I thought my boss was doing his daughter a favor when he asked me to help out. But one strange message on her phone made me realize I\u2019d walked into something I knew nothing about.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad didn\u2019t choose you by accident. And it wasn\u2019t for my sake.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Georgia. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward the prom venue, then back at me. \u201cBrent, my dad\u2019s been watching you for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching me do what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow you handle problems. How you treat people. Whether you lose your temper.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned and immediately started sweating. \u201cWait, did I do something wrong? You\u2019d tell me if I did something to make him upset, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. That\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask another question, her phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching me do what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Georgia glanced at the screen and groaned. \u201cIt\u2019s Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
She showed me the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember our agreement. Don\u2019t make things too easy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorgia, what exactly did I agree to?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed. \u201cSomething my father thinks is brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
She showed me the message.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
I\u2019d started working for Sheldon when I was 19.<\/p>\n
His company supplied restaurants and grocery stores with food packaging and cleaning products.<\/p>\n
I needed that job more than he probably realized.<\/p>\n
My mom, Denise, was raising my younger sister, Janelle, alone.<\/p>\n
I needed that job.<\/p>\n
Money was always tight, so I gave Mom part of every paycheck for groceries, utilities, and whatever Janelle needed for school.<\/p>\n
I never showed up late.<\/p>\n
I never called out unless I absolutely had to.<\/p>\n
And if Sheldon asked me to stay an extra hour, I did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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