Ben hadn't noticed that she didn't turn away, and definitely wouldn't have known how to react if he had. But since it was an accident, albeit an accident with horrible timing, he decided that treating it as such was called for. "It's fine," he replied easily, because no harm had been done.
As soon as they'd walked back into the living room, they were charged by a mini, barking hurricane of golden fur. Ben laughed and scooped the puppy up, gently tapping her nose to stop the barking. "Bronnen, no. Lisa is a friend. She's harmless, I promise," the last part was addressed to Lisa. "She just thinks she needs to protect me from intruders. Not that you're intruding."
He cleared his throat, idly scratching behind Bronnen's ears. "I have some lunches packed," lunches that his mother had made, but he wasn't going to mention that. "I hope it's okay."