“Hey, sweetie.” I’ve just opened the door to Mandy, and she hugs me lightly as her pregnant belly gets between us. “Logan’s at my house hanging out in the man cave with Caiden.”

“Thanks for letting me know. One less thing to worry about.”

“So what’s going on? You had a panic attack?”

I sigh. “Yeah.” A soft knock announces Lexi before I let her in.

She squeezes me tight and says, “Hey. We’re here for you.”

Ginger ale fizzes as I pour it in a glass for Mandy, and I tell them about how I freaked out about everything.

Lexi says, “You’ve been under incredible pressure getting this business off the ground. It’s no wonder you had a panic attack.”

“It’s also not hard to understand how this would impact our favorite introvert,” says Mandy. “You must be wiped out at the end of each day.”

“It’s not just the panic attack.” I sigh. “Do you two ever wonder if your husbands are manipulating you into something? With their powers?”

Mandy shakes her head. “No. Caiden wouldn’t do that.” Her eyes widen. “Although, he does take sex to a whole new level with his manipulations.”

Lexi says, “Mandy!”

“Sorry,” she says with a sheepish look. “I know that’s not what you mean.”

“I’m afraid my whole relationship is based on Logan convincing me with his power to love him and agree to everything he wants, so I told him I can’t be the Eliza Grady anymore.”

“Wait,” says Lexi. “You quit?”

“Yes.”

“Wow,” says Mandy. “That explains why Logan is in my basement.”

Lexi is scowling. “You and Logan are great together. I can’t believe he’s manipulating you into loving him, Eliza. You two were already compatible before he arrived.” She gives me her stern look. “My program for matching doesn’t let that happen.” She nods at me with her conviction.

Mandy speaks over the crab puff she put in her mouth. “Those ads with you are great too, and while he may have convinced you to do them, your personality is what shines through. He can’t possibly be pulling puppet strings to make the world see the loveable person we know.” She swallows. “We were talking about you at work yesterday and you wouldn’t believe the number of people that can’t wait to watch your shows.”

“Really?”

“My god, Eliza,” says Lexi. “You are so stinking cute on TV, everyone wants to be you.”

“I’m not cute.”

Mandy licks her fingers. “You’re kidding, right? You’ve got ‘girl next door’ down with your bouncy blonde hair and blue eyes. Seriously, Logan knows what he’s talking about and can’t possibly be making it happen. Face it girl, you’ve got the look.”

I frown as I think about how Logan and I have discussed the women we’re considering to host our other shows. The look is the very first thing we choose before moving on to screen tests. I reach for a roasted brussel sprout and bite into it. Salty bacon flavor hits my tongue before I swallow it. “Okay, so I’ll admit I’ve got perky and nice covered. But guys, I’m terrible at this. You should see how many takes I have to do to get things right. Yet Logan keeps telling me I’ll get better. I don’t believe I can.”

“It’s not like you’ve had training,” says Lexi.

Yesterday’s taping with Nancy comes to mind. I recall she said she wasn’t good at first. You’d never know it because she was so relaxed, and I wish I could be the same way. She worked at it, and I wonder what might happen if I did the same.

Mandy says, “Actors have coaches. I bet you could find someone to work with you so you’d be more comfortable.”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m going to throw up before I have to get on camera.”

“I bet you wouldn’t if you knew you were good at it.” Lexi lifts her phone and shows me the screen. “I just found about twenty acting coaches located nearby.”

“You don’t think Logan is trying to convince me I can be good?”

“Nope,” says Mandy. “Eliza, you’ve been given such an amazing opportunity to work at something you love and do better than anyone we know.” Mandy sighs as she glances at the crab puffs and grabs the next to last one.

Lexi reaches for the last appetizer. “She’s right. You can’t quit.” She lets out a small moan as she chews. “The world needs access to stuff like this.”

“But I could easily provide the material as long as someone else delivers it.”

Lexi lets out a sigh of exasperation. “Tough love time.” She lifts her index finger up. “One. Most people don’t love their jobs completely and have to work hard at some things they don’t like.”

She lifts another finger up as Mandy says, “Two. You’ve got an amazing husband that only wants to see you succeed. I don’t believe he’s manipulating you by being supportive and wanting the best for you.”

“Three.” says Lexi. “We both know you’re going to be amazing at this once you get the kinks worked out.”

“I dare say you’re going to love it too,” says Mandy. “Think about it. You get so happy when you teach us a new trick. You’re going to teach thousands, maybe even millions, how to be better at so many things every day.”

“Jeez, you two make me sound like I’m saving lives or something.”

Mandy glances at the oven where I have goat cheese and berry bites baking. “If you keep feeding me then I assure you, you are.”

I chuckle as I get up to check on the food. Do I really have what it takes to be the queen of homemaking? The oven door creaks when I tug it open, and steam rises from the phyllo dough cups as I remove the baking sheet.

As I place the appetizers on a platter, I worry about my shyness and ask, “Do you two really think I can get good at this? I’m not exactly the life of the party when we go places.”

Mandy says, “I read an article about Jessica Alba that said she’s really shy. She takes on the roles she needs to play and makes it work. Maybe you can create an alter ego for when you’re in front of the camera.”

“That’s a great idea,” says Lexi. “Pretend to be the Eliza Grady you see on the billboards all over town.”

I groan as I close my eyes. I hate those advertisements. They’re images of me winking, or cocking an eyebrow with a clever tag line about how I can fix anything, and I’m embarrassed every time I see one. But Logan insisted it’s all part of the necessary buzz to generate interest, so I agreed. And now that my friends are telling me how my personality is shining through in them, I can see perhaps he was right.

It occurs to me it won’t be long before people start to recognize me on the streets, and the thought makes me sigh. “Even if I can find a way to get good in front of the camera, what about the fact I don’t want to be famous? Can you imagine going places with me where people want to talk to me?” I shudder picturing it.

“Plenty of celebrities find a way to lead a private life,” says Lexi.

Mandy talks with her mouth full again. “You’ll look cool in dark glasses and a hat.”

I notice half the platter of food is gone and guess hunger is an issue when one is pregnant with alien twins. It makes me think about having children of my own. Only that would require I have a husband, and the way I’m acting right now might make the one I have return to his planet.

Lexi says, “I know this seems overwhelming to you, and it’s easy for us to tell you not to back out of your job. But the more important consideration is Logan, isn’t it?”

I nod.

“Then you have to ask yourself if you trust him,” says Lexi.

My husband’s face comes to mind, and how he was all over getting me a car and bodyguard to let me keep a private life, and I know he’d do anything to make me comfortable with fame. I recall the billboard advertising shoot, and how he joked around with me to get my expressions to be genuine. He did that by being himself and not by using alien manipulation. I smile as I think about how much I love Logan, and in my heart I realize he hasn’t been using his powers all this time. I know I can trust him.

I lift my glass of wine for a sip and look at my two best friends. They want only the best for me, and I think they’re right. As much as I hate the idea, I think I need to find a way to be Eliza Grady, homemaking queen.