5
Jax and Tara's Unexpected Christmas
Chapter 13 Bat Out of Charming
When Opie came to let us out of the trunk, he blamed Jax for it all.
"I don't know what sick and twisted reason you got Tara locked in the trunk with you, brother, but Tara's a nice girl. You don't do shit like that with a nice girl."
"Thanks, Opie," I said sweetly. "You understand the situation perfectly."
"I'll keep this a secret. This was seriously twisted, brother," Opie said. He shook his head with disgust.
"We were measuring the inside of the trunk from inside the trunk," Jax said. "Tara said it gives the most accurate measurement."
"I did not," I said indignantly.
Opie just shook his head again.
"We'll meet up back at the house around five." Opie said leaving us.
"I can't believe Opie turned on me like that," Jax said.
"I am helping Donna a lot and I'm making the cake. It's more important for Opie to keep Donna happy through me than it is for him to please you."
We had a nice dinner at Mario's. It's a nice Italian restaurant that has no benches, no arcade games and no televisions, so it's an adult kind of place.
Just before we could dig into our salads, Donna asked about how we got stuck in the trunk of my car.
Opie, Jax and I exchanged glances.
"Donna was there when you called," Opie explained hastily.
Jax smiled and patted my hand.
"Why don't you tell the story, darlin', you do it so much better than I do?"
"If you insist," I said.
"Oh, I insist," Jax said with a smile.
I've often held the view that if you are going to lie, you should do it with some style and you should go for a big lie.
"Since you insisted. I really thought you wanted to keep it a secret, but since you're insisting . . . Jax and I were in the garage. He had been telling me something about how the health department found rabid rats in Charming. I was just about to close the trunk when Jax points to a dark shape on the floor of the garage and says it's a rat and we should get in the trunk.
"It didn't look like a rat to me. I told Jax it was just a shadow, but he jumped in the trunk anyway. He was scared. I was shocked that a badass outlaw biker was afraid of a rat. I finally got into the trunk because he insisted. Once I got in the trunk, Jax remembered that the health department didn't find rabid rats. They found rabid bats.
"Jax pointed to a corner in the garage's ceiling and swore it was a bat. Before I could react and express my doubt, he pulled me down and closed the trunk so the rabid bat couldn't get us."
"Was there a bat?" Donna asked.
"No and there wasn't a rat either."
Opie just gave Jax another disgusted look.
Underneath the table, Jax stepped on my foot to let me know that he wasn't pleased with my story. He had only himself to blame since he insisted I tell the story.
I think that sweet, naïve Donna actually believed the story.
We went to the guys' house and sprung the dancing part of the wedding on them. Opie took the news in stride. He wasn't much of a dancer, but he would do it for Donna.
In the space of three minutes, I stepped on Jax's feet three times. Payback's a bitch and I was teaching Jax that lesson.
It was nice just slow dancing with Jax. Donna was learning rapidly. She rested her head on Opie's chest and seemed both at peace and truly happy.
Of course, this being Charming, that lovely moment didn't last long. Donna got a call on her cell from her sister.
"We have to go to my parents' house," Donna said.
"I think we should go too," I said.
"I would like that. Thanks Tara."
We hopped on the motorcycles and were at Donna's house in a few minutes. I wondered what had gone so wrong that Donna needed to get to her sister immediately, but I had my suspicions based on what she'd told me this afternoon.
Donna just walked into the house through the unlocked front door and we followed her in.
"What are you doing here?" her mother demanded.
"I want to see my sister," Donna said.
She must have heard the conversation because she came out from her bedroom. She had bruises up and down her arms and a knot on her head.
"See," Donna's father said, "she's fine. She just had a little accident at the park."
Donna's sister just looked at her sister, her eyes wide and scared.
"Donna, you have to tell the truth for your sister's sake," I said.
"Donna," Opie said softly, "tell me what's going on."
"This is your time to be heard. Save your sister," I said.
Donna was visibly shaking, but she remained silent.
For a few moments, I thought of telling them what was really going on in that family, but I resisted the impulse to tell. Donna needed to speak.
Her sister just kept staring at her. I think that was what finally broke Donna and she began speaking about the abuse she'd suffered at the hands of her mother including the bruises that she still had on her arms.
Jax and I left. It wasn't our place to listen to such an intimate family discussion.
Next Up: A new chapter of Tara's Story or a new chapter of this story.