Arriving at the shop, Noah immediately apologised to Lola for his lateness. He had been about ten minutes behind schedule, and instead of finding her relaxing after her shift ended, he discovered her still dutifully seated behind the counter.
"I'm sorry for being late," Noah said with genuine regret. "Some things ran longer than expected."
She's been working extra time because of my poor scheduling.
He looked at her with sincere appreciation before adding, "If something like this happens again, just close the store and don't worry about it. Your shift time should be respected."
Lola shook her head with a dismissive smile, her ruby eyes carrying amusement at his concern. "Don't worry about it, it was merely a few minutes. Not a big deal at all."
Noah smiled in thanks and turned his attention to checking the current inventory levels, curious about sales performance during his absence.
