Free Conduct Unbecoming by Georgia Sinclair Page A

frowned.
    “ Greer.”  Harley flashed a quick, condescending smile.  “Harley Greer.”
    Chablis looked Harley up and down, eyebrows lifted, then back at Dante.  “Seriously?”
    “ Don’t ask.”  Dante rolled his eyes, shook his head.
    “ I heard about Enzo,” she said quietly, ignoring Harley to lean closer to Dante.  “He’s gonna be okay?”
    “ Too early to tell.”
    “ He’s a tough kid.”  Chablis reached out, pressed her palm to his face for a second.  “He’ll get through this.”  She smiled.  “Remember when you and Tommy Matto climbed the fire escape outside Savannah Costa’s building in the twelfth grade?  And Enzo was so mad you wouldn’t let him come with that he followed you?”
    “ Yeah.”  Dante snorted, shook his head.  “And then he fell off half way up and broke his arm.”
    “ Savannah said he didn’t even cry.”
    “ Too stubborn to.  He had a huge crush on her, even though she was... what? like four years older than him?  No way was he gonna cry in front of her.”
    “ Like I said, tough.”
    “ Yeah.”  Dante took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a second or two before he opened them again.  “Tough.”  He scrubbed a hand over his mouth before he continued, his jaw.  “Does he come in much?”
    “ Here?  I don’t know.”  Chablis lifted her shoulders.  “Couple times a week, I guess.”
    “ With anyone in particular?”
    “ No.”  She frowned, shook her head.  “Not that I can think of, anyway.”
    “ A woman, maybe?”  He leaned closer.
    “ Seriously?”  Chablis narrowed her eyes, shot Harley a sideways look.  “All evidence to the contrary, we don’t get a lot of women in here.”
    “ Somebody who works here then.”
    “ Not likely.”  Chablis smiled wearily.  “Richie’s got a rule against dating the clientele.”
    “ Richie Fedor?  He’s in charge?”
    “ Uh huh.  Never lets you forget it, either.”
    “ And you mean to tell me nobody breaks that rule?”  Dante cocked his head, the corner of his mouth lifting in a skeptical grin.
    “ Well if they did, I imagine they’d be smart enough to keep their mouth shut about it.”
    “ Could you maybe just... ask around, Chablis?  Please?”
    Chablis sighed, rolled her eyes.  “Fine.  I’ll ask around.”
                  “Thanks.”  Dante nodded, gratitude written all over his face.  He stood up, pressed a kiss to Chablis’ forehead before finally - finally - looking Harley’s way again.
    She rolled her eyes, but followed him towards the exit.  “Old friends?” she asked him snidely.
    “ Why?  Jealous?”
    “ Puh-lease.”  Harley snorted.  “Of someone who’d make up a name like Chablis?”
    “ Right.  As opposed to someone who’d make up a name like Harley.”
    She felt her face get red, was powerless to stop it.  “For your information, my name really is Harley.”
    “ Yeah.”  He shook his head, kept walking.  “And I’m the Pope.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 11
     
     
     
     
    Juggling her bag and a vat-sized cup of steaming coffee, Chablis bumped the car door shut with her hip, locking it before she stuffed her keys into her jeans pocket.  Carmen’s car was here, and Lacey’s, but other than that the lot was empty.
    She hurried through the parking lot, flip flops slapping against the softened asphalt, hummed a little Bon Jovi under her breath.  Carmen and Lacey were working Roxi’s lunch crowd, but she wasn’t scheduled to work until tonight.  A quick stop to pick up her check, and she was out of here.
    Before she could get into the dressing room, though, Carmen was there, raining on her parade.  “Richie’s looking for you.”
    “ Did he say why?”  Chablis frowned as what little that was left of her good mood evaporated.  
    “ Huh uh.”  Carmen shook her head. 
    “ Okay.”  Chablis grabbed her check out of her locker, stuffed it into her bag.  “Might as well get it over