Sara Lee felt her throat tighten at the fierce love in Ivy's voice. This was what marriage should be—choosing each other despite everything.
Ivy shook her head. “My parents finally forgave me, seeing what a hard worker and good provider Jerry was to me.”
“Family can also be very complicated,” Nana June said, her voice projecting true empathy.
This elicited a scoff from Ivy. “Yes! Absolutely yes.” She suddenly looked at the two women and exclaimed, “I’m so sorry. Here I am talking throughout your meal.”
She started to rise, but Sara Lee cried out, “Please stay.” When Ivy looked at her, she glanced at Nana June, receiving a minuscule nod, she said, “It’s nice to talk to you. We don’t get the chance very often. So, if you don’t mind us eating this delicious meal while we talk, please stay.”
Ivy smiled and mumbled her thanks. After another moment, she turned to June and said, “You probably never knew I’d gone out with Raymond, did you?”
“If I did, I’m sure my old mind has forgotten,” Nana June said smoothly. “Please tell us all about it.”
Ivy shrugged. "There’s not much to tell. Raymond and I went out a few times in high school. It was a joke that all four of us sisters had gone out with him. I was never interested in him, but he would crow about the Carter sisters. And then after I met Jerry… well, there was no other man for me. But every time we'd see Raymond at family gatherings, he'd make some snide comment. About Jerry's accent. About how I'd married down. About how I’d thrown everything away. He even made a rude comment about our children, using some ethnic slur." Her hands clenched into fists. "That was what made Jerry finally lose his temper. About fifteen years ago, at a Christmas dinner. Jerry punched him. Gave him a black eye."
Sara Lee's eyes widened. That was the second story they'd heard about Raymond getting punched. Horacehad done it defending Petunia. Jerry had done it defending his wife and children.
"What happened?" Nana June asked gently.
"Raymond threatened to press charges. To sue Jerry, ruin the restaurant, destroy everything we'd built." Ivy's voice shook slightly. "But then Horace stepped in. Told Raymond that if he pursued it, the whole family would know what Raymond had said. The racist, vile things. And their parents threatened to cut Raymond off from the family entirely if he didn't let it drop."
"So Raymond backed down," Nana June said.
"He backed down. But he never forgave us. Jerry, Horace, or me. Or his parents, if I had to guess." Ivy looked toward the kitchen, where Jerry was visible through the serving window, chopping vegetables with precise, angry strokes. "Every few years, Raymond would come back to town and find some way to remind us that he still thought he was better than us. Some small cruelty. Some comments. It was like he couldn't let it go."
Sara Lee thought about Jerry's blunt words at church, his refusal to pretend grief. ‘The man was a poison.’Now she understood where that came from. Years of small cruelties. Decades of being made to feel less-than because of who he was, where he came from.
Deciding it was time for her to step in. "At the festival," Sara Lee said carefully, "Raymond said something to you both. About Jerry being Italian. I saw it from the coffee booth."
Ivy's jaw tightened. "He said Jerry was a foreignerwho'd never really belong here. Said I'd made my bed with a man who'd always been second-class, and I should lie in it." Her eyes blazed with old anger. "I wanted to hit him myself. But Jerry just laughed. Told Raymond that being a cook was honest work, which was more than Raymond could say. That made Raymond furious."
Through the serving window, Sara Lee saw Jerry pause in his chopping, his shoulders tense. He was listening, she realized. Probably had been listening this whole time.
"Did either of you see Raymond again after that?" June asked, her tone still gentle but with an edge of something sharper underneath.
“No, thank goodness. Jerry was with me the rest of the festival," Ivy said firmly. "We worked our booth, we packed up together, we came home together. He never left my sight." Her voice softened slightly. "I know my husband, June. I know he has a temper when it comes to protecting the people he loves. But I think he wanted to make sure I was okay."
Sara Lee listened, impressed with their relationship.
Ivy looked at her through calm eyes. "Believe me, if Jerry was going to kill Raymond, he would have done it years ago when Raymond said those things about our children. When the rage was fresh and hot. He wouldn't have waited until now. Old anger, old pain. It’s now like water off a duck’s back. We just ignored him for the most part. You see, we finally realized that we are the ones with a strong, loving marriage. Our business is good, and we have healthy, happy children. So, we arethe winners, and Raymond will never have what we do.” She stood, smoothing her dress. "I guess now we’ll never have to worry about it again. My husband is many things, but he's not patient enough to hold a grudge that long without acting on it."
She walked back to the kitchen, leaving Sara Lee and June in loaded silence.
Sara Lee pushed her chicken parmesan around her plate, her appetite gone. "Do you believe her? After all, they are each other’s alibis.”
"Yes, I do," Nana June said thoughtfully. “Even though Jerry can be quick-tempered, Ivy is right. They have a relationship that Raymond would never have, despite their seeming difference in social status.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes. But Ivy's logic made sense. If Jerry was going to kill Raymond, why wait? Why let the insults pile up for years and years before finally acting?
The bell over the door chimed, and Sara Lee looked up to see three women entering. Her breath caught slightly. Petunia Melton, in her turquoise-blue dress, looked impeccable despite the heat. Rose Whitmore, elegant in navy blue. And Dahlia Thornton, in soft colors that matched her name. Ivy's three older sisters… the Carter girls. Petunia, the oldest, followed by the twins, Rose and Dahlia.
Though looking at them together, you'd never know they were related. Petunia, Rose, and Dahlia carried themselves with the careful grace of women who'd married into Meadowlark Creek society as though Meadowlark Creek wasn’t a tiny town. Their clotheswere probably from a boutique in Richmond, their hair was styled, and expensive jewelry adorned their hands, ears, and necks. Ivy, in her simple green dress and restaurant apron, belonged to a different world.
"June. Sara Lee." Petunia's voice was carefully modulated but kind. "How nice to see you."
"Ladies," Nana June greeted them warmly. "It’s nice to see you. Petunia, I want to express my condolences."
The three sisters exchanged glances, some silent communication passing between them. Something flickered across their faces… perhaps discomfort. Whatever it was, Sara Lee couldn't quite identify the expression. Rose's fingers fluttered nervously on her purse. Petunia's smile appeared brittle. Dahlia glanced toward the kitchen, where Ivy was visible through the serving window.
