The following evening, I borrowed my uncle Frank’s car, put on my only suit, and drove to Sheldon’s house.

Frank had warned me about the car. “Don’t touch the radio. It changes stations by itself.”

“Why?”

“Because it has personality.”

The car also squeaked whenever I turned left.

I prayed Georgia wouldn’t notice.

“Don’t touch the radio.”

***

Sheldon met me at the door. “Brent! You’re early!”

“Only by five minutes, sir.”

“Excellent!”

My boss straightened my tie without asking. For some reason, he seemed more nervous than Georgia.

“Just make sure Georgia has a good night.”

“I will.”

“You’re early!”

“And if anything unexpected happens, stay calm.”

I frowned. “Uh, what kind of unexpected thing?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Right then, Georgia came downstairs.

She looked beautiful, but the moment she saw me, her smile vanished.

“What kind of unexpected thing?”

Sheldon immediately started taking pictures. “Stand closer!”

We moved closer.

“Smile!”

I smiled.

Georgia said almost nothing while her father took pictures and looked like she’d been sentenced to three hours of accounting.

The drive was painfully quiet.

“Stand closer!”

***

I tried asking my date about her friends, her favorite music, and whether she was excited about prom.

Georgia answered with a few words before turning toward the window.

Eventually, I stopped trying.

When we reached the venue, I turned off the engine.

I stopped trying.

“Well,” I said, forcing a smile, “I hope tonight won’t be too terrible. I guess your dad really wanted you to go to prom.”

Georgia didn’t smile back. She opened her door but didn’t get out.

Instead, she turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes. “Wait.”

That’s when she told me her father hadn’t chosen me by accident.

And she showed me his strange message.

Georgia didn’t smile back.

***

I stared at my date’s phone. “Don’t make things too easy for him?”

Georgia nodded. “My dad wants me to make tonight difficult.”

“Why?”

“To see how you react.”

I blinked. “What?”

I stared at my date’s phone.

“He suggested I complain about everything. Make unreasonable requests. See whether you lose your patience.”

I looked toward the school. “So I’m wearing borrowed shoes and driving a car that sounds like a shopping cart because your father wants to test my patience?”

Georgia suddenly burst out laughing. “Pretty much.”

“He suggested I complain about everything.”

“Does he know there are easier ways to annoy me?”

“Brent!”

“I’m serious. He could ask me to reorganize the warehouse again.”

My date laughed harder.

Then, her expression changed. “I told him I wouldn’t do it. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“I’m serious.”