Fred was working the counter. He wasn't sure where Verity was, and worried a little too much that maybe she was avoiding him and that George (the sod!) had been right, but he was also avoiding thinking about the avoidance, and found that worked pretty well.
When Alicia came in, he looked her up and down and then shook his head. "Don't be all 'I'm home' to me, traitor." He said, succinct, but the grin gave it away as teasing, as did the next comment, "Someone painted a giant bogey on your shirt, there."