“Bee, can I grab you for a second?” Mae calls.
“Sure!” I join her underneath the tree in Danny’s front yard.
She looks me up and down and beams. “Before you leave, there’s something I want you to have. I know your father tossed some of your mother’s things after she passed. I’m still pissed about that.” Mae’s jaw clenches.
My own memories have faded over the years, partially due to my age when she passed and partially due to the trauma I experienced at the hands of my father. Mae has shared so many stories about my mother this past year, and I’ve soaked each one into my soul.
“Well, I wanted to give you this.” She opens a necklace box to show me a delicate golden chain with a dangling letter M. “It’s hers, and I think it should be yours. I gifted it to her on her high school graduation day. The ‘M’ was for Melanie, of course. But I thought…well, I thought that it could stand for ‘Mom’ now, if you want to wear it.”
I wrap Mae in a huge hug as tears well in my eyes. She carefully clasps the necklace around my neck.
Running my fingers over the necklace, I kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you, Mae. This means the world to me.”
She pats me on my arm. “Now, now. Get going, or else you’re going to be late for your graduation.”
Danny is waiting for me across the yard, and as I meet him, he gently asks, “Everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is perfect.” My lips curve into a wide smile.
As we walk toward his car, I slip off my gown to get some air. I smooth out the wrinkles in the new dress Mae surprised me with this morning. It’s short and white with a v-neck halter top and a flared skirt. Delicate lace that looks like petals lines the hem and frames the neckline.
I reach Danny’s car on the street in front of our houses, only to realize he’s stopped walking. When I turn around, he looks like he swallowed his tongue, and I remember that he’s only seen me in my graduation gown today.
“Gracie, you’re stunning.”
Just as I was cooling down, my cheeks heat all over again. “Um, thanks. You look great, too.”
“You’re always beautiful. But wow,” he breathes, “I’ve never seen you in a dress like that before.”
“Yeah, Mae bought it for me as a surprise. Janie actually helped pick it out.”
The corners of his lips turn up as he opens the passenger door for me. “Remind me to thank them later.”
I climb in, and he starts the car. Before shifting into gear, he glances at the graduation cap in my lap.
“You know, if you do end up keeping your graduation cap forever, it’s going to need some editing.”
“What do you mean? It’s perfect!” I exclaim, affronted on Tessa’s behalf.
“The last name looks a little off,” he says with a wink.
I, along with my witty retorts, melt into my seat.
A few hours later, we’re standing outside the convocation center watching everyone throw their hats in the air for a class picture. Danny and I leave ours alone, of course, protecting the keepsakes at all costs. Instead, we hold each other tightly in celebration.
After hugging Danny, I turn to Ben, who’s currently waving at his family.
“We did it!” I squeal, giving Ben a friendly squeeze.
“Hell yeah, we did!” He beams, holding his cap underneath his arm.
“Are you and Mia still up for going to the diner with us after this?”
“Absolutely. No way do I want to share Mia with my family; she’s only here for a few days.”
I grin. “You do realize you’ll see her every day starting next week, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Like you wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible with Lover Boy,” he teases, tugging on my cap’s tassel.
