Читать книгу Italian Maverick's Collection - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 47

CHAPTER NINE

A DELICIOUS LUNCH could change one’s perspective.

If Jules had known food could put a smile on Stefano’s face, she’d have suggested it ages ago. He’d actually started a conversation, but it was directed at Dante, not her. And it was about one of his favorite subject—grapes. Still it had been nice watching him let down his guard and relax.

But as soon as they climbed back in the car, the walls around him went back up, blocking her out. She didn’t understand what she’d done to get him to hold her at arm’s length. Surely he still wasn’t upset about the salesclerk thinking they were a couple.

Jules glanced down at her black skirt, black stockings and black boots. Okay, so maybe her color choice was a bit somber, but her styles weren’t.

She gave herself a mental jerk. What was she doing? Reevaluating her clothes because of a guy that barely tolerated her? She was fine just the way she was. And black was her favorite color.

She needed to focus on the wedding, not pleasing Stefano. With that thought, she realized it might be best to tell him exactly what she had in mind as they visited this florist.

She leaned over and said, “Just follow my lead. Can you do that?”

He maneuvered the car into a parking spot. “Depends. Are you going to lie?”

“Stefano, do you want this wedding to be nice for your brother?”

“Yes, but he isn’t going to care about flowers.”

“He might not, but his bride will. If she’s not happy, do you really think that he’ll be happy?”

There was a strained pause. “I suppose not.”

She didn’t say a word as he alighted from the car. While she gathered her purse and wedding planner, Stefano rounded the front of the car. She reached for the door handle, but Stefano beat her to it and swung it open. He was a gentleman, something she wasn’t accustomed to. But she could get used to this. After all, if they were about to create a little bit of make-believe, she might as well enjoy some of the benefits.

Inside there was one man working the shop, and he was already busy with someone at the register placing an order. That would give her time to scope out his supply and find out if he was a viable candidate.

“Oh, look—they have dahlias.” She rushed over to take a closer look. “And there are some in the right color.” She couldn’t resist smiling and gently clapped her hands. “So far, so good.”

Stefano pretended to be interested, but she could tell by his reserved reaction that he was less than impressed. She wasn’t going to let his mood ruin this for her. She intended to enjoy this wedding as much as possible. It was quite possibly the last thing that Lizzie would ever ask her to do...especially after Lizzie learned that she wasn’t going to grad school.

“Are you finding what you’re looking for?” The salesman approached them.

This was where she had to play her cards just right. There was no way she was going through all the pain and effort to select the flowers only to have the man turn them away. They didn’t have the time to waste.

She slipped her hand in Stefano’s. When he tried to pull away, she tightened her grip. Silently she willed him to play along with her. She would do her best not to outright lie. The impression the salesman made would be his own responsibility.

After all, she certainly wasn’t expecting anything to come of this. Sure, she’d dated in the past, but she’d always insisted on keeping things casual—except one time. It had been a blind date set up by her lab partner. His name was J.T. It had been a case of infatuation from the get-go. As they’d started to see each other on a regular basis, she’d thought they were building the solid foundation for a committed relationship. She had been certain of it.

With J.T’s graduation just weeks away, he’d asked her to dinner. He’d said that he had something he wanted to say to her. She recalled how excited she’d been. While Lizzie had done her utmost to talk sense into her, all Jules could think about was a diamond ring. At last, someone in her life who would love her and never leave.

In the end, the dinner had been a thank-you for tutoring him in a philosophy class. He had told her that he couldn’t have passed the course without her help. And, as she’d tried her best to suck up her disappointment, he’d capped off the evening with an announcement that he was moving across the country to California. He was leaving, and she wasn’t invited to go with him.

It wasn’t until after a couple of tissue boxes—the jumbo size—that she had realized it had worked out for the best. It reaffirmed her belief that love didn’t exist. It was a fleeting notion. Something that she never planned to explore ever again. But now, after witnessing Lizzie and Dante’s relationship, she thought maybe her assessment hadn’t been quite so accurate.

Jules presented her best smile to the salesman. “We’d like to order some flowers for a wedding.”

“Excellent.” The man glanced around as though searching for something. “Let me just grab something to write on.” He rushed back to the counter and returned with a clipboard and a pen. “When is the wedding?”

“The middle of next month.”

The smile faded from the man’s face. “Oh, that soon.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you have in mind, and we’ll go from there.”

Not wanting to press her luck, she released Stefano’s hand. She chanced a quick glance at him to find a frown pulling at his lips. Disappointment wiped away her own smile. Not exactly the look a bride would want from her intended bridegroom, but it wasn’t as if they were even involved. So then why did his scowl dig at her?

After reviewing each flower on Lizzie’s list, the man assured her he’d be able to order them all. The bridal bouquet would be quite extravagant. And the changes the florist suggested, although small, were just enough to set off the flowers.

With the deposit made, Jules and Stefano turned to the door. She slipped her hand back in his. She didn’t have to, she knew that, but she wanted to feel his strong fingers entwined with hers. It had been a long time since she’d dated. Maybe she was lonelier than she’d thought. Or maybe all of this focus on the wedding was making her realize how alone she’d be without her sister.

“Don’t worry,” the salesman called out. “You two will have a marvelous wedding.”

She turned and waved goodbye. His words drove home her loneliness. Maybe always being the bridesmaid wasn’t all she’d convinced herself it would be.

Jules sucked in an unsteady breath. She’d promised herself on the flight over that she wouldn’t fall apart. She would be happy for her foster sister. No matter what.

“Are you okay?” Stefano stopped on the sidewalk to look at her.

“Umm...yes, I’m fine.” When she realized that her hand was still in his, she tried to pull away, but this time he was the one to tighten his grip.

She gave up the struggle and took comfort in the innocent touch. Instead of dwelling on her loneliness, she turned her thoughts back to Apricot. She desperately wanted to take the kitten home with her. She’d soon be known as the spinster cat lady, she mused. She wondered what Stefano would say if he knew about the direction of her pathetic thoughts.

As for the kitten, she wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to transport it such a long distance. And if she didn’t know better, she’d swear that Apricot was working her way into Stefano’s heart. Perhaps finding Apricot a home wouldn’t be as hard as she’d originally thought.

She still had a handful of weeks until the wedding to make up her mind about the cat. One way or another Apricot would have a loving home.

* * *

More than a week had passed since the whirlwind, otherwise known as Jules, had blown Stefano’s routine life off course. Nothing was the same with her around. She’d befriended his father. Nonno thought the sun rose around her. And Maria had taken her under her wing, showing her some of her favorite recipes. It was as though Jules fit right in.

But she didn’t belong at the vineyard. And she never would. Nothing good would come of him imagining any other scenario.

So if that was the case, why had he immediately noticed Jules’s absence from the breakfast table? He forced himself to stay there and eat. After all, she wasn’t his responsibility. It was enough that he had to babysit her on their numerous ventures to Rome, but the line had to be drawn somewhere. He couldn’t risk getting involved.

Once he’d finished his caffè, he quietly emptied his barely picked-over breakfast into the trash. He had no appetite even though Maria was a fine cook. At last he escaped to the silence of the outdoors, but it was no easy task. His father was in quite a chatty mood. In fact, he hadn’t seen his father this animated in a long time. Maybe Dante had been right. Maybe Stefano had unintentionally cut his father out of more of the business than he’d intended. At least one of them was happy.

Once outside, Stefano hesitated. His thoughts turned back to Jules. Maybe he should check on her. After all, something could be wrong. He assured himself that it was his duty to be a good host. With his mind made up, he made his way around to the front of the house, preferring to avoid the prying eyes in the kitchen.

In no time at all, he was standing outside Jules’s room. He rapped his knuckles on the door. “Jules, are you there?”

“Come in.”

He didn’t know what to expect when he opened the door, but it wasn’t the sight that greeted him. There was Jules sitting on the floor, surrounded by an array of various shades of purple-and-white tissue paper. And the kitten was scurrying around, chasing bits of paper. What a mess.

In the middle of it all, Jules smiled up at him. “Hi. Did you need something?”

“I didn’t see you at breakfast. I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just busy.” She held up a tissue-paper flower for his inspection. “What do you think?”

“Um...” He wasn’t so sure what to say. “It’s nice.”

Her smile broadened. “Thanks. I’m a bit of an expert at these by now. But I’ve never had to make them by myself before. Usually the bridal party gets together for some fun and we make the flowers. By the end of the night, there’s hundreds of them. But since Lizzie wants a small wedding, I guess it’s up to me to make them.”

“But I don’t understand. Isn’t that what we went to the florist for?” He’d never figure out women, no matter how long he lived.

“This is different. These are for decorations.”

“If we need to buy more flowers, just say so.” By the looks of this room, she’d been here forever making flowers.

“Thanks. But it’s not necessary. I want both types of flowers.”

This wedding business was way more involved than he’d imagined. Jules was going to wear herself to a frazzle. There had to be a better way to go about it. And that’s where he could help her out.

“You can’t do everything yourself.”

With a paper punch in one hand and tissue paper in the other, she paused and glanced up at him. “Why, Stefano, is that your way of offering to make flowers with me?”

“Definitely not.” When her smile dimmed, he hurried to correct himself. “I mean, I can hire someone to do this stuff. I can hire as many people as it takes. Just tell me what you need.”

Jules unfolded her legs and stood. “I don’t want strangers doing Lizzie’s wedding.”

He was obviously missing something, but he had no clue what it might be. Back when he was married to Gianna when he didn’t understand her logic, he’d just shrug and walk away. Maybe if he’d asked more questions and tried to understand her better, their life wouldn’t have careened out of control.

“Why in the world not?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Okay, he probably could have worded that better. He cleared his throat to try again. “Talk to me. Obviously there’s something I’m missing and I’d like to understand.”

Surprise reflected in her green gaze. “I...I don’t have money to buy them a proper wedding gift. I know it’s silly, but I want to create a cozy wedding with a personal touch. Lizzie doesn’t know I’m doing all of this. And don’t you tell her.”

He felt like such an unfeeling lowlife now. The money aspect had never even crossed his mind. And he had to admit Jules’s gift would surpass even the most expensive offering because it came from the heart.

“Your gift will be their favorite.” And he meant it. “What can I do to help, aside from making flowers? I don’t think mine would be suitable for anything but the garbage.”

Jules’s stance eased, and she asked if she could use his computer to order some favors. She listed off things he never would have thought of, including wedding bubbles and sparklers. It would definitely be a wedding to remember.

“You’re welcome to use my computer anytime. Now, how about taking a break to eat?”

She settled back on the floor, right in the middle of the mess. “I’ll get to it later. I’m excited to see how many of these I can get done today. And Apricot is being a big help.”

Stefano looked dubiously at the kitten running around and batting at the scraps of colorful tissue paper. Well, as long as Jules was happy, he was fine with it.

“I’ve got some work at the barn that I need to do. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

She gathered a stack of tissue paper and pushed a round punch through the sheets. “We’re good. Huh, Apricot?”

The kitten gave her a quick glance and then returned to playing.

Stefano felt guilty as he walked away. But seriously, having him make tissue-paper flowers would have been an utter disaster. Maybe he could help with her internet shopping. That was something he could do.

With a plan in mind, his steps toward the barn grew quicker. She didn’t want help from strangers, but that didn’t include him. They’d moved past being strangers a while back. Where they were headed he wasn’t quite sure.

He walked into the office just in time to find his father shutting down the computer. “Calling it a day already?”

Papa jerked his salt-and-pepper head up. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in. Umm...yes. I thought I’d take a break.”

“You feeling all right?”

“Of course.” Frown lines creased Papa’s tanned face. “Am I that much of a workaholic that you think because I am out of the office something must be wrong?”

Since when did his father become so defensive?

Stefano shrugged, trying to take a neutral stance. “Is there anything around here that needs my immediate attention?”

His father rubbed his jaw. Instead of the gray stubble that normally dotted it, it was clean shaven. “Not that I can think of. I’ve calculated the number of new barrels we’ll need for the fall harvest, and I’ve ordered the supplies. They should be here in a few weeks.”

“What about the email? Is it backed up? It always seems they come in faster than I can respond to them.”

“No, I just finished responding to the last email. Things are pretty quiet right now. I was thinking that perhaps we should consider increasing the number of wine-tasting events we host. It’d be good for the business, and I think it’d be well received.”

Stefano nodded. “You know we have one coming up before the wedding.”

“I do. I just think that we can do more.”

It’d been one of those things that he’d been meaning to get to, but there was always something else that needed his attention first. But it seemed his father was on top of everything. Good for him. Right now, Stefano was actually kind of enjoying this downtime.

“You headed out to the fields?” Stefano asked, feeling obligated to accompany him. “I can give you a hand.”

Papa’s bushy brows rose. “Um...no, that isn’t necessary. I’m going to have some caffè first. Why don’t you take the day off?”

That was the problem; he didn’t want to slow down because then his thoughts would take over and that would do nothing but get him in trouble. He’d start remembering his past mistakes. Or worse yet, he’d start thinking about Jules in all the wrong ways. The last thing he needed to do was to start caring about her.

His father clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s a beautiful day. Don’t spend all of it in here.”

After his father walked away, Stefano sat down at the desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the coffeemaker. It was still on, and the pot was full. What in the world? Why was his father heading to the house for caffè when there was plenty here?

Stefano shook his head and gave up trying to figure out his father. He turned on the computer and found the email was in fact under control. The office was in decent shape. And there was absolutely no business requiring his attention. Good. Now he had time to help Jules with the wedding. His fingers flew over the keypad.

A little later, he headed back to the house, excited to tell Jules what he’d ordered. His steps grew faster the more he thought of her sitting on the floor in those short shorts with her bare legs showing and that contagious smile on her face. He didn’t know what it was about her that drew him in. She was unlike any other woman he’d ever known.

Maybe his problem was he spent too much time alone at this vineyard. But that was his punishment for what had happened to Gianna. He didn’t let himself go out and have a good time. He didn’t let himself think about the future because she didn’t have one.

However, now, for the first time since his wife’s tragic death, he wanted to live again. He wanted to feel alive. And that’s how Jules made him feel—heart-poundingly, soul-stirringly alive.

It was a strange sensation after living so long in self-imposed exile. He’d cut himself off from most of the outside world. He’d unknowingly followed in his father’s footsteps, even though he’d sworn that he would be different. Yet another thing he’d failed at, but he wouldn’t fail Jules. He’d do his best to help her make this wedding special.

As he drew close to the house, he saw someone exit the kitchen door. It was Maria, and she was laughing. In the past eleven or so years that she’d been tending to the house, he didn’t recall ever hearing her laugh like that—unrestricted and joyous. What could have put her in such a good mood—

His father.

Papa’s deep chuckle drifted through the air. Stefano came to a halt. What in the world was going on?

Stefano watched in amazement as the two, not noticing him, started off toward the vines as though they were going for a stroll—together. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed his father was interested in Maria. How long had this been going on? And how had he missed it until now?

Did this explain the recent change in his father? The easiness Papa had taken on? The not working until all hours of the night? The added pep in his step?

Stefano raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to come to terms with the fact his father was back among the living. There was a mixed ball of emotions churning in his gut. He truly wanted to be happy for his father, but it nagged at him that he and his brother had suffered through their childhoods with an emotionally detached father. If only his father had made this change long ago, he could have saved everyone so much misery.

When his father and Maria were far enough off, Stefano made the rest of his way to the house. It seemed as though everyone was getting on with their lives—except him. But how did he do that? How did he forget what he’d done?

He didn’t have any answers, just more questions. The one thing he could do was get into the spirit of his brother’s wedding. Maybe Dante was right to roll the dice and see what life handed him.

The thought of Jules making all those silly paper flowers alone tugged at his conscious. He was the best man. And since there was no other bridal party, it fell to him to help her. Whether he was any good at it or not, he could try his best.

Spending some time with Jules was not silly—not at all. Besides, it would keep his mind off the fact that his father was changing—right before his very eyes. Suddenly Stefano felt as though he was standing still in life and soon he’d be left behind.