Best Man for the Bridesmaid

She needed to focus on the wedding, not pleasing Stefano. With that thought, she realized it might be best to tell him exactly what she had in mind as they visited this florist.

She leaned over and said, “Just follow my lead. Can you do that?”

He maneuvered the car into a parking spot. “Depends. Are you going to lie?”

“Stefano, do you want this wedding to be nice for your brother?”

“Yes, but he isn’t going to care about flowers.”

“He might not, but his bride will. If she’s not happy, do you really think that he’ll be happy?”

There was a strained pause. “I suppose not.”

She didn’t say a word as he alighted from the car. While she gathered her purse and wedding planner, Stefano rounded the front of the car. She reached for the door handle, but Stefano beat her to it and swung it open. He was a gentleman, something she wasn’t accustomed to. But she could get used to this. After all, if they were about to create a little bit of make-believe, she might as well enjoy some of the benefits.

Inside there was one man working the shop, and he was already busy with someone at the register placing an order. That would give her time to scope out his supply and find out if he was a viable candidate.

“Oh, look—they have dahlias.” She rushed over to take a closer look. “And there are some in the right color.” She couldn’t resist smiling and gently clapped her hands. “So far, so good.”

Stefano pretended to be interested, but she could tell by his reserved reaction that he was less than impressed. She wasn’t going to let his mood ruin this for her. She intended to enjoy this wedding as much as possible. It was quite possibly the last thing that Lizzie would ever ask her to do...especially after Lizzie learned that she wasn’t going to grad school.

“Are you finding what you’re looking for?” The salesman approached them.

This was where she had to play her cards just right. There was no way she was going through all the pain and effort to select the flowers only to have the man turn them away. They didn’t have the time to waste.

She slipped her hand in Stefano’s. When he tried to pull away, she tightened her grip. Silently she willed him to play along with her. She would do her best not to outright lie. The impression the salesman made would be his own responsibility.

After all, she certainly wasn’t expecting anything to come of this. Sure, she’d dated in the past, but she’d always insisted on keeping things casual—except one time. It had been a blind date set up by her lab partner. His name was J.T. It had been a case of infatuation from the get-go. As they’d started to see each other on a regular basis, she’d thought they were building the solid foundation for a committed relationship. She had been certain of it.

With J.T’s graduation just weeks away, he’d asked her to dinner. He’d said that he had something he wanted to say to her. She recalled how excited she’d been. While Lizzie had done her utmost to talk sense into her, all Jules could think about was a diamond ring. At last, someone in her life who would love her and never leave.

In the end, the dinner had been a thank-you for tutoring him in a philosophy class. He had told her that he couldn’t have passed the course without her help. And, as she’d tried her best to suck up her disappointment, he’d capped off the evening with an announcement that he was moving across the country to California. He was leaving, and she wasn’t invited to go with him.

It wasn’t until after a couple of tissue boxes—the jumbo size—that she had realized it had worked out for the best. It reaffirmed her belief that love didn’t exist. It was a fleeting notion. Something that she never planned to explore ever again. But now, after witnessing Lizzie and Dante’s relationship, she thought maybe her assessment hadn’t been quite so accurate.

Jules presented her best smile to the salesman. “We’d like to order some flowers for a wedding.”

“Excellent.” The man glanced around as though searching for something. “Let me just grab something to write on.” He rushed back to the counter and returned with a clipboard and a pen. “When is the wedding?”

“The middle of next month.”

The smile faded from the man’s face. “Oh, that soon.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you have in mind, and we’ll go from there.”

Not wanting to press her luck, she released Stefano’s hand. She chanced a quick glance at him to find a frown pulling at his lips. Disappointment wiped away her own smile. Not exactly the look a bride would want from her intended bridegroom, but it wasn’t as if they were even involved. So then why did his scowl dig at her?