"That's a shame." And she really meant it, though Trish was quite obviously taking it a little too deeply. His request seemed to put the tiniest bit of a frown on her, but it passed quickly. "Well, we don't generally help outsiders but ..."

But a dramatic pause could get her point across.

"If you might visit before you leave again," And she hardly meant a platonic visit. "Then it would only be a fair trade."