"Ooh, I've never been to New York City!" Alex squealed. "That sounds so awesome, much better than saying you're from some boring place nobody's ever heard of! I'd really love to come some day."
Alex grinned at her offer, but then shook her head. "I hate to leave you all alone," she said. "But, thing is, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go myself. So I thought I'd ask the front desk what I'm supposed to do. Cheer up," she winked. "It's just a few hours until the big event, or whatever. I'm sure they'll just show me the ropes for today," she added, mostly for her benefit. Lunch and the prospect of meeting the other guests were nice. Having to work in between, not so much, so she tried to minimize the shock. "See you at the big party thing, then, unless I get fired earlier," she joked, getting up from her chair.