Harlequin Romance April 2015 Box Set (35 page)

“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 to have a perfect day. And if that takes you and I driving all around this city to find the right florist, then that’s what
we’ll do.”

“I didn’t know you were that invested in this wedding.”

“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.”

“I’m listening if you want to tell me.”

For a moment, she was tempted to let down her guard and open up to him about the loss of her mother and the string of foster homes. But what would that accomplish? Nothing. She had to stay focused. “This isn’t about me. It’s
about Lizzie and Dante.”

The traffic surged forward, and Stefano followed. “It doesn’t look like there’s any parking. I’ll drop you off. You have my cell number, right?”

“Yes, but aren’t you coming in?”

“The last time you were in and out so fast that I’d just walked up in time to hold the door as you stormed out—”

“I wasn’t that bad. Was I?”

A smile tugged at his lips.
“Let’s just say that everyone knew you weren’t a satisfied customer.”

“But what if these people don’t speak English? You have to come with me. After all, you told your brother that you would help with everything. You don’t want to go back on your word, do you?” Jules reached down and grabbed her oversize purse, which contained pictures of the dresses and color swatches. Without waiting for
his response, she added, “I’ll see you inside.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

W
HAT
IN
THE
world had his brother gotten him into?

Stefano’s feet felt weighted down as he made his way to the florist. The last thing he needed to be doing was escorting Jules around. She made him think things and feel things he shouldn’t. And when she looked at him with those big green eyes, his common sense took a hike. His raging hormones took charge and
left him longing to steal a kiss. A long, passionate one.

He was in so much trouble.

He half hoped Jules would already be waiting for him on the sidewalk. They could head back to the villa, and he could lose himself in his work. It’d keep his mind from straying back to Jules’s sultry lips or tempting butterfly. He inwardly groaned.

And no matter what Dante said about his father
wanting to get more involved with the business side of things, Stefano had made a lot of changes since his father had last run DeFiore Winery. Stefano was certain he’d have questions.

When Stefano neared the front of the shop, he peered in the big showroom window. Colorful blooms in various arrangements stared back at him, and he saw no sign of Jules making a hasty exit. Could it be that
this place lived up to her high standards?

He sighed in relief. Once they placed a quick order, they’d be back on the road. Maybe this day wasn’t going to be a complete waste of time after all.

A little bell above the door chimed as he entered the shop. He was surprised to find so many people inside. There were men with bouquets of long-stemmed red roses. Others had arrangements of pink
carnations. And yet another man had a bouquet of lilies, some sort of bright green pom-poms, brilliant pink roses and tiny deep purple flowers. And then there were a cluster of young women pointing at the cooler cases that held a wide array of flowers in black buckets. He couldn’t help but wonder if this place was always this busy. Perhaps he’d gone into the wrong business.

He found Jules
at the back of the shop, studying a cooler case of flowers he didn’t recognize. “Did you find what you need?”

“I think so.”

“Good.” This had gone even easier than he’d imagined. “Ready to go?”

“Go? Are you kidding?” When she looked at him with those big green eyes, he could feel himself melting. “I haven’t even talked with a salesperson yet.”

“You haven’t? What have you been
doing?” It wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that he realized how they sounded.

She frowned. “You might get things done by pushing to the front of the line, but there are those of us who believe in waiting our turn.”

His head lowered. She was right. “I just didn’t realize there’d be such a demand for flowers.” Well, he wasn’t going to do any good just standing there taking
up space. “It looks like it’s going to be a while. I’ve got some things to do. I’ll be back—”

“You’re leaving me?”

The way she said it made him feel as though he was shirking his duties as best man. “I was just trying to make good use of the time. I don’t know a dandelion from a carnation.”

“You can help me pick out some flowers. Lizzie told me the main flower she wants in her bouquet
is a dahlia. If possible it should have a yellow center with deep pink tips. She said they have a sentimental meaning for her and Dante.” Jules shrugged her slender shoulders. “I see that they have some here, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get them to order more. I hope.”

“Great. It sounds like you have the flowers all figured out.” He turned toward the door, feeling extremely
uncomfortable as a grandmotherly woman gave him a smile and a nod as though she thought that Jules and he were...were a couple. “I’ll just wait outside.”

Jules reached out and caught his arm. “Not so fast. I still need some other flowers to complement the bouquet. I thought about baby’s breath, but everyone uses that. Lizzie needs something different. Something that will make the colors in
the bouquet pop. You know this whole thing will be on television. Well, not the whole thing, but highlights of the wedding. And it just has to be perfect.”

Stefano stifled a groan as Jules pulled him around to look at the variety of flowers. Though she mainly wore black and white, she appeared to have a fondness for other colors, too.
Interesting.

“I’m sorry it took me a bit to get to
you two.” The saleswoman was an older lady who spoke perfect English with an Italian accent. “With summer here, romance is in the air.”

“It certainly is.” Jules smiled broadly. “We’re here to order flowers for a wedding.”

Stefano was caught off guard by the ease of her smile and the twinkle in her eyes. Was it possible that Jules was a closet romantic? She certainly seemed to know enough
about this stuff.

The woman’s face lit up. “What do you have in mind?”

Jules turned to him and asked if he’d hold her purse. He quickly scanned the area. Relieved to find no male witnesses, he reached out for the very large black leather purse. He was shocked by its weight. What did she carry in there? Barbells?

He watched as Jules opened her wedding planner and flipped to a page
with colorful pictures, but before he could focus in on the images, she lifted the notebook out of his view. Whether it was intentional or not, he didn’t know and he wasn’t about to ask. He didn’t need her thinking that he was interested in any of it. He was doing his duty as best man. Nothing more.

The saleswoman produced various stems of tiny flowers from white to pink to deep purple. In
the beginning, Jules would turn to consult him. He generally shrugged and said they were nice. After he kept repeating the same response, she gave up asking for his input, which was fine with him.

“Don’t worry, honey.” The woman patted Jules’s arm. “If it were up to most men, they’d pick some wildflowers from the side of the road as a wedding bouquet. That’s why you have me.”

“Thank
you so much. I really appreciate all of your help. And I know it’s short notice, but the wedding is next month. Will we be able to get the flowers in time for the ceremony?”

“Let me check.” The woman pulled out a day planner and Jules read off the date. “
Non c’è problema
. You two are such a cute couple.” The woman beamed at them.

Without warning, Jules leaned over, wrapped her hands
around his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. His body stiffened. What was she doing? He would have asked, but his heart in his throat kept him from breathing, much less speaking.

“You really think so?” Jules lifted her chin and smiled broadly up at him.

“Oh, definitely. Just wait until you have children. They’ll be real darlings.”

“Hmm...I hadn’t thought about it.”

Jules gave him a quick once-over as though inspecting his physical attributes to see if he would make good father material—a father to their children. When her gaze met his, her lips lifted into a smile that lit up her eyes. His jaw tightened. She was having fun at his expense. But what bothered him the most was he could easily envision a little girl with Jules’s big green eyes—his daughter.
He stopped his thoughts from meandering down that dangerous path.

What in the world was going on? He and Jules were barely even friends, much less planning a life together. That was not going to happen.

Jules pulled away. Although he should have felt relieved, he found himself missing her touch. It killed him to admit even to himself, but he’d enjoyed the softness of her hands pressing
against his bare arm. The warmth of her gaze was powerful stuff. A man could get swept away and forget all about logic. He’d have to be careful around this one. He wasn’t going to fall in love again. No way. The price was too high.

The saleswoman continued to beam at them. “Don’t you two worry about flowers for your big day. As soon as I looked at you I knew there was a love connection. You’ll
make a wonderful bride and groom.”

Stefano cleared his throat, at last feeling as though he’d regained his ability to speak—he must clear up this misunderstanding. He couldn’t continue to play along with Jules’s game any longer.

“We aren’t together.” His voice came out gruff.

Both women turned to him with startled looks. It had to be from the tone of his voice because there was
no way that Jules was surprised by his admission. It wasn’t as if she even liked him.

Did she?

“This isn’t for our wedding.” Stefano had to correct the woman since Jules didn’t seem the least bit interested in doing it. He couldn’t let the woman go on about them being such a great couple.

Jules’s perfectly plucked brows drew together into a formidable line and her lush red lips
pressed together as though she were holding back a heated reprimand. Let her fume. He’d merely corrected a glaring error. End of story.

The saleswoman’s puzzled gaze moved from him to Jules. “I don’t understand.” The woman’s face took on a very serious expression. “These flowers you’ve picked out, if they aren’t for you two, who are they for?”

Jules sent him a this-is-your-fault look.
But he didn’t feel the least bit guilty. Why should he?

She shifted her weight in those sky-high black-heeled boots that made her look as if she’d just stepped out of some rock-and-roll video. Not that he’d watched many. But he had seen a few in his time, and, well, she was definitely gorgeous enough to star in them if only she’d lighten up on the makeup so people could really see her. But
right now there was no mistaking that she was upset. Not even that thick makeup could hide her frown lines.

Jules clasped her hands together. “The thing is we’re picking out flowers for another couple.”

“You’re what?” The saleswoman looked taken aback. “Where’s the bride?”

“Working. She had an emergency come up and asked if we’d step in and help with the plans.”

“Will she be
in later to approve the order?”

“I’m afraid not.” Jules clenched her hands together.

“I don’t think we can take your order—”

“But you must.” Jules’s voice cracked with emotion. “We’re running out of options. I promise everything will be to the bride’s liking.”

The saleswoman shook her head. “We can’t do it.”

“What’s the big deal?” Stefano came to Jules’s defense. “They’re
flowers, for goodness’ sake. They all pretty much look the same except for the colors. And Jules showed you the color of the dresses. Now we’d like to buy some flowers.”

“You might want to, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Listen, I just got burned on a really big order where the bride was too busy with her dress or some such thing to come in and approve what her mother picked
out for the wedding. I’m still sorting out that mess.” She shook her head. “I’m not doing that again. Either the bride comes in or you’ll have to go elsewhere to buy your flowers.”

The woman couldn’t be serious. He glanced at Jules, who looked upset. “Listen here, you can’t do that—”

“What he meant to say is we understand. Thank you so much for your time.” She pulled on his arm to leave.

He refused to be turned away. “I want to talk to the owner.”

The saleswoman pressed her hands to her generous hips. “You’re speaking to her. And it’s time you left.”

“Thanks again.” Jules tugged harder and finally he gave in, letting her lead him from the flower shop. He didn’t know why she was retreating. The woman was there to sell flowers and they were there to buy them, not cater
to the woman’s wishes. This was ridiculous.

Once outside and down the sidewalk a ways, Jules spun around and got in his face with her finger pointing at him. Her face was filled with color. Her eyes narrowed on him. This wasn’t going to be pretty. Not at all.

“Do you know what you just did in there?” Her heated tone left no doubt about her agitation.

“Yes, I corrected the woman.
You let her think that we were a couple. I couldn’t let her think that.”

“Why? Is it so awful to think that you and I might be involved?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to avoid the curious looks as people passed by. “Can we talk about this later? People are starting to stare.”

“Let them. You owe me some answers.”

“Fine. I don’t like to lie. And letting that woman believe
we’re something we’re not was a lie.”

Jules’s gaze narrowed even more. “And you are the pillar of honesty?”

He lowered his head as memories of his not so distant past started to pound him. No, he wasn’t the pillar of anything. In fact, he was the exact opposite. If he’d been more of a proponent of the truth while he was married, he might still be married—well, he wouldn’t go that far.
But Gianna would still be alive.

He’d give anything to erase that awful night. Anything at all.

“Lying only leads to regrets.” He looked at Jules. She didn’t seem as hostile now. In fact, the way she was gazing at him it was as if she was trying to read him. “What does any of this matter, anyway? They were just flowers. I’m sure there are lots of other shops that would be more than willing
to take our business.”

“Not if you keep shooting your mouth off like that. These people like to know that they are dealing with the person in charge—”

“And that’s you—”

“Not in this case. This is a wedding. The bride is always in charge. It’s her wedding. Her big day. The whole thing revolves around her. And these people have been down the aisle enough times to know how it works.”

“So if that’s the case, why’s Lizzie dumping it all in your lap instead of delaying the wedding?”

“Because she trusts me. We’re the only family each other has. We know each other better than anyone in the world, and she knows that I will plan the perfect wedding for her.”

“I hope you’re right. About knowing her so well.”

Jules’s lips lifted in a small smile. “You don’t have
to worry.” She lifted her phone and waved it in his face. “I’ve been texting and sending photos on top of talking to her every day. She’s on top of things. I’m just acting as her mouthpiece.”

That bit of news sent a wave of relief through him. But they still had to find flowers, someplace without such a picky saleswoman.

“Well, Ms. Mouthpiece, any ideas where we should go next?”