louder than a whisper. Diedrich caught himself and took a deep breath. This time, in a louder voice, "I'm sorry. That was really rude of me." And he tried to flash his usual smile. "We could talk about something else if you want!"