“Hey, squirt,” Bane says, his voice softening as he catches the little girl and lifts her onto his lap. “What are you doing here so early?”
“Grandma said we could have pancakes for breakfast!” she says excitedly before tilting her head, just noticing me. “Who are you?”
“This is Frankie,” Bane says before I can answer. “She’s... a friend.”
A friend? Hardly.
“Frankie, this is my niece, Saylor,” Bane continues. “And that’s my nephew, Jagger.”
Jagger nods at me, looking bored in that way every teenager has perfected. “Sup.”
“Hi,” I say, feeling suddenly shy. I’m not used to being around kids. Or people for that matter.
“Are you Uncle Coopy’sgirlfriend?” Saylor asks bluntly, stressing the word girl.
I choke on my orange juice, and Bane pats me on the back.
“Fuck no,” he says firmly. “Ain’t no bi?—”
“Cooper!” Roxy scolds before he can finish his sentence.
His nephew smirks, and Saylor looks disappointed. “Oh. You should get a girlfriend, Uncle Coopy. Daddy says you need to get laid.”
“Saylor!” Roxy gasps, while Jagger busts out laughing.
Bane’s ears turn red. “Your daddy needs to mind his own fucking business.”
“Language,” Roxy scolds. Her eyes go around the table, daring anyone to step out of line again.
“Yeah, Uncle Coopy,” Saylor mimics her grandmother’s tone. “Language.”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing. The family dynamic is fascinating to watch. They clearly love each other, even if they show it by giving each other a hard time.
“Uncle Coopy,” Saylor says, tugging on Bane’s sleeve. “Can you take me to Wally World today? I need the new Stranger Things Funko Pop.”
Bane’s brow furrows. “What the hell is Stranger Things, and what’s a Funko Pop?”
My jaw drops. “You’re kidding, right?”
He looks at me, genuinely confused. “No. Why would I be kidding?”
“Have you been living under a rock?” I ask, incredulous. “Stranger Things is only the biggest show on Netflix!”
“I don’t watch Netflix,” he says, like that should be obvious.
Saylor looks at me with an expression of long-suffering patience. “See what I deal with?”
I laugh, warming to this sassy little girl immediately. “It’s tough, huh?”
“You have no idea,” she sighs.
Okay, it’s official. I love this kid.
“Why can’t Jagger take you?” Bane asks, looking at his nephew.
Jagger rolls his eyes. “Because I don’t have any fuc—” his wide eyes bounce to his grandmother, almost letting the F-bomb slip, “money.”
“So that’s what this is about,” Bane says, narrowing his eyes at Saylor. “You want me to take you because you want me to buy this Funko Pop shit.”
