Page 42 of Daring the Defender

Nadia gestures for me to take the armchair, but I don’t miss the look they give one another.

“How stupid?” Twyler asks, holding out the bag of chips to me.

I shake my head, stomach too anxious to eat. “Earlier today I was walking down on the strip and–”

“Oh my god,” Twyler’s back straightens and her blue eyes widen, “did someone try to get you to join a cult?”

“What? No.” I pause. “What cult?”

“There used to be this cult nearby, Serendee.” Twyler’s entire expression grows animated. “They had a recruitment center just off campus and would specifically target weak-minded students.” Her eyes shift to Nadia.

“One meeting!” Nadia declares, throwing up her hands. “And they offered free food! It’s not like I gave them all my money and started wearing those weird, ugly dresses and agreed to an arranged marriage.”

Twyler rolls her eyes. “Anyway, they’re disbanded now that the leader is in prison for being an awful, abusive person, but there are a few of his people still around and they’re freaking persistent.”

“Okay, well, no,” I say, “I can assure you that I did not get recruited by a cult, but I was offered a job by Mike at the Badger Den.”

“Oh,” Twyler says with relief. “Well, that’s great.”

“I didn’t know you were looking for a job,” Nadia says, grabbing a handful of chips.

“I wasn’t.” I explain what happened that morning and how offering a little help turned into an offer. “I took it, which isidiotic, because I’ve never even had a real job before. He gave me this shirt,” I dig into the bag I brought with me, “and I can’t even figure out what to wear it with. Jeans, a skirt, leggings? This is all falling into ‘normal’ people stuff and I have no idea how to do that.”

“Normal people stuff?” Twyler asks.

“Like things that are different from how I was raised. What was expected of me. My whole life has been centered around my father and his role at Kingdom. We didn’t get after school jobs or wear clothes that it would be okay to get beer splashed on. What if they ask for something and I don’t know what it is? What if someone gets the wrong order and gets angry? What if–”

“Okay,” Twyler huffs out, resting her hand on my arm, “slow down and take a deep breath.” It’s harder than I want it to be, but I manage to suck in and exhale. “That’s good. I understand this is all new to you, but it’s a serving job, not rocket science. At the most, you’ll serve food and drinks, clean up, and make sure rabid hockey fans are happy.”

“Honestly, that doesn’t sound any different than handling the events I help my father with at his church.” Although I don’t get paid, and I guess they’re rabid God fans, not hockey ones. “We have a lot of social events and receptions, and trust me, those church ladies can be demanding. Although, to be fair, no one is drunk,” I laugh, “unless it’s on the holy spirit.”

“See? You’re more prepared than you think you are. It’ll probably be a little chaotic and customers can be asses,” Nadia chimes in, “especially if Wittmore is losing, but Mike and all the other workers are super nice. I think it’s a good idea.”

“You do?”

“Why not? You don’t need to sit around the Manor all day waiting for Axel to come home.” She pops a chip in her mouth. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s happy to have you here, but he’s sobusy right now with school and the team. Go out there and live your life.”

“Do you think he’ll freak out when he finds out?”

“Of course.” She grins. “Which is even more reason to do it.”

I do kind of like the idea of that. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Excellent. So, now that we’ve settled that,” Nadia grabs the shirt from my hands and holds it up, “we have to get you ready.”

The shirt is black with the Badger Den logo on the chest. “That’s what I really need help with. It doesn’t seem like there’s really any official dress code. I just want to make sure I’m comfortable and fit in.”

“If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s how to dress for sports fans.”

“Nadia…” Twyler warns.

“Nothing slutty,” she argues, “but you do want to make some solid tips.”

“While not having her brother andyourboyfriend lose his mind,” Twyler reminds her.

“That too.” She stands. “Come on, let’s go find a happy medium.”

“Okay,”Nadia says, twisting her finger around a lock of hair, “I think this should do it.”

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