Page 56 of Grayson

“I could be boring and wear the solid colored pants, the blue or the green, or I can stick with my patterned ones and let my inner child live free.”

He shrugs.

“There is something very strange about a grown man wearing flannel pajamas with Snoopy, SpongeBob, and Tasmanian Devil prints.”

He glances at Tori and then Skye and they both sell me out faster than I can blink. No hesitation, they both shrug and offer him a smile like it is completely normal.

And just like that, my dad has stolen my girls.

“Full house.” Tori lays her cards down on the table and both Uncle Issac and Dad gawk. “Read em’ and weep, suckers,” she mocks them with a pout and I’ll admit I feel proud.

“You storing a spare set of cards under the table kid?” Uncle Issac asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s called skill.” She shrugs.

“It’s called cheating,” Uncle Issac bounces back and Tori doesn’t even react. No smile, no frown, nothing she stares him down instead.

Uncle Issac watches her, she watches him like some standoff, each waiting for the other to buckle.

I hate to tell Uncle Issac, but Tori can do this shit all night. I’ve been right where he is on the opposite end of the look, and it can make a grown man wiggle around nervously.

“I win,” she states.

“You cheat,” he counters and Tori’s nostrils flare.

“Tori,” Skye starts toward her sister and Aunt Sheri is the one to stop her.

“Don’t you dare take away that girl’s fun,” she tells Skye with a laugh. “Or ours,” she adds with a wink. “Issac has never been good at losing. He gets all butt hurt when he’s a full grown man but losing to a teenage girl, oh sweetheart this is about to get entertaining.”

“Scary.” Skye cringes. “It’s going to get scary.” She turns her pleading eyes to me. “She cusses when she gets frustrated. She’s a full-grown sailor man wrapped in a younger girl package.”

I chuckle at my woman, because she’s about to lose her shit she’s so terrified of what Tori may do.

“You lost,” she says these words slow like she is trying to be sure he hears her clear and gets it. “Cough up the dough, Gramps.”

Skye covers her face and sits down in the chair.

“This is getting good.” Scarlett tosses a handful of popcorn into her mouth and gets comfy watching her dad face off with Tori.

“Double or nothing,” he offers and Tori laughs.

“I’m pretty sure that will only lead to another and then another. Before you know it I’ll own your house, and that pretty blue truck outside. Can’t drive it now, but in a couple years I’ll be sure to drive by your cardboard box and give you a little double tap and a wave.”

The sarcasm and the mouth on this kid never stops.

“Better ask your better half over there if she minds a new roomy, because I’ll let her stay but you’ll have to go.”

Uncle Issac glances over at my father who has already tossed in his twenty in surrender and is simply enjoying the show.

“Where did this kid come from?”

“You better chalk this up as a loss.” Dad smiles proudly at Tori and I see her give him a thumbs-up behind Uncle Issac’s back.

“You in on this?” he asks my dad.

“Nah, I’m just a better loser than you are.”

“What’s it gonna be Gramps, twenty bucks or the deed to your house and title to your truck?”

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