“It was an honor, sir,” I said. My voice came out rough. “Really. She’s great. We had a great time.” I inhaled. “But if you want to know how I handle pressure, you can just watch me at work.”
“I already have,” he said.
“No more surprise tests,” he said.
“Good,” I said. “Because I still haven’t figured out how to get Georgia the moon.”
Sheldon threw his head back and laughed, his big booming laugh that you could hear entirely out in the warehouse.
Marcus was a good teacher, but he didn’t go easy on me. The first week, he handed me a binder three inches thick with every procedure the company had. Ordering, receiving, invoicing, returns, and safety. He told me to read everything by Friday.
I shadowed him everywhere. I sat in on his phone calls with suppliers. I watched him build the weekly schedule, juggling fourteen employees’ availability like a puzzle. I watched him handle customers who were angry, customers who were confused, and customers who wanted discounts they didn’t deserve.
