Bad Boys of Red Hook [2] You're the One by Robin Kaye

her to agree with Nicki. “Looks can be deceiving. You should give her a chance.”
    “Pop doesn’t like her.”
    “How do you know?”
    “From the look on his face. And I can tell Rocki doesn’t like her either.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, she’s playing angry music. You know the old-fashioned stuff without words.”
    “Classical?” She tried to hear over the hip-hop Harrison favored.
    Nicki nodded and bit into a piece of apple.
    “Try it with the cheese. The flavors work well together.”
    Nicki took a tentative bite and must have agreed because she stuffed the rest of the piece of cheese into her overfilled mouth. Her table manners were horrendous.
    “Slow down, Nicki. You’re going to choke.”
    Nicki looked down at the plate and then back up to Skye. “Sometimes I forget that now I can eat whenever I want. Logan says I’ll start rememberin’, but it takes a while.”
    Harrison grabbed a celery stick off the plate. “Nicki’s only been with Pete for four or five months. She’s his new foster kid.”
    “That’s how I got brothers. Storm, Logan, and Slater are Pop’s foster kids too—they’re just like me ’cept they’re boys, and they’re really old.”
    “You’re all foster kids?”
    “Uh-huh. Storm says we’re the lucky ones because Pop is a forever kinda guy.”
    Skye nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat.
    “Do you want a piece of apple, Skye?”
    “No thanks, I’ve had enough. You go ahead; just take smaller bites.”
    Pete pushed his way through the kitchen doors. “There you are, Nicki.” He put his hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “You left your sweatshirt and backpack in the office.” He dropped them on the table and smiled at Skye. “Thanks for getting Nicki a snack.”
    “It’s not a problem. I always enjoy our visits.”
    “I was wondering if you could make us a special dinner tonight. Logan’s fiancée is here. I asked Wendy, and she said she wouldn’t mind running it upstairs.”
    “I’d be happy to. Just let me know what and when.”
    Nicki bounced on the stool. “Hey Pop, can we have dessert too?”
    “Sure. Whatever you want.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s get you out of Skye and Harrison’s hair. We can take the rest of that snack upstairs. You can eat and do your homework at the same time.”
    “But, Pop—”
    “No buts. You need to get your homework done before dinner. We’re having company, so you better be on your best behavior.”
    “I know, I know.” She slid off the stool and shouldered the backpack that looked almost as big as she was. “Bye, Skye. Thanks for the snack.”
    Skye wasn’t prepared for it, but Nicki threw her arms around her and gave her a big hug. “I like you way better than that Payton lady.”
    Skye hugged Nicki back—it had been so long since anyone hugged her, she’d forgotten how nice it was. “You don’t know her. Give her a chance. She might surprise you.”
    The look on Pete’s face told her it wasn’t likely, and she had to agree. If Logan really loved Payton, she hoped she was wrong. In the last week and a half, she realized she’d misjudged him. He didn’t fit the stereotype—at least not until Payton appeared.
    Her chest tightened at the thought. She wasn’t sure why—she hadn’t had any of Harrison’s fries and gravy, so she knew it wasn’t heartburn. She didn’t have time to examine what else it could be. Nicki released her. “Okay, I’ll give Payton a chance, but I’m not gonna like it.”
    Skye shook her head trying to remember what they’d been talking about. Her mind kept circling back to Logan’s weird transformation she’d witnessed earlier. GivingPayton a chance. She did her best not to laugh at her own wayward thoughts. “Get used to it, Nicki. There are a lot of things you’re going to do that you’re not going to like. Just try to keep an open mind. Do it for Logan. They’re engaged, so he must really love her.” Skye found Pete shaking his head. He