When Dante heard about this he’d be lucky if he didn’t drive to the vineyard and kick him around the villa. And, frankly, he couldn’t blame his brother. He’d utterly screwed up everything.
* * *
Late the following morning, Jules strolled to the living room of Dante and Lizzie’s very spacious apartment. She hoped that she’d slept late enough that her sister would be downstairs at Ristorante Massimo.
“About time you woke up.” Lizzie’s voice echoed across the room. “I was starting to get worried about you.” She held up a mug. “Would you like some caffeine?”
Jules yawned as she nodded her head. She’d been up most of the night thinking about Stefano and wondering what his outburst at the bridal boutique had been about. What in the world had gotten into him to say those things?
And what was Lizzie thinking? Yesterday her sister had been unusually quiet and hadn’t brought up Stefano at all. Of course, some of that might have had to do with Jules fighting back tears. Maybe she didn’t want to make matters worse.
But today was a new day, and Jules could feel her sister’s inquisitive gaze on her. Jules wished she’d just speak up and get it over with. She wasn’t good with hedging around subjects. It just ended up unnerving her more.
“Say it.” Jules plunked down on the couch.
“Say what?” Lizzie said innocently as she approached her with a steaming mug of coffee.
“Don’t go acting like nothing happened. You want to know what was up with Stefano and me yesterday, don’t you?”
“Since you brought it up, yes. I’d like to know how far this thing between you two has gone. Are you in love with him?”
Wow! Way to go straight to the heart of the matter. Pride refused to let Jules admit that she was in love with a man who didn’t love her back. She’d already made a fool of herself in front of him; she couldn’t do the same with her sister.
“No. I’m not.” Guilt rained down on her.
Lizzie stared at her as though trying to make up her mind. “And you still plan to attend grad school, right?”
What else did she have waiting for her back in New York? She might as well stick to her original plan. “Of course.”
“Good. Because I just sent in the tuition payment.”
Jules had totally forgotten about that. Well, it appeared that everyone was getting what they wanted. She would soon be out of Stefano’s life, and she’d be going back to school just like her sister wanted. She should be happy that she was being offered such an amazing opportunity. Not everyone was so blessed. But somehow she just couldn’t work up the excitement.
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on things, not with the wedding in a matter of days. “Now that we have that settled—”
The phone rang, and Lizzie held up a finger, stopping Jules in midsentence. Jules was glad to have a small reprieve. She could use a healthy dose of caffeine before she dealt any more with her sister.
Jules swallowed another mouthful of the fragrant brew with a touch of cream and sweetener. She did have to admit that Italian coffee was quite good. In fact, she could easily get used to drinking it.
Over the rim of her cup, she noticed Lizzie had moved to the galley kitchen. Her back was to her, and Jules could only make out a word here and there—not that she was trying to eavesdrop. She had enough of her own problems without dabbling into someone else’s. As it was, she was quite certain that the Stefano issue hadn’t been laid to rest that easily. Lizzie was never satisfied that quickly when she was concerned about something.
A few minutes later, Jules set her empty mug on the glass coffee table. Lizzie returned, taking a seat on the couch opposite hers. “That was Stefano on the phone.”
Jules was tempted to ask what he wanted, but she resisted the urge. Her sister’s inquisitive stare bore into her. She had no doubt that Lizzie knew how much it was killing her not to ask about him, but she had to play this right or Lizzie would turn into a protective mother bear. She’d make matters worse for everyone. And with the wedding just around the corner, drama was the last thing any of them needed.
Lizzie curled her feet up on the black leather couch and sipped her coffee. Waiting for her sister to speak was pure torture. At her breaking point, Jules asked, “What did he want?”
“He called to apologize.”
“That’s good. He should. He knows nothing about you and me.”
Lizzie’s lips pressed together in a firm line and her brows gathered. “He wanted to talk to you, but I told him that you didn’t want to talk to him yet. That is right, isn’t it?”
He wanted to talk to her? She wondered what he wanted to say. Then she realized with the pending wedding that he probably just wanted to apologize and smooth things over before the big day. The thought dashed her hopes that he might have miraculously come to his senses.