Best Man for the Bridesmaid

“But I don’t understand. Isn’t that what we went to the florist for?” He’d never figure out women, no matter how long he lived.

“This is different. These are for decorations.”

“If we need to buy more flowers, just say so.” By the looks of this room, she’d been here forever making flowers.

“Thanks. But it’s not necessary. I want both types of flowers.”

This wedding business was way more involved than he’d imagined. Jules was going to wear herself to a frazzle. There had to be a better way to go about it. And that’s where he could help her out.

“You can’t do everything yourself.”

With a paper punch in one hand and tissue paper in the other, she paused and glanced up at him. “Why, Stefano, is that your way of offering to make flowers with me?”

“Definitely not.” When her smile dimmed, he hurried to correct himself. “I mean, I can hire someone to do this stuff. I can hire as many people as it takes. Just tell me what you need.”

Jules unfolded her legs and stood. “I don’t want strangers doing Lizzie’s wedding.”

He was obviously missing something, but he had no clue what it might be. Back when he was married to Gianna when he didn’t understand her logic, he’d just shrug and walk away. Maybe if he’d asked more questions and tried to understand her better, their life wouldn’t have careened out of control.

“Why in the world not?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Okay, he probably could have worded that better. He cleared his throat to try again. “Talk to me. Obviously there’s something I’m missing and I’d like to understand.”

Surprise reflected in her green gaze. “I...I don’t have money to buy them a proper wedding gift. I know it’s silly, but I want to create a cozy wedding with a personal touch. Lizzie doesn’t know I’m doing all of this. And don’t you tell her.”

He felt like such an unfeeling lowlife now. The money aspect had never even crossed his mind. And he had to admit Jules’s gift would surpass even the most expensive offering because it came from the heart.

“Your gift will be their favorite.” And he meant it. “What can I do to help, aside from making flowers? I don’t think mine would be suitable for anything but the garbage.”

Jules’s stance eased, and she asked if she could use his computer to order some favors. She listed off things he never would have thought of, including wedding bubbles and sparklers. It would definitely be a wedding to remember.

“You’re welcome to use my computer anytime. Now, how about taking a break to eat?”

She settled back on the floor, right in the middle of the mess. “I’ll get to it later. I’m excited to see how many of these I can get done today. And Apricot is being a big help.”

Stefano looked dubiously at the kitten running around and batting at the scraps of colorful tissue paper. Well, as long as Jules was happy, he was fine with it.

“I’ve got some work at the barn that I need to do. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

She gathered a stack of tissue paper and pushed a round punch through the sheets. “We’re good. Huh, Apricot?”

The kitten gave her a quick glance and then returned to playing.

Stefano felt guilty as he walked away. But seriously, having him make tissue-paper flowers would have been an utter disaster. Maybe he could help with her internet shopping. That was something he could do.

With a plan in mind, his steps toward the barn grew quicker. She didn’t want help from strangers, but that didn’t include him. They’d moved past being strangers a while back. Where they were headed he wasn’t quite sure.

He walked into the office just in time to find his father shutting down the computer. “Calling it a day already?”

Papa jerked his salt-and-pepper head up. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in. Umm...yes. I thought I’d take a break.”

“You feeling all right?”

“Of course.” Frown lines creased Papa’s tanned face. “Am I that much of a workaholic that you think because I am out of the office something must be wrong?”

Since when did his father become so defensive?

Stefano shrugged, trying to take a neutral stance. “Is there anything around here that needs my immediate attention?”

His father rubbed his jaw. Instead of the gray stubble that normally dotted it, it was clean shaven. “Not that I can think of. I’ve calculated the number of new barrels we’ll need for the fall harvest, and I’ve ordered the supplies. They should be here in a few weeks.”

“What about the email? Is it backed up? It always seems they come in faster than I can respond to them.”