I groaned. "It's not a mistake."
"Oh, so Ms. Natalie is your..."
"She's my nothing," I replied. “She's my grandmother's event planner. Her ninetieth birthday will take place on the property."
"Okay, got it. And she's going to stay there the whole weekend?"
"No. Just one night."
Betty grinned. "You really can't say no to your grandmother, can you?"
I groaned again. "I wouldn't be in this position if I could. Why do you look so happy about it?"
"Because sometimes there are rumors going on around the office"—she lowered her voice theatrically—"that you’re a robot. This proves that you are human after all."
"Betty, you know how I feel about gossip. And I have my hands full."
"Oh, I know. Because when your hands are full, mine are too. And guess what? That happens all the time.” She threw up her hands. “Fine, I'll make the arrangements. I wonder if Ms. Natalie is attractive."
"It doesn't matter," I said.
"I beg to differ. I should probably warn her that she should have thick skin," Betty said, talking more to herself.
"Betty!"
"I'm going, I'm going. Oh, I can't wait to see how this will play out," I heard her say as she left my office.
I opened Ben’s email, shaking my head. Betty was taking her humor a step too far, but I had a soft spot for her. I met her when I saw her son get into a biking accident. I stopped the car to check if he was okay and ended up going with them to the ER. It turned out she was in need of a job, and I was an assistant short, so I'd hired her.
That was five years ago, and I was still very happy with my choice. Betty reminded me of my mother in some ways. In others, she was a pain in my ass.
A few seconds later, I received an alert that my calendar had been updated.
Flight to Martha's Vineyardwas nowFlight with Natalie to Martha's Vineyard.
Game on, Grandmother.