"Now, I know you said that you've worked with these things before, but I gotta make sure I give you the rundown," Moses, the supervisor, told Selene with a goofy smile.

After flipping the coin, it ended on tails, the option of looking for something else.

And she would've looked, but being at home with her loud thoughts was the last thing Selene wanted.

It was a dangerous place for her to be since she left to get away from the source of the vicious thoughts.

Which is how she ended up getting the job as a receptionist at Hendrik's Autoshop.

"That's fine, I don't mind," Selene answered the man and followed him as he explained how the computer worked.

After leaving the front office, he took her to the workspace.

The very greasy and loud workspace.

She was an actress so disguising her feelings was simple.

She could do this.

"Now, this here is where the work is done. You won't need to come out here, except to bring the calls to us or if I need you, which won't be often." Moses explained and led her back to the front office.

"Payroll is what you'll handle, appointments, books, and you get two breaks, one for lunch, the other for fifteen minutes," He told her and then handed her a nametag. "Gunnar is the head honcho, but he's away for a while. He's a good boss, real good to us here."

'Galia B.'

She smiled at the name and put the tag on her shirt. "Thank you, Moses. I think I can take it from here," She smiled at the short man and his cheeks turned pink.

Why couldn't she just exist without someone finding her attractive?

Thankfully, Moses seemed harmless.

"Alrighty, you just be sure to let me know if you have questions, Miss Galia." He waved lightly and stumbled out of the office.

Working here would be fine.

It came as a shock, but a pleasant one, that no one recognized her yet. It was refreshing to have time to work without being asked to take a picture.

Three hours came and went with Selene, or Galia, answering phone calls and handling the payments of customers.

And now she was dealing with a strong-willed older woman.

Her car was smoking due to putting off a much-needed oil change and tune-up. And as she waited for her car to be fixed, she talked Selene's ear off.

It was pleasant at first with talk about an upcoming festival and the woman's sweet grandchildren, but now she refused to accept Selene's lie.

"Now I may be old, but I am not blind, young lady." Mrs. Teiter said with her hands on her hips. "You sure you've never been told you look like that Selene girl?" She asked suspiciously.

And it almost made Selene feel bad for lying, but she needed to at least feel safe at her workplace.

She didn't like when people pried, and the older woman was doing just that.

"Mrs. Teiter, I've only started working here today and I can't keep this going with you. My name is Galia," Selene said firmly, just hoping that one of the workers would come in and say that Mrs. Teiter's car was done.

She was adamant about proving her point.

Selene was tired of her.

"You two could be twins, but I see that even if you are Selene, you don't want me to know. So, I'll take your word, Galia." Mrs. Teiter said as if she were solving world hunger.

Selene pressed her lips together and nodded at the woman.

The door opened and Scooter, one of the workers, came in and waved at Mrs. Teiter.

"Your car is done."

Selene inwardly rejoiced and smiled at Mrs. Teiter. "Well, you've already taken care of the bill, have a great day, and thank you for choosing Hendrik's Autoshop for your car needs." She said sweetly.

Mrs. Teiter smiled back at her, though it looked suspicious, and she left the office with Scooter.

For the first time in a long time, Selene thanked God for sending the pushy old woman away.

The phone rang and Selene took a breath to remember her role. Perky and perfect receptionist.

"Hendrik's Autoshop, this is Galia, what can I help you with?" She said not missing a beat, she couldn't shake the brief happiness from accomplishing her goal of perfection.

The caller hummed deeply in approval before he spoke. "Hi there, Galia. It's real nice to hear Moses got a real elegant receptionist. This is Gunnar, and I need to speak with Moses,"

Selene instantly cringed. She gave the script to her boss.

"Sorry, Mr. Hendrik, I'll call him in here." She said with the same chipper tone.

"It ain't no thing, and call me Gunnar. It's nice to know you ain't yellin or bein rude to the customers," He chuckled brushing it off and Selene felt relieved about her mishap.

She left the office with the phone in hand to find Moses.

And it wasn't hard, as the man was leaning against the wall in the shop talking with some of the working men.

"And I was like, who you talking to like that? I'm the boss til Gunnar brings his tail back up here,"

Selene cleared her throat to stop the man from further embarrassing himself. He was a loud talker and she knew that Gunnar heard.

Though, he seemed like an easy-going man, as Moses described him earlier, so it wouldn't be a problem.

She didn't know him yet, so she was going to keep herself perfect. No mistakes.

No mistakes. No mistakes. A mistake is a missed take.

Selene shook her head to clear her father's words from her mind and handed the phone to Moses.

"Moses here, what can I do you for?" Moses said with his seemingly signature goofy smile.

Selene walked away to give him privacy and to get out of the loud shop.

"Galia," Moses called to her as she reached the door. "Gunnar says to go on and take lunch, oh, and he hopes you'll like working here." He told her and nodded his head at her.

The boss appreciated her existence. She hadn't messed up.

"I won't miss the take," She said quietly and walked back into the office to clock out for lunch.

And she ended up at Jingle Jam.

It was the only place she was slightly familiar with and though she didn't order anything last time, she did check out the options.

So, today she was going to try one of the delicious looking sandwiches.

"Welcome to Jingle Jam!"

Selene looked up and saw a woman wearing a bright smile.

The woman's smile turned into a look of shock and she shakily pointed at Selene.

"Y-you, no way. I-i never, what?" She stammered and pointed at her harshly.

Selene smiled at the woman and she knew that denying her true identity would be a waste of time.

"I am, it's nice to meet you," Selene greeted her calmly, hoping to get a full sentence out of the woman.

The woman slowly dropped her pointed finger and took a deep breath. "H-hi, c-can I g-get a picture, p-please?"

Selene nodded and the woman walked from behind the counter with her phone out and snapped a quick few pictures.

"I'd like to keep my presence here a secret, so could you not post these anywhere?" Selene asked the woman hoping that she'd comply.

The woman nodded and zipped her lips. "Yes, I won't! I mean, wow, thank you. You're even more stunning in person," She said in awe and then smacked her forehead. "I'm sorry, what can I get you?"

"It's fine," Selene said passively and looked at the array of sandwiches in the display case.

She looked up at the woman, who was already beaming at her expectantly, and hummed. "I'll take the turkey and mozzarella panini, and a medium white chocolate frappe, to go please."

The woman dialed it into the register and Selene handed her a twenty-dollar bill before knowing the total.

"Okay, it's $10.58," The woman said and the register opened.

As she started counting out the change, Selene stopped her. "No, it's a tip. Please keep it,"

The woman gasped lightly and she smiled at Selene. "Thank you, I'll get it out to you soon,"

Selene nodded at her and looked around the shop to find a place to sit until her food was done.

She wasn't going to stay and eat at the shop. She was under the radar at the moment, but who said things were going to stay that way?

The bell rang and the door opened indicating that a customer was in.

"Welcome to Jingle Jam!"

"Hey, Jenna! I'll just have an Izze pomegranate please," Honeydew could just order some from Amazon, but she enjoyed going out to get them.

It gave her something to look forward to after being at home all day.

She handed Jenna a $5 bill, as she'd bought it enough times to know the total, and walked to the table near the door.

This was her newest venture.

"Here you go, Honeydew! And I hope planning goes well for you," Jenna smiled and placed the bottle on the table.

Jenna was one of the workers who knew Honeydew from the many days she came for lunch when Beau was trying to win her over.

And it was like a fairytale ending for Honeydew and Beau to be engaged after that, or so Jenna expressed to Honeydew animatedly after seeing the ring on her finger.

"Thanks, Jenna! You're the best, and be on the lookout for an invitation. We haven't decided on the venue yet, but once we do," Honeydew sang leaving suspense at the end, though it wasn't a suspenseful topic.

Jenna laughed and walked back behind the counter.

Honeydew pulled out her laptop and wedding binder and took a breath.

Today she wanted to tackle the guest list on her end and the wedding website. And because her parents were so graciously paying for the wedding, they had a list of their own with family members, friends, and people that Honeydew had never seen in her life.

She didn't mind though. A wedding was a celebration and if those people wanted to celebrate with her and Beau, it was fine.

Her eyes left her binder and wandered around the cafe.

There was a woman with her head down sitting across the room. She looked lonely, or standoffish.

"Hi," Honeydew said to the woman, she couldn't kick her manners and home training that her mother ingrained in her as a child.

The woman lifted her head and waved at Honeydew. "Hello,"

No freaking way.

And as if the woman could tell that Honeydew was getting riled up, she placed her finger over her lip.

"Yes, it's me." Selene said to the woman who looked as if she just won a million dollars. "But please, call me Galia." She said to her.

Honeydew was staring at her favorite celebrity. Her favorite actress. She wasn't supposed to be here for three weeks, yet here she was sitting in the same cafe as Honeydew.

Woah.

And even though Honeydew was excited, she was going to respect her wishes.

But still, she looked lonely and Honeydew didn't like that even for a celebrity.

"Would you like to sit with me, Sel-Galia?" She asked. If she said no, it wouldn't hurt.

Selene looked at the woman and thought for a second.

She didn't look strange or crazy. And she had only met two women so far, one being teenaged Brylee, and the older woman Mrs. Teiter.

"Yes," Selene answered and moved across the room to the seat across from the kind woman.

Honeydew smacked herself internally and smiled at Selene. "I'm Honeydew,"

Selene mistakenly giggled at the name. "Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized instantly.

"It's alright, everyone has that reaction at my name. I love it though," Honeydew shook her head.

Selene was a nosy woman and Honeydew seemed nice.

"Could I ask what you're working on?"

Honeydew was taken aback at the question. What did a famous woman want to know about her for?

She was still a woman.

Honeydew opened her binder and turned it to Selene. "My wedding," She answered and thought of Beau.

God, she loved that man. He was always on her mind one way or another.

Selene looked at the neat penmanship and the organized information on the page in awe.

And then she looked at Honeydew. She looked so young to be getting married, but she looked genuinely happy about it.

She was green like Brylee.

Something Selene found herself envying.

"That's lovely, Honeydew." She said honestly and flipped the page to a color palette.

Hunter Green, Ivory, and Black.

"You're extremely organized, ever consider becoming a wedding planner?" Selene asked Honeydew.

She was truly amazed at her skills.

It looked like something one of the high-dime planners she'd hired would have made.

Honeydew blushed feeling flattered by Selene, a very famous and worldly woman's opinion.

"Thank you, and I haven't. This is my first time ever doing something like this, but I have found that it's easier than I expected it to be," Honeydew answered cooly.

She was talking to the Selene Brassard.

Somebody pinch her.

"Wow, you're talented. If you don't mind my asking, when is the wedding?" Selene asked inquisitively. She couldn't shut off her curiosity.

And again, Honeydew thought of Beau.

They hadn't decided on a date, but they wanted a Winter wedding.

She was going to marry Beau. God was amazing at matchmaking.

She sighed and scrolled down to the picture she chose for his photo on their wedding website.

Honeydew looked up and saw Selene waiting on her answer. "I'm sorry, we want a Winter wedding, so between late January and February,"

Selene noted the gentle look on Honeydew's face and the gushy loved-up look in her eyes.

There was no doubt that she loved her groom, and that he treated her well.

Some people could have that fairytale romance.

"That will be a pretty wedding with those colors you chose, it fits the Winter aura." Selene hummed. "Tell me if I'm being nosy, but could I know about your groom? I haven't seen a woman look so happy while talking about being around a man, better yet marrying one in a while," She was honest.

People tolerated each other back home. People were put in PR relationships. Or they would just cheat on their significant other, they were cowards.

And she was one as well, or she was before.

Honeydew sighed in delight at the chance to talk about Beau to someone who never met him.

"His name is Beau and he's the most dedicated man and father I've met, he's handsome, tall, blonde, has the most dashing smile ever, and he's a wonderful leader," She mused. "Here he is," She turned the laptop to Selene and showed her the picture of Beau.

Selene nodded in approval at the handsome man. "He is handsome," She scrolled down a little more and saw a name with no picture.

Best Man: Gunnar Hendrik

"That's my boss," She mumbled without thought.

Honeydew raised her brow and Selene turned the laptop back to her.

"Gunnar is your boss?" She asked a little dumbfounded. Selene was an actress, Gunnar owned a mechanic shop.

Selene nodded. Though she understood Honeydew's confusion.

"I started today as the receptionist at his shop," She explained.

Honeydew ooed. "Well, you're one lucky lady. He's the sweetest man I know, though my Beau is super sweet too, Gunnar is a father figure to me and has been nothing but kind to me since we met,"

First Brylee, then Moses, and now Honeydew.

He couldn't be as sweet as described.

"Orders up!" Jenna called for Selene's order.

Honeydew smiled at Selene and waved her hand to excuse her. "You go on, I hope I didn't take too much of your time. And I hope work goes well for you," She wanted Selene to enjoy her time in Perkinston better than she had.

The unpretentious kindness of Honeydew was nice.

Selene smiled back at her and waved. "Thank you, I hope wedding planning goes well. I may see you around," She told her and walked to the counter for her order.

She took the bag and left the shop. Eating in her car was going to be nice. A peaceful place without anyone to question her or tell her what to do.

"Not today," Selene hissed to her brain wanting to flush out fleeting thoughts that could segway to memories of the things her father drilled into her mind.

-

Once Selene made it back from her lunch break, things were going well.

Well, up until an idiot wandered his way into the office.

"Galia, you and me could go out tonight. I can show you the world like Aladin, be my princess and I'll take you on a real smooth ride," Scooter said suggestively, completely infuriating Selene.

She pointed at the door and the trash can.

"Take your pick. You either get out of my face, or you can go jump in the dumpster out back and take your trashy self out." She seethed to the idiot.

This wasn't a case of harmless flirting.

Flirting was never harmless. People flirted like a dope and never thought of how the person on the receiving end felt.

It was something she despised.

And she had no time to give the fool a script.

Scooter's eyes widened and he licked his lips nervously.

"I will tase you if you make me uncomfortable again with that gross talk." She promised.

There were no threats. She didn't like them.

It was one and done.

If he tried again, she was going to hurt him.

Scooter left without another word and Selene took a breath to calm her anger towards the man.

She hated how vulnerable she felt when people spoke at her.

They never cared about how she felt.

It was always a selfish creep looking for a gullible woman to sweet talk.

They would do those things and wonder why the women grew cold.

A few hours went on and Selene was almost done for the day.

"She was playing hard to get, but I know she'll ease up. Galia doesn't stand a chance against the Scoots,"

She heard Scooter say to the men, he was a loud fool.

However, what she didn't know was that Gunnar was on the phone with Moses.

And he heard it all.

"Was that Scooter?" Gunnar asked Moses.

He thought it was clear that flirting with customers and anyone under his roof wasn't permitted.

It made people uncomfortable and alienated the target.

In short, he hated it.

But it was worse knowing that the sweet new receptionist was targeted.

"Yes sir," Moses responded.

Gunnar sighed at the lack of sharpness with Moses. He was going to give the man a list of things that weren't tolerated in the shop.

"Listen good, Moses. Make sure no harm comes to Galia. No employees will mess with her, let her come and go as she please, make things easier for her, and if one thing ain't done, I will set it straight myself. You hear me?" Gunnar said calmly, but remained authoritative.

He didn't want any trouble for the woman.

"I-i will be sure to handle it, Gunnar. And I'll let the boys know too," Moses' voice shook as he spoke, which Gunnar liked.

He was a nice man, but he was to be respected by his employees.

"I'm serious. I want to show good love at Hendrik's, like you come in a church, respecting everyone. If it ain't done that way, I will fire all you men."

Moses gulped audibly. "Y-yes sir,"

"Go talk to Scooter, right now." Gunnar told him firmly.

And Moses