just wasn’t ready to concede to picking out flowers and whatever else went into a wedding.
Dante walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “This experience will do you good. Maybe it’ll give you some new ideas for your wine-tasting events.”
Stefano resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His brother was really digging deep to come up with ideas of why he should waste his time planning some froufrou event. But he knew better than to vocalize his thoughts. He had no doubt that Jules and Lizzie would pounce on him like two lionesses going after fresh meat. Inwardly, he cringed at the thought.
“And what do you expect me to do about work at the vineyard while I’m out planning your nuptials?”
“I’m sure Papa won’t mind taking over the vineyard in your absence.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said that. What do you know that I don’t?”
“He’s hinted that he’s feeling a bit left out. Ever since Gianna’s accident...well, um, you’ve been doing more and more of the work.”
“And he told you this?” Then it all clicked into place. He recalled how Dante and their father had repaired their strained relationship. Their father must have confided his true feelings to Dante.
“All I’m saying is that you don’t have to worry about the vineyard—it’ll be handled. And I’m sure you don’t want Jules to have to rely on public transportation when time is so vital.”
Didn’t his brother understand that it wasn’t just the work? Planning a wedding would bring back unwanted memories. Thinking of Gianna still brought with it a truckload of guilt. If he hadn’t married her and if he hadn’t been expecting a life like the one his mother and father shared—a traditional lifestyle with the man working in the fields and the wife at home tending to the children—then maybe they wouldn’t have started fighting. Maybe then she wouldn’t have torn off in an angry huff that stormy night...
“I know Stefano won’t let us down,” Dante said confidently. “He’s always there when the family needs him.”
No, he wasn’t. Otherwise he’d have been there for Gianna. But that was beside the point right now.
And so was how he felt about his brother tempting fate with this wedding. The only truly important thing now was that his brother was counting on him and he couldn’t let him down. It’d been a long time since Dante had asked him for anything.
“Yeah, I’ll help. As long as Papa is okay with the plan.”
Dante smiled broadly. “Good. I’ll call him as soon as we’re done talking here.”
Stefano couldn’t believe he was going to help plan a wedding. Surely they didn’t expect him to do more than drive Jules around. Even that would be a challenge. Though she was not his type, he couldn’t deny her beauty. And those short skirts that she wore that showed off her toned legs were such a distraction. Jules’s clothes were nothing like Gianna would have worn, no matter how modern his wife wanted to be. And what amazed him most was now that he’d gotten over the shock of Jules’s trendy wardrobe, he was really starting to like the way she dressed.
But her makeup still made him pause. He wished she wouldn’t apply it so heavily. He thought she was beautiful, but to be honest, it was hard to tell with all the makeup. And it taunted him, making him long to wipe it away and get to the real woman beneath it all.
* * *
The dresses were done. Check.
Well, not exactly. They were picked out, which in Jules’s opinion was the hardest part of any wedding. Lizzie had her heart set on a stunning full-length oyster-colored gown. The fitted bodice was hand-beaded with crystal embellishments. The sweetheart neckline accentuated Lizzie’s long neck, and the asymmetrical pleating that draped up over her waist was to die for. Jules thought it was absolutely perfect—befitting Cinderella herself.
For herself, they’d agreed on a knee-length strapless dress. The part she liked the best was the color: jazzberry jam. A black sash set off the whole dress and tied at the side. And they both agreed on a pair of black strappy sandals to go with it.
That was one thing she admired about her sister. Lizzie wasn’t afraid of making decisions and going for it. She knew what she liked, and she didn’t waver after her decision was made. Jules wished she was more like her. But maybe there was hope for her. Lately she’d noticed that she was more willing to make a decision without any input, and it felt good.
Armed with a wedding guide, a day planner and a credit card, Jules was ready to get to work. She glanced over at Stefano as he navigated his way through the congested streets of Rome.
“Is traffic always like this?” she asked.
“Like what?”
“So busy.”
“Not always, but we’ve hit the morning commute. I told you we should have waited a bit before coming to the city.”
She shifted uncomfortably in the leather seat. “I thought you were just putting me off because you didn’t want to come with me.”
“Why would you think that? I agreed to help, didn’t I?”
She glanced down at her black-and-white plaid miniskirt. It was the tamest thing she owned. For the first time she felt out of place. The truth was she used her clothes as a defense mechanism. If people were busy talking about the length of her hemline, they weren’t noticing how the heavy makeup camouflaged her facial scars.
But right now she wondered what it would be like to let down her guard and dress like everyone else—like Lizzie. It would definitely be different. Maybe it’d make Stefano less hesitant to escort her around Rome. It was a thought. One she’d take into consideration. She just wasn’t so sure that she was ready to let down her tightly held defenses just yet.
“I...I just know that your brother gave you a healthy shove into agreeing to this.”
“Here’s a lesson in DeFiore men. When we don’t want to do something, we don’t do it. And nothing and no one will change our minds.”
She took in his serious expression. Maybe she was reading too much into his reluctance to leave the vineyard that morning. Perhaps she should have believed him when he’d said he didn’t want to get stuck with the morning commuters.
But she still found herself thinking of visiting a boutique or two while they were shopping. She couldn’t afford off-the-rack fashions. Unlike her sister, who shopped at secondhand stores, Jules found most of her stuff at the back of stores on the clearance racks. When your tastes were a bit eclectic, it made discount shopping a lot easier. But that would have to wait. She had other, more important, business to deal with first.
“I was just going over the wedding checklist, and we might just pull this off.”
“Might?” He chanced a quick glance her way.
“Well, yes. It’s going to be a lot of work, but we already have the venue and the dresses, and Lizzie found a place online that will print her invitations and mail them for her. Those will go out this week. Let’s see. What else is there?” Her gaze skimmed down over the master list. “Lizzie mentioned something about you being able to supply tables and chairs.”
Stefano nodded. “We have plenty we keep on hand for large events at the winery.”
“Great.” One more thing checked off her long list. “Are we almost at the next florist?”
“Yes, it’s right ahead.” Stefano braked for a traffic light. “I still don’t know what you didn’t like about the last florist.”
She turned a narrowed gaze his way. “They were trying to pawn their overstock on us. They wanted to make an easy sale, and I don’t want that. Lizzie and Dante deserve more than that. Lizzie and I don’t exactly come from a traditional background. And now that she’s found her Prince Charming, she—they—deserve