Scarlett's known for a long, long time that her father isn't a perfect man. A good father to her and her sister? Yes (but not to Jackie). A good husband to her mother? Yes (but not to Ms. Wackerman).

But all Julie has ever known is their side, not the Wackerman's side, and when everything came to light Scarlett saw how vehemently Julie rejected everything that painted their father in a negative way. How much pain and anger and sadness it caused in someone who only ever saw their dad as if he held the sun, moon and stars in his hands just for their family.

It hadn't been that much of a surprise, because shortly after her dad came to live with them, Scarlett overheard a conversation that made her wonder but kept her from asking because what if daddy left again? Mommy was happy for real now and Scarlett had a daddy like all the other kids. So she would keep a secret so daddy could say with them forever and be even more happy after her little brother was born.

She'd pushed that conversation out of her mind, let the insecurity fade away as their family grew and flourished and lived like everyday was the best day.

Then she'd found the picture. An old, faded photo hidden in the back of a very dusty album that she'd found in the darkest corner of their attic. It held the image of a woman with brown hair and a little girl… and the man who cradled them both in his arms, whose smile spoke volumes.

Scarlett can't remember a time when he smiled like that. Like he didn't have another family he'd abandoned. And what's worse is she knows this girl. Had met her, even, when she visited Mellowbrook. So she goes back, finds Jackie recording Kick (who's just as cute as she remembers) and nearly loses her courage when her half-sister meets her eyes with a gaze that says she knows Scarlett is more than the daredevil who visited all those years ago.

They both agree that what their father did was wrong, that neither of them are to blame, and it heals her heart just enough to ask, "Can we be sisters?"

"I already have a sister," Jackie says with a finality that shakes Scarlett to her very bones, "And honestly, even though it's not your fault, I don't want a reminder of my- our dad in my life."

Ah. Well, Scarlett can't blame her for that. Scarlett isn't the one he left behind after all. "Fair enough. Maybe someday?"

"I try not to make promises I can't keep."

Scarlett's not sure why she wants to have Jackie as a sister so badly. Maybe because she believes having his third daughter around will help heal their father's heart and get rid of the sadness he tries so desperately to hide. But whatever the reason, it makes her resent Kendall like she's the source of all Scarlett's problems.

And that's not true. Scarlett knows it's not true, but she dislikes Kendall all the same and no amount of logic or rationalizing keeps her feelings from building.

She tries to distract herself with an old flame; they'll be in town for a while and there's nothing wrong with a summer fling. And it works for a while, then her feelings start getting deeper and she starts wondering what it would be like to date him. Wondering what it would be like if she kissed him and held him close.

Then Kick tells her he's dating Kendall, and Scarlett feels like she's been punched in the gut. For a brief moment, she thinks it's not fair. How that woman gets both her sister and the man she's falling for. She wants to say "screw it" and go after him anyways. But then she thinks of her sister, of how Julie blames Ms. Wakerman for everything that's happening in their family. As if it's an abandoned woman's fault their dad wants his other daughter in his life, that their mother feels insecure even after promises of fidelity, that Scarlett wants Jackie around.

She can't do that to another person. Won't cause someone to suffer the way Julie is.

But she's always loved so deeply and passionately and feelings like that don't just disappear no matter how much she stays away. She decides to talk to him and maybe get some sort of closure, but every time she does they're either interrupted or she loses her courage.

To her surprise Kendall talks to her, only asking for respect and in that moment Scarlett both hates and admires this woman so much that it's all she can do to simply nod in understanding. It takes a week before Scarlett makes up her mind and confronts Kick, telling him she only needs one kiss as an ending to something that never even began but will help her heart accept what her mind always says but refuses to believe.

She pushes, and pushes till finally he sighs like she's a petulant child and gives in. The kiss is bittersweet, and he doesn't even pretend to return it, but Scarlett feels like she can finally move on. When she pulls away he places his hands on her shoulders in an odd show of comradery, or maybe she's just interpreting it that way. Before he can speak, she beams at him and says, "I hope you and Kendall invite me to your wedding one day."

He looks surprised for a moment, maybe because he can tell just how honest she's being, which is kind of shocking for her too, but then his face turns red and he mutters something along the lines of needing to ask first. Scarlett has no doubt Kendall will say yes, and that's ok, as long as both of them are happy. She leaves Mellowbrook that day with a heart much lighter than when she arrived.

A few months later, she finds out Jackie and Kendall died at sea.