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Justin laughed “A swear jar?”

“Yes,” Hallie answered “That’s what she called it”

“That’s ho called it?” I asked, irritated

“Winnie”

“Who’s Winnie?” Justin asked

“She’s our new friend that lives next door” Hallie refolded a few things before placing them in a drawer

“She gave ive a shit about keeping anything folded and was shoving things in drailly-nilly “See?”

Justin dutifully examined the knee she displayed “Very nice”

“She said her dad was always saying bad words too, so she and her sisters made a swear jar”

“Fuck that,” I said

“The F-word is a dollar, Daddy You ht not want to say it anymore” Hallie’s tone was solemn as she lined up her shoes in the closet exactly the way she liked them

My brother-in-law laughed again “That’s nice there are kids next door for you guys to play with How old is Winnie?”

Luna giggled “She’s not a kid”

“She looks like one,” I muttered

“I don’t kno old she is,” Hallie said thoughtfully “Maybe a teenager?”

“That could be good,” Justin said, testing the stability of the fraht next door”

“I think she’s older than that, but not by much” My knees cracked as I rose to my feet “Okay, let’s put the mattresses on”

“I think she’s pretty,” Luna said

“Oh yeah?” Justin gave lance as we hauled one twin mattress over to Hallie’s bed and tossed it on “Is this true?”

I shrugged and turned around to grab the second one “I only saw her for awhich I’d tried not to notice how short her shorts were or glance at the bare skin showing beneath her crop top

“It’s true,” said Hallie with confidence “She’s very pretty”

“And she likes ani us place the et a pet here, Daddy?”

“No” I looked around for the garbage bags full of their sheets and blankets Were they still downstairs?

“But why not?” Hallie followed me out of the bedroom and down the steps “You said the old apartment didn’t allow pets but this one does”

“How do you know?”