He Shielded Her, So I Left the Club novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: Five Candles

Mara's POV

Hattie turned five on the second Sunday in August, in Dot's backyard, under a string of paper lanterns the wives had hung the night before.

There were three folding tables pushed end to end and a sheet cake from the grocery store.

Dot had put a pink candle in it and scraped off a dinosaur she said was the wrong shape.

"It's a horse now," she told the birthday girl. "Say thank you."

"Thank you, Dot," Hattie said. "It's a very good horse."

The yard was full.

The wives and kids from the club sat at the tables with their plates stacked high with cornbread.

The treasurer was at the grill in an apron that said KISS THE COOK, and a patch who had been at the clubhouse that first Sunday was handing out paper cups of lemonade.

The president came through the side gate at two o'clock with a package under his arm.

He stopped at the edge of the grass and looked at Dot.

"Hands," she said.

"They're clean."

"Show me."

He held them out, palms up.

She inspected them with her reading glasses on, front and back.

"Fine," she said. "You can come in."

Half the yard laughed, and he took it with a straight face and walked over to Hattie.

"I brought you something," he said, and crouched with a grunt.

Hattie tore the paper off.

It was a small leather vest.

It had a tiny patch on the back, a brown horse with five legs, hand-stitched in thread that wasn't quite straight.

"It's from your great-uncle," the president said. "I had a woman at the leather shop copy your picture. It's not a club vest, I want to be clear. It's yours."

Hattie put it on over her party dress and stood very straight.

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