Читать книгу Italian Maverick's Collection - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 55
Оглавление“ARE YOU TRYING to ruin everything?”
Stefano’s body tensed at the sound of Dante’s voice. His brother was the last person he wanted to deal with right now. He glanced up as Dante crossed the patio in his direction. Stefano turned away and stared blindly out over the sun-drenched rows of grapevines. The only vision in his mind was Jules’s beautiful face.
“I’m not up for it today, Dante,” Stefano warned.
“Too bad.” The footsteps behind him stopped. “You have some explaining to do, big brother.”
So he’d heard about the incident yesterday at the bridal boutique. He wasn’t surprised, but the fact Dante had driven to the vineyard while the ristorante was open for business was a worrisome development.
Stefano sighed and turned to face his brother. “Shouldn’t you be in Rome working?”
“I would be if my brother wasn’t trying to wreck my wedding.”
“What? I’m not doing any such thing.”
“That’s not what I hear.” Dante’s hands rested on his waist, pushing his suit jacket back. “I know that you’re not a fan of weddings after what happened to you and Papa, but I thought you were man enough to step aside and let me make my own choices.”
“I am. I did.” How did he explain away yesterday? Jules wasn’t even speaking to him. “How’s Jules?”
“First, I think you owe me an explanation before I withdraw my request for you to be my best man.”
The serious glint in Dante’s eyes left Stefano no doubt about his sincerity. But he needed to know Jules was okay after the way she’d disappeared. “This is important. How’s Jules? Did she say anything to you?”
Dante’s brows arched. “You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t. We’re...we’re friends. That’s all.”
“You have it real bad for her, and you’re fighting it. That’s what yesterday was about. And judging by Jules’s tears, she has it bad for you, too.”
“She was crying?”
His brother nodded.
Stefano ran a hand over his stubbled jaw. He hadn’t bothered to shave. This was worse than he’d been imagining. He wanted to go to her and take her in his arms. But he couldn’t do that. It’d only succeed in making things worse. She’d get over him. She surely didn’t love him, did she? It was a crush. Nothing more.
“You need to make this right.” Dante’s tone left no doubt about his sincerity. “And I don’t mean by playing the part of Romeo. That’s already gotten us in enough trouble.”
He waved away his brother’s unwanted advice. “I know. I know. You don’t have to lecture me, little brother.”
“Really? Because from where I’m standing you’ve made a mess of things. And this is my wedding week. My bride is not happy, and this should be the best time of her life.”
“Okay. I hear you. I’ll fix this.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” The stress lines on his brother’s face eased. “Then quit messing around with my soon-to-be sister-in-law. You know she’s supposed to go off to some grad school, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know. I’ve been telling her that’s what she should be concentrating on.”
“I bet you have.” Dante sent him an I-know-better-than-that look. “And Lizzie just paid the tuition. She’s counting on Jules following through with this. Don’t ruin this for Jules, or you’ll have me to answer to.”
Stefano had no doubt that Dante meant business. His brother wasn’t about to let anything ruin his wedding, and Stefano couldn’t blame him. He’d be the same way if he was marrying Jules—not that he would ever be walking down the aisle again.
The first thing he had to do was talk to Jules, but since she wasn’t answering her phone and Lizzie was running interference, he’d have to wait until she returned to the villa.
He didn’t know what he’d say to her aside from apologizing for making a fool of himself. Maybe that would be enough. He hoped.
* * *
Jules’s insides quivered. She’d rather be doing anything but this. Even a trip to the dentist sounded good to her at this point.
Her footsteps were slow but steady as she entered the winery. Lizzie had loaned her a car to transport the dresses to the villa without incident. No one wanted to trust the dresses on the train. And now that the wedding gear was stowed away safely in a spare room, Jules had to face Stefano. Things couldn’t linger like this. She’d promised Lizzie there would be peace for the wedding.
She’d made a fool of herself over Stefano, but she would be fine without him. She sucked in an unsteady breath. Her heart disagreed, but her mind kept telling her to do what was easiest for everyone.
When she found Stefano, he was in the barrel room, testing some wine. He glanced up and surprise registered in his dark eyes. Then it was as if a wall came down, making it impossible to know what he was thinking. She was shut out once again.
She refused to let it stop her. “Can we talk?”
He nodded. “I needed to talk to you, too.”
“I promised my sister that you and I would make peace.”
“I promised my brother the same thing.”
That was a good sign, right? It was so hard to tell. He didn’t smile. Did she always have such a hard time reading him?
She twisted her hands together. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ll stay out of your way from now on. And I’ll be leaving right after the wedding.”
She turned to go, and he reached out for her arm. His touch was warm and gentle. It sent a current of electricity zinging its way to her bruised heart.
“Wait. I need to say something to you.”
His hand dropped away as she turned back to him. Had he at last come to his senses and realized that what they had was worth fighting for? The breath caught in her chest as she waited for his next words.
“I was a fool. I shouldn’t have said those things to you in front of your sister. Please forgive me.”
She nodded. “It’s forgotten.”
There had to be more. Anticipation had her stomach twisted in a knot. What was he waiting for? This was the part where they were supposed to kiss and make up. It’s how it worked in the black-and-white romantic movies that she loved to watch late at night when she couldn’t sleep.
“Do you want me to walk with you back to the villa? I can if you just give me a couple of minutes to finish filling out this form.”
It wasn’t going to happen. Their happy ending was not to be. She expelled a trapped breath and pulled her shoulders back. “No need. Finish what you were doing. I have some calls to make. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Her feet felt weighted down as she walked away. Since when had she become such a romantic? It wasn’t good. Not good at all. She had to forget Stefano and her Roman holiday. In just a few days she’d catch her flight back to reality, but first she had to make sure this wedding went off without a hitch.
