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“I’ve got an ex-husband,” Claudia said, with the hint of a sigh “We divorced a year ago”

Her sentence trailed off, like there was stillfor the other half of the story

“We still live together though,” she aduiltily “In separate bedrooms, obviously It’s… well, it’s complicated”

“Is it a ?” Colin asked

She nodded

“Then it’s not all that complicated”

All three of us knew financial hardship — not one of us really had two quarters to rub together It was one of the reasons we’d been so grateful for the opportunity she’d given us

“Hey, no worries,” I told her “We get it I can’t even iht now if you hadn’t let us move in here Probably in so a couple of bedrooms in someone’s moldy basement”

“Hell yeah,” added Colin

I watched as her shoulders seeain…” she waved an ar with all this”

“You should probably stop thanking us,” I said “This is our hoht? We’’ll make it nice”

“Da fist on the table enthusiastically “We’re going to make this place shine!”

Six

CLAUDIA

It was dark by the tiht I could avoid contact with Garrett was always a good one