“What is he hidin’, Rose? Your face is like an open book, and it’s obvious that this is the first time you’re hearin’ all this yourself. How can you build a relationship on secrets?”

“His past is for him to share with me when he’s ready. It doesn’t change a thing, Violet.”

“Rose, it’s fine.” He glared at Violet. “I hadn’t told Rose because I am so completely different from my parents that I didn’t want Rose to hold my family against me.”

Violet’s hand covered her mouth. “Oh, dear Lord. You’re from white trash, aren’t you?”

“Violet!”

“If your father is a lawyer, he must be an ambulance chaser.”

“Violet!” I jumped up, but Joe pulled me back down, his arm wrapping around my waist again. He gripped my side as though he was afraid I was gonna leave him alone to face her.

“No,” Joe’s voice was tight. “My family is the furthest you can get from white trash. To answer your original question, my mother is not employed but keeps busy with her society work.”

Violet was speechless again. Joe was going for a home run.

“My family is the Simmons family from El Dorado.”

My head swung from Joe to Violet, unsure what that meant.

But Violet knew. Her face paled. “The Simmons family?”

“One and the same.”

“But…but…”

My heart sputtered. “Wait. I don’t understand.”

“His family…” Violet swallowed. “His family is the richest family in all of Southern Arkansas. They fill the Inviting Arkansas society pages.” Violet would know, since she subscribed to the magazine that covered all things society in Arkansas. She pored over it every month when it showed up in her mailbox.

Fear coursed through my veins. Joe was from a rich society family and I… I was from Henryetta and worked at a DMV. How could I fit into that?

Joe’s arm pulled me closer. “Rose, I didn’t tell you because I’m not like them and I don’t want to be. I’ve made my own life and you’re part of it. They aren’t.”

Violet pulled off her sunglasses, studying Joe with a suspicious look. “Why not?”

“That’s not the life I wanted. But since you now know that I come from an acceptable family, I want to drop the subject.”

Violet’s entire attitude changed, which nauseated me. Was my sister really that shallow?

Dinner was tense, but more on my part than Violet’s doing. She was syrupy sweet to Joe, probably trying to make up for all the meanness she’d heaped on him. I kept thinking about Joe’s family and Violet’s discrimination.

“How’s business, Mike?” Joe asked. “Your construction company still doin’ well?”

“Yeah. We’re bidding on a big job involving the new superstore going in over by the Forest Ridge subdivision.”

My head jerked up at the mention of Frank Mitchell’s neighborhood. “What does that mean exactly?”

Mike stirred his salad around on his plate. “It means they’re tearing out part of the neighborhood to put in the parking lot for the store.”

I set my fork down and wrung my hands in my lap. “So…that means someone is buying houses for the parking lot?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Who’s buying them?”

Joe shot me a glance with narrowed eyes but kept silent.

“The corporation that owns the store. They’re in the process of finalizing the deals. Demo will start in about six months.”

“What happens to the people who don’t want to sell?”

“They don’t have much choice in the matter. The city approved it. They have to accept a fair price.”

“And is it fair?”

Mike shrugged and stabbed a baked potato from the bowl on the table, plopping it onto his plate. “I suppose it is. Most of those houses are damn near condemnable.”

Violet’s mouth pursed and she nodded to Ashley, who ate her food, ignoring all adult conversation. “Mike. Language.”

Mike scowled.

Violet shot me an icy stare. “Why the sudden interest in real estate, Rose?”

I looked down at my steak, feeling Joe’s gaze on me. “I don’t know. I’m interested in old houses.”

“Well, you should take Austin Kent up on his offer to show you his photos of Italy. I’m sure it still stands.”

Joe’s threw his fork down on his plate, the clang filling the room and stunning Violet into silence.

Oh mercy, she’d gone and done it now.

He stood up, his body stiff. “Rose, I think it’s time we left.”

Tears blurred my eyes as I turned to her. “How could you, Violet? Your biggest concern was that Joe’s family wasn’t good enough and now you know they are, so what is it?”

She placed her hands on the table, leaning forward. “Rose, honey, you know how much I love you and I can’t stand by and watch you get hurt.”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

Lifting her chin, she shot a glance at Joe then back at me. “I don’t think tonight is a good time to discuss this, Rose. How about we talk about it after Joe goes back to Little Rock?”

Joe took a step closer to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “How about we discuss this now?”

Her face softened. “Joe, it’s apparent I was wrong about you, and I’m terribly sorry about that. But in light of your new information…let’s be honest.” She pointed to him. “You’re…a Simmons.”