[He fumbled with his hat again, wanting so badly to escape the topic. Unfortunately, it wasn't as though he could erase what he'd said from her mind. He decided it was better to try and deal with it, and manage the damage as best as possible.]

What I said... I didn't expect you to hear that. Maybe you could, um. Forget I said anything. It was improper of me.

[Well, it didn't hurt to try.]