Best Man for the Bridesmaid

“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

WHAT 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.”