6

Chapter 607 Second Thoughts

"

Scarlett was up and out of the house early because she didn't want to be around when Jax got dressed and discovered what she'd done to him. It may have been awhile, but she remembered how he'd punished her by withholding those amazing melt her bones kisses when she put a few SpongeBob band-aids on him after he'd helped Kohn through a window at Floyd's. Now, she might have agreed that she deserved a certain amount of payback until he put Disney princess band-aids on Happy when he was in the hospital after he went down on his bike while chasing Esai.

It may have taken her awhile, but she was finally getting her revenge. And given the delay, it would taste especially good because it would be unexpected. She chuckled imagining Jax's reaction.

Once at her store, she began to restock shelves and place orders for inventory. Her business was surprisingly successful thanks to some unique items at lower price points. Of course since she was laundering money through her store, it was always going to be successful.

Half-Sack and one of her two other part-time employees Thelma were working today. Both were busy with customers when Steve walked into the store. Scarlett greeted him.

"Do you have a minute? Maybe grab some coffee?" he asked.

"Sure," Scarlett said grabbing her tote bag and calling to Half-Sack and Thelma that she was leaving for awhile. She and Steve were friendly but not friends. She suspected his sudden appearance had to do with Tara.

"What do you want?" he asked as Scarlett took a seat at a table away from the other customers.

"A small mocha frappuccino or an iced coffee with lots of cream."

He returned a few minutes later with two small frappuccinos and set Scarlett's down in front of her.

"Thanks."

"Have you talked to Tara lately?" he asked, watching her face.

"Yeah, she called me after the arrests at St. Thomas," Scarlett said. "David gave her the all clear sign so she could let people know she is alive. I dropped off some groceries to her yesterday."

Steve took a sip of coffee and nodded.

"She thought so much of you, trusted you so much to make medical decisions for her, faked her death and didn't tell you. Doesn't that bother you?"

This was the tricky part of the whole Tara and David faking her death; dealing with people's reactions. Jax had been against the whole plan but Tara and David insisted and there wasn't anything she or Jax could do about it.

"Of course it does," Scarlett said carefully. "I don't think it was the best plan, but as a woman, I know what it feels like to feel unsafe. It's something that I don't think a man can ever fully understand." Scarlett was trying to divert the conversation.

"You know I shot at the vehicle that ran down Tara. Turned out I killed one of the men in the van. Forgot to mention that not only did I save her life, I killed a man for her when I talked to her yesterday. Of course, it wouldn't matter to her. She got what she needed from me—protection."

"I didn't know about you killing someone to save her," Scarlett lied. "Are you OK with that?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. No legal issues. Hale has already talked to me about it. The guy Eric in the van may be charged under the felony murder rule. Tara didn't even bother to ask me how I was."

"I don't think she's thinking straight with her injuries and all the crime drama at St. Thomas."

"That doesn't absolve her from being a decent human being. She used me for protection and then decided I wasn't a safe enough person to tell the truth about her and Hale faking her death. There is no good reason for what she did to me."

"I think she owed it to you to let you know she was alive," Scarlett agreed. She couldn't keep supporting what Tara did to Steve. He was right it wasn't right. She may have decided she was going to end things with Steve, but that didn't justify her not telling him she was alive. He saved her life and killed a man to do it. She owed him.

"How did Jax take the news?"

"He didn't think it was the right way to handle things," Scarlett said. It was what he was telling SAMCRO and anyone else that asked.

"Weren't you angry when you found out?"

"I was hurt, but I'm trying to be understanding."

"Scarlett, you're a better person than she will ever be. Tara cares about herself and doesn't care about anyone she hurts as long as she gets what she wants. She's self-centered and self-involved."

Scarlett thought back to that night at her house when she shot Kohn. Tara begged her to call Jax and get him to help. She refused. She wasn't about to get Jax involved in cleaning up Tara's mess. Tara was thinking of only herself then. She hadn't cared about Jax and what killing Kohn might mean for him. She'd only cared about getting herself out of the mess she was in with as little impact to her life as possible.

Now, Steve had killed for her. He served his purpose and she'd discarded him. Steve had a point about Tara. She thought she'd changed and grown after killing Kohn after she and Jax talked to her, but it looked like she was still the same selfish Tara from back when she'd shot Kohn. She'd moved on from Jax rescuing her to getting Steve to rescue her. Who would be next? Scarlett's money was on David.

"You have a good point," Scarlett agreed.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about Tara's mistreatment or whine about my broken heart. Truth is Tara wasn't the love or even the like of my life. We were together and had fun. My problem is how she treated me. That's my issue and that's not really why I'm here."

Scarlett was puzzled now. She thought his complaining about Tara was his sole reason for this meeting. She took a several sips of her frappuccino and waited for him to speak.

"Steve, why did you invite me for coffee?" Scarlett asked gently after what felt like an eternity passed.

"Part of the reason Tara and I were never going to work was Jax. She's still in love with him and I was only a placeholder or a substitute for him. I've been reluctant to patch SAMCRO. I like hanging around with the guys, but I don't know that I'm SOA material. She's been urging me to patch SAMCRO because she wants me to be like Jax."

"Did she tell you she loves Jax?"

"She didn't have to. I know it. I've seen the way she looks at him and follows him with her eyes at the clubhouse."

"She can look at him all she wants, but that's as far as it's going to go," Scarlett said. She was secure with Jax. He wasn't going to ditch her for Tara; she was sure of that.

"No, I don't think you have anything to worry about on Jax's side. He's a smart guy; smarter than me that's for sure, but if she had the chance to get with him, she'd jump at the chance and to hell with you and your friendship. That's who she is. She's always going to think of herself first. You may think she's your friend, but do you really want a friend that doesn't trust you and that you can't trust?"

"You really think she'd forget that she's supposed to be my friend if she could be with Jax?" Scarlett asked. She was afraid she already knew the answer to the question.

"In a heartbeat," Steve answered promptly, "even if it was only for a night. Tara thinks only of herself. That's not me being bitter or heartbroken. I'm just telling you like it is because I don't want you to trust her and have her betray you. Like I said, I don't think she has a chance in hell with Jax, but she could betray you in other ways."

"I thought I was being so modern being friends with Jax's ex. Now I wonder if she was just using me to get closer to him," Scarlett confessed.

"Look, I like Jax and you're his old lady. I just wanted to warn you out of respect for him and for you."

"Thanks, Steve, you've given me a lot to think about."

"I've got to get to work," Steve said getting to his feet. "I'll see you at the clubhouse."

She nodded still sitting at the table. The more she thought about what Steve said, the more she questioned her friendship with Tara. She was grateful to her for saving Jax when he got shot, but she'd more than paid her back for that with the Kohn incident. And had saving Jax been about their friendship or had it been about Jax and hoping saving his life would help her get back with him?

Now, it might be time to distance herself from Tara. Maybe their friendship never really existed.

"

Author's Note: Yes, I will reveal what Scarlett did to Jax in the next chapter. It's a revenge I've thought about for a long time.