Ivy's graduation snuck up on us.
The old saying about time flying when you're having fun must be true because the first week I spent in Memphis seemed more like two days. I had some friends in Nashville, and Daniel and I spent one night there so that I could connect with a couple of them.
We also swam in the swimming hole, which wasn't nearly as intimidating as I imagined. It was basically a big pond in the woods with trails, docks, diving boards, and rope swings. It was on a nice piece of private property owned by friends of Daniel's family, and they let us have a big family party out there. Ivy was graduating high school, and a few family members had birthdays in May (along with Mother's Day, obviously), so Rose and Jesse invited the extended family and made it a big, impromptu Bishop get together with barbeque sandwiches and cake and ice cream.
Daniel had a lot of family in Memphis—more than I even knew about. His mom had brothers who had kids, and they all came out along with Daniel's Uncle Gray and Aunt Jane. I got to meet Daniel's great-grandparents who they called Pa and Nana and both sets of his grandparents, (Ivy and Michael) and (Jacob and Alice). I didn't count, but there were what must have been thirty or forty people out there, and they were all wonderful.
Of course, I got to catch up with Shelby, which was nice. She had gone to hair school and had a passion for doing hair and makeup. She was currently working as a stylist for a local news station and had aspirations to get into more elaborate makeup design for movies and television. She had done a few things locally and had plans to work on a couple of music videos in Nashville soon.
She had a real love for it, and thought of it as an art form. Several times during our conversation, she reached out and touched the side of my hair, pulling it up as if imagining it being styled this way or that. I loved that she felt comfortable and familiar enough with me to do that. She and I were friends instantly.
It was during our afternoon at the family barbecue when Shelby and I made plans for Ivy's graduation. We brought up the fact that I would like to go to Ivy's graduation party but didn't really want to be hassled. Word had gotten out that I was in Memphis, and I had been photographed by the paparazzi a few times when we were out and about.
By the end of our conversation, Shelby hatched an idea that would solve everything and let me enjoy Ivy's big night in secret. She said she could give me such a convincing disguise that I would be able to go to Ivy's graduation and the after party without anyone even knowing it was me.
The graduation ceremony started at 6pm, and we had plans to eat dinner with the family afterward. Ivy said she told her friends from school that the party at Shelby's would get started at 9, and if all went well, I would be able to go to all three activities without being noticed or bothered. It was a tall order, but Shelby seemed convinced that she could pull it off.
Shelby came to Daniel's house that afternoon at 3pm to help me get dressed. She didn't tell me what she was doing, but when I saw the polyester clothing, gray wig, and the walking cane, I put two and two together.
I honestly couldn't believe the results. I had never been dressed up to look like an old lady before. I had put on my share of costumes over the years, I had never once been made to look like a much older version of myself.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, thinking Shelby was an absolute genius and there was no way anyone would know it was me. I barely knew it was me. I wasn't wearing a mask, but I might as well have been with how different I looked.
I touched my own face, wondering how the world she made my skin look I like it had aged fifty years. The salt and pepper wig put it over the top. It all looked natural and understated. I knew no one would recognize me.
"Do you like it?" she asked, standing behind me as I checked out my reflection.
"How'd you do this?" I asked in awe.
"They're just little silicone pads that I glued on strategically. Are they comfortable? Do you feel like you can smile and talk like normal? It's the first time I've used those things, but I've watched a lot of tutorials and I've really been wanting to try them."
I stretched my face, being careful not to make any extreme movements. I tried a smile, and had to laugh at myself.
"I think it's perfect," I said in my best imitation of an old lady.
This made Shelby crack up laughing. "Don't forget to move a little slower than usual," Shelby said. "You don't have to limp or anything, but just don't walk around doing cartwheels."
She patted me on the butt, which was padded so much that I barely felt her. She and I had been in Daniel's bedroom getting ready. I was staying in a different bedroom, but his master had an attached bathroom, so we had set up shop in there. She went to the door and opened it.
"Daniel!" she called. "Can you please look after Aunt Edna tonight?"
I tried not to laugh as I braced myself for Daniel to come around the corner. I was so nervous to see his reaction that I could hardly stand it.
"I'm going to go get myself dressed," Shelby said before Daniel even came around the corner.
She grinned at me and took off for the other room. "Aunt Edna's waiting for you," I heard her say when she reached the hall.
My heart was beating a million miles an hour when Daniel came to stand in the doorway. It had only been a couple of hours since I had seen him, but I was all amped up with nervous anticipation.
He was the most handsome thing I had ever seen. He had on dark slacks with a coordinating shirt that was tucked in with a matching belt and shoes. Everything was freshly ironed and super-sharp. He had shaved his face for the occasion, and he was utterly dashing.
I was so busy noticing how gorgeous he was that it took me a second to realize that he was wearing a serious, almost intense expression as he stared at me.
"Are you kidding me right now?" was the first thing he said. "Are you seriously my Courtney?"
I smiled and performed a slight bow.
"Where did you get that stuff?" he asked.
"Shelby brought it over," I said. "I think she said the outfit belonged to Nana's mom. The wig and makeup were Shelby's. I think she might have bought them just for this. I'm glad you reminded me. I need to settle up with her for everything."
Daniel stepped closer to me as I was talking. He stared at me with a concerned expression as if trying to figure something out. "You sound like Courtney," he said, standing right in front of me and looking directly into my eyes.
"That's because I am Courtney," I said with a little smile.
Daniel could hardly recognize me even when he got right up next to me and stared into my eyes. I knew if he had so much trouble no one else would be able to recognize me either.
I went by "Aunt Edna" all evening, sitting next to Daniel like he was my caretaker. We held hands during moments when it could go unnoticed, but otherwise we behaved as if I was his great-aunt. The Bishops were all great actors and went along with it without skipping a beat. They seemed so convinced that I was Aunt Edna that I thought a few of them might actually believe I was a distant relative they had forgotten about.
We went to the graduation ceremony and then out to eat with about twenty family members before going back to Daniel's parents' house. Daniel gave me countless opportunities to wrap up the evening so that I could get out of my disguise, but I quite enjoyed flying under the radar as Aunt Edna and was excited about going to the party.
He and I got to Shelby's house at 9pm, and we were blown away by the number of people who were already there. Shelby lived in a residential neighborhood, and there were so many cars that we had to park a block away. On the way to her house Daniel and I talked about the number of people who were there. Both of us were protective of Shelby and were instantly a bit on edge about the turnout.
Shelby was by no means providing alcohol for the partygoers, but it was obvious to us as soon as we walked in the door that most of them were drinking. They weren't doing it openly, but they were loud and raucous. The place was completely packed with graduating seniors and their friends.
We found Shelby and Ivy in the kitchen. Daniel had about all he could handle of the rowdy boys who were present in the group, and he was ready to start kicking people out as soon as we got there. Shelby insisted that she was fine with it, though, and said she would rather Ivy have a party at her house than go to one at some other, unsafe location.
Daniel and I wound up staying for a couple of hours. There was one guy who was especially unruly, and Daniel wasn't comfortable leaving while he was still there. He had gotten worse and worse throughout the night, and I could see Daniel's wheels turning.
At one point, he even asked Ivy how exactly she knew him. She told him that he was a football player named Blake who had graduated a couple of years before but was still friends with Ivy's friends.
Several times, throughout the night, the guy had offended someone in earshot of Daniel, and finally, it was too much.
He was standing with a group of boys, all laughing and joking around. Daniel and I had caught sight of Ivy and were watching as she walked toward us. Blake reached out and goosed Ivy on her rear end as she passed him. She shot him a look of disapproval, but he just gave her an innocent stare and pointed at the guy who was standing next to him.
That was all Daniel could take. I knew the guy was about to regret what he had just done.
"I'll be right back," Daniel said.
He left my side to head in their direction, and I watched closely, secretly hoping that he would walk over there and punch that guy square in the jaw. There were so many people present at the party that I couldn't hear what they were saying. Daniel confronted Blake who, in turn, bowed up to him getting in his face like he could actually do something in spite of the fact that Daniel was much taller, broader, and tougher looking.
Blake patted his own chest and flinched like he was about to hit Daniel, and then next thing I knew, Daniel turned as he performed a smooth, sweeping move that easily flipped the guy into the air, landing him flat on his back.
Everyone standing around stepped back and started pointing at them. I smiled at the way Daniel calmly yet forcefully handled the situation. He stooped to say something to the guy who was wincing in pain from the fall.
I had seen Trevor take similar action a couple of times, but not like Daniel. He was so calm and in control yet tough and impassive that I felt a wave of desire for him.
I was happy that he was the type of guy who took up for his sister and wouldn't be disrespected by young men who were being out of line. Daniel talked with his sister for a minute after the whole thing went down, and then he made his way over to me.
"Are you about ready?" he asked as he approached.
I nodded.
He turned to Shelby. "We're gonna walk Blake and his ride out to their truck, so they won't be bothering you anymore. Ivy said everyone else knows to be out of here by midnight. I'm a phone call away and so is your dad if you have any trouble getting them to leave."
"I won't," Shelby said. "Dad's already text me ten times. He said he's coming by at midnight to make sure everyone's headed home. They're all being cool except for that guy, anyway."
"Well, he's leaving," Daniel said. "So you won't have to worry about him."
I hugged Shelby and thanked her for making it possible for me to enjoy the evening with no one knowing who I was. Daniel smiled at us before taking the keys out of his pocket and offering me his arm.
"It's way past your bedtime, Aunt Edna," he said.
"I don't know how you managed to put that dad-blasted hooligan on his back like that," I said in my best old lady voice, causing him to smile. I pinched his cheek. "You sure are an athletic young man, Daniel. I'm so proud of you."