that Bob and Gina wanted children of their own, but were never able to conceive, so instead decided to become foster parents.

Nicole would've been either their second or third ward, but with her very special case, and Nicole's insistance that she be allowed to stay (Plus some other shinnanigans pulled by her birth parents that are revealed later), they ultimately decide to "keep" her permanently so to speak.

It's entirely possible they'll take on another foster kid or even adopt another child now that Nicole's making such a huge turnaround though, if she manages to actually stay this way ;-)

Edit: As I was revising a few chapters ahead, I kept getting this nagging feeling I was forgetting something in my comment. Now I remember what it was :-D

I would hope that Robin is actually going to have this kind of idea of a good time... Just not as soon! ;)

Most assuredly! ;-) Robin's been crushing on Nikki from the moment they met, and likewise for Nikki. They've agreed to remain friends for now, but this will be far from the last we'll hear of their budding romance :-D

I couldn't find anything about minors being allowed even wine unsupervised, and in fact, Connecticut law specifically seems to categorize wine under its liquor laws, so to err on the side of caution I've changed that ambiguous line very slightly. :-D

“I was just wondering what changed your mind?” I offered, staring at the glass. The strongest ‘drink’ I’d ever had usually involved powerful, foul-tasting cough medicine.

I lifted my glass and took a sip, wrinkling my nose as its contents trickled down my throat.

She laughed, “It’s an acquired taste, but don't worry, it's just cider. And to answer your question, you did,”

I originally left it ambiguously unstated because I couldn't, for the life of me, remember how U.S. laws tended to handle "lighter" drinks like wine, but like I said, after looking into it, I decided to go ahead and clarify.

Besides, Nikki's already gotten herself into trouble in the next chapter set, so she doesn't need any help from me or the restaurant ;-)

Edit: Going to just take out that part entirely because, on further reading, it turns out even "non-alcoholic" beverages still have as much as 1% alcohol, making them illegal to sell to minors.
(Also fixed the comment to show the edited version within the story. And now I'm going to go lie down :-D)

This shows exactly how little I actually knew about alcoholic beverages. I haven't had a "drink" since I tried some of my grandpa's 'shine when I was a kid. ;-)

Nicole's definitely making an active attempt to behave herself and change her ways. It all comes out in the latest chapter (which I won't spoil, of course ;-)) as to why she was such a little rebel for such a long time. :-D