I stared at her. “Okay.”

“He’s been watching several employees. But you’re the one he’s most interested in.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

Then I managed to squeak out, “Me?”

“Yes.”

“But I’m practically new?!”

“And?”

I couldn’t speak.

“I still call my mom when I don’t know how long to cook chicken!”

Georgia laughed. “That doesn’t mean you’re bad at your job.”

I shook my head. “Why didn’t he just tell me?”

“Because he’s convinced you’re too young to recognize your own potential.”

I thought about the questions Sheldon had asked over the past year.

“Why didn’t he just tell me?”

• The customer complaints.
• The delivery problems.
• The staff schedules.

“Those questions he kept asking were all tests?”

“Some of them. He wanted to know how you thought.”

“And tonight?”

“Some of them.”

Georgia sighed. “He thought an awkward social situation would show whether you could stay calm when someone made unreasonable demands.”

I stared at her. “Your father turned prom into a management interview?!”

“That was his plan.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“I told him!”

Then I remembered something.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Wait. What happened to your original date?”

Georgia smiled. “Oliver’s my friend. We were supposed to go together, but then Dad started talking about this plan and asked if Oliver could go with his other friends instead.”

“So he didn’t exactly back out?”

“No. Dad just preferred that explanation.”

“What happened to your original date?”

I rubbed my face. “Everyone knew except me.”

“Pretty much.”

Georgia pulled out her phone. “And I already told Dad what I think.”

She showed me her message.

“Everyone knew except me.”

“Brent failed your test. He let me eat three cupcakes, couldn’t obtain the moon, and danced like a washing machine with a loose wheel. We had a great time. Stop treating people like experiments.”

I burst out laughing.

Then I saw Sheldon’s reply. “Understood. We need to talk.”

Suddenly, I was nervous again.

“We need to talk.”

***

Monday morning, Sheldon called me into his office.

He looked uncomfortable. “How was prom? We never got to talk when you brought Georgia back.”

“Educational.”

He sighed. “Georgia told you, didn’t she?”

“Yep, everything.”

“How was prom?”

Sheldon covered his face. “I should’ve known she couldn’t keep a secret.”

I sat across from him. “Sir, why didn’t you just ask me whether I wanted to apply for the position?”

He looked at me. “Because I wasn’t sure you’d believe you were ready.”

“Honestly, I’m still not sure.”

“That’s why you’ll receive training.”

“She couldn’t keep a secret.”

My boss explained that the new location would open in six months.

He wanted me to train with Marcus, the current operations manager, to learn about scheduling, inventory, and supplier management.

If I performed well, I’d interview for the management position.

Then, he showed me the salary range.

He wanted me to train with Marcus.

I nearly fell out of my chair!

It was enough to help Mom properly and start saving for my future!

But I still had something to say. “Sir, I appreciate this. But using Georgia’s prom to test me wasn’t fair.”

Sheldon nodded. “You’re right, but it was more than that. I didn’t tell my daughter, but I asked you to be her date because I wanted to see how you’d treat my most precious person: Georgia. If you could handle her, I knew you could handle anything.”

I nearly fell out of my chair!

I couldn’t help but tear up.

“It was an honor, sir. But if you want to know how I handle pressure, you can watch me at work.”

My boss smiled. “I already have.”

Then he offered his hand. “No more surprise tests.”

I shook it. “Good. Because I still haven’t figured out how to get Georgia the moon.”

He laughed.

I couldn’t help but tear up.