Best Man for the Bridesmaid

* * *

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 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.”