The Mobster's Girl

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Nearly a week after Kate's wedding, the girls were out shopping on their break. They had all returned back to work as dancers in one of Jack's speakeasies, and, like he had promised weeks before, he had Stella singing every other night, which helped bring in more business.

She and Jack had made up, and she felt happier than ever. In fact, being away from Jack was beginning to feel difficult for Stella, although she would deny it if anyone asked. She didn't want to feel like she was growing too attached to Jack, especially since they hadn't been dating for long, and anything could change in an instant, but it was too late.

"What do you think about this dress?"

Hazel held up a matronly looking black gown, and both Kate and Stella grimaced.

"It's great," Stella began, which made Hazel smile. "-if you're looking for something to wear to a funeral."

Kate laughed, and Hazel glared at her two friends.

"I'm meeting Henry's entire family tomorrow evening. I've got to look presentable!"

Stella turned her attention to a rack of clearance dresses in front of her, and combed through them quickly, trying to see if something would catch her eye.

"You could wear the most conservative dress in this store, and then some, and his mother would still find something wrong with you. You're never going to please her, Haze."

Hazel said nothing as she laid the dress over her arm to take to the dressing room to try on. She knew that Stella was right, but it still irritated her. Had she been born to richer parents, or simply chosen to become a housewife instead of a dancer, then perhaps Henry's mother would accept her. Hazel loved him and wanted to marry him, and Henry swore that he wanted the same, but she lived in fear that his mother would ruin everything, and Henry would give in and break up with her.

She needed to do everything in her power to win over his mother.

"You're just lucky that you don't have any parents to impress," Hazel grumbled to Stella.

Stella shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But, something tells me that if Jack's parents were still alive, they wouldn't be as hard to impress as Henry's mother is."

The girls were quiet as they went through the racks, and when they had finished going through everything, Kate finally turned to Stella and looked at her in disbelief.

"I don't even know why you're looking at the clearance racks, or at this store in particular. I heard Jack tell you that he'd pay for anything you wanted, regardless of price."

Again, Stella shrugged.

"I dunno, I just feel bad spending money that isn't mine. I'll get to that point eventually."

"Technically, you can look at it as money you're going to earn eventually," Hazel said slyly. "Jack pays you, so think of it as a little loan."

Stella rolled her eyes. "That's not how it works."

The girls headed towards the dressing room to try things on, and as Stella closed herself in a room, Hazel gave her a pointed look.

"All I'm saying is if I was you, I'd be taking full advantage of the opportunity."

Stella said nothing as she slipped out of her dress and tried on the first dress, a light blue, sheer chiffon number. Jack had wanted her to go out shopping for some of the latest fashions that she could wear on stage while singing, in the hopes to make her stand out even more. He had told her that she could get whatever she wanted, prices weren't important, and to simply tell the shopkeepers to put it on his tab, but she still felt odd, and had opted to go the cheaper route instead.