I stared at her, picturing my boss plotting this bizarre social obstacle course over his morning spreadsheets. “So I squeezed into a tight suit and drove a car that squeaks like an unoiled wheelbarrow because Gordon wanted to test my patience?”
Lindsey burst out laughing, and the tension between us dissolved. “Pretty much, yes.”
“Does your dad know there are simpler ways to aggravate me?” I shook my head with a dry chuckle. “He could just order me to hand-count twelve rows of bubble wrap on a humid Saturday.”
“I told him his plan was ridiculous, and that putting you through a secret test was unfair,” she said, her tone softening as she smoothed her skirt. “That’s why I agreed to come. I wanted to go to my dance, but I also wanted you to know what he was up to.”
“Up to for what purpose?”
“He wants to explain that part himself.” She gave me an enigmatic little smirk. “Just know you’re not about to be fired.”
“You make it sound like he’s about to leave me a castle,” I said, getting out to open her door properly.
“No castle, Evan, but the real explanation might shock you,” she laughed as we walked side by side toward the glowing glass entrance.
Inside, the ballroom had been transformed with silver streamers, clusters of helium balloons, and dim purple spotlights. We’d barely passed the ticket table when Lindsey’s close friend, Paige, marched over with a bright, knowing grin.
“So this is the famous Evan,” Paige declared, giving me an appreciative once-over while holding a paper plate.
“Paige knows all about my dad’s little undercover operation,” Lindsey admitted with a sheepish shrug.
“Splendid,” I said, offering a theatrical bow. “Has the DJ been briefed on my performance review too?”
Paige laughed so hard she nearly spilled her punch, then led us to a banquet table near the dance floor. For the next half hour we watched our peers mingle, and Lindsey decided to lean playfully into her father’s bizarre instructions.
“Hold this for a second, please,” she said, pressing her beaded handbag into my hands.
“No problem.”
“Now take my phone, and hold this plastic cup too,” she added, stacking both in my open palms.
I stood there loaded down with accessories, one eyebrow raised. “Is this the ultimate test of my endurance?”
“No, I just needed both hands to fix the strap on my heel,” she laughed, straightening up after buckling her shoe. “You’re going to scrutinize every single thing I do tonight, aren’t you?”
“Your father has ruined my ability to trust ordinary human behavior,” I said, handing back her phone with a grin.
For the next hour Lindsey entertained herself by inventing preposterous challenges just to see how I’d respond. She asked whether I could petition the DJ to play a song that didn’t exist, complained loudly that the punch needed more ice, and then insisted she required a chair facing precisely northwest.
“Lindsey, I can find you a chair facing north, or one facing due west,” I told her, folding my arms with mock authority. “The current operating budget doesn’t support diagonal seating.”
Paige collapsed into giggles, nearly dropping her raspberry cupcake onto the tablecloth. I was actually starting to relax and enjoy the surreal evening when a tall woman wearing a chaperone badge approached our table.
“Evan, is that you?” She offered a warm, familiar handshake.
“Yes, ma’am, good evening,” I said, rising to my feet.
“I’m Brenda, Lindsey’s aunt,” she said, smiling. “I volunteered to chaperone tonight, and I must say, Gordon talks about your work ethic constantly.”
I glanced at Lindsey, whose cheeks had flushed pink. “Hopefully he only shares the good parts.”
“He insists you have an extraordinarily steady head whenever pressure mounts,” Aunt Brenda said with an approving nod, then waved goodbye and slipped back into the crowd.
I turned to Lindsey, leaning over the table. “Does your whole extended family hold committee meetings about my job evaluations?”
“Aunt Brenda has zero filter,” Lindsey groaned, burying her face in her hands, laughing uncontrollably.
A while later we stepped out onto the quiet concrete terrace overlooking the river for some fresh air. The summer breeze felt wonderful after the stuffy ballroom, but my curiosity was finally boiling over.
“All right, Lindsey, no more puzzles,” I said, leaning my forearms on the cool iron railing. “Your dad quizzes me with strange hypotheticals at work, he coached you to test my patience at your prom, and your chaperone aunt knows my employment file by heart.”
“He’s been agonizing over a huge decision about the business,” she admitted, leaning beside me and watching the streetlamps shimmer on the dark water.
“Is he selling the warehouse to a competitor?” Fear tightened my chest.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Am I about to be laid off?”
“Of course not, Evan. Please stop stressing,” she said gently. “You’ll understand everything Monday morning, I promise.”
Before I could pry further, Paige burst through the glass doors, waving both arms. “Lindsey, they’re gathering the seniors under the balloon arch for group photos right now!”
Lindsey caught my wrist and pulled me back toward the noisy ballroom with a genuine smile. As we joined the line, I realized she’d dropped all distance and annoyance. She was acting like a trusted co-conspirator.
The hired photographer arranged everyone in tight rows, shouting through a megaphone. “All couples, move in close and put your arms around each other!”
Lindsey stepped against my side, looking up with amusement. “Put your arm around my waist, Evan.”
“Is this another graded exercise from the employee handbook?” I whispered, hesitating.
“It’s just a prom picture, so stop overthinking,” she chuckled, tugging my arm into place.
Right as the flash lit up the archway, my phone buzzed in my breast pocket with a message from Gordon: Is the evening progressing smoothly so far?
I showed the screen to Lindsey, who grinned with pure mischief. “Tell him I’m proving exceptionally demanding.”
I typed back: Lindsey requested a chair aligned strictly northwest, but negotiations are ongoing.
Gordon’s reply arrived in under thirty seconds: Fascinating development. How are you resolving the conflict?
I chuckled and typed: I countered with a north-facing seat and an extra napkin.
