Best Man for the Bridesmaid

“Most definitely.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m not about to let this place slip through our fingers. So to speak.”

“Shouldn’t you call Lizzie and let her know what you have in mind?”

“I will.”

“When?”

“When I know that this place can fit the wedding on their calendar. Otherwise there’s no point in consulting Lizzie. She may not be here, but she’s still the bride and brides do get nervous. If she knew how many bakeries had turned us away, she’d start to panic. Is that what you want?”

“No, but—”

“That’s what I thought. Now let’s get moving. The only way to find out anything is to ask.”

They walked up to the bakery hand in hand. Jules hoped that she looked more confident than she felt. It bothered her that the only way he’d hold her hand was by way of a threat. He probably would rather do a hundred other less desirable things than act as if they were a happy couple. But he was doing his best to be a good brother and keep his word to Dante—not many people would go to this length.

Like the gentleman she knew him to be, Stefano opened the glass door for her. When she passed by him, she caught a hint of his spicy cologne. She’d never been one to pay much attention to those sorts of things, but in Stefano’s case, she found the inviting scent quite appealing. In fact, she was quite tempted to pause and get a much better whiff.

The chime above the door startled her from her daydream. What was she thinking? She wasn’t in Italy to get involved with a man, casually or otherwise. Her lips pressed firmly together as she held back a frustrated sigh. When the store clerk spotted them, it was with great effort that Jules forced her mouth into a smile.

“Showtime,” she whispered to Stefano. “Remember this is for your brother and my sister.” She didn’t know if the warning was more for him or her.

“Hi,” the saleswoman with a pink-and-brown-striped apron said from behind the counter. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know.”

“Actually, there is something.” Jules led the way to the counter. “We want to know if you have an opening for a July wedding.”

“Let me just pull up my calendar.” The woman had a friendly smile and a bouncy ponytail. She typed in the information. “Any particular date?”

Jules read off the date as the woman’s fingers clicked over the keyboard. Then an ominous silence came over the showroom. Jules’s chest tightened as she waited for the verdict. The woman said nothing, and then she typed a little more. Behind her dark-rimmed glasses, her eyes narrowed and her forehead creased.

“This summer is so busy. It seems like everyone is getting married.”

Jules wanted to press her for an answer, but she used every bit of willpower not to sound overbearing and pushy. “Yes, it’s a great summer for a wedding.”

Was that a sigh she heard from Stefano? She glanced his way, but he was still wearing that stoic expression as he pretended to be totally absorbed in the array of cupcakes in the display case.

The silence was unnerving. If this place couldn’t help them, she didn’t know what they were going to do. Chances were really good that at this late date every bakery was booked. Lizzie would be crushed. After waiting all this time to find her soul mate, this wedding had to go on without a hitch—or at least go on.

“We’ll take anything you can do.” Jules didn’t care at this point if she sounded desperate. She was desperate.

When Stefano flexed his fingers, she realized that she had a death grip on him. She loosened her hold and lifted onto her tiptoes to peer over the counter, but she was at the wrong angle to read the computer monitor.

The woman glanced over at her. “I know you’re anxious for an answer, but I have a bit of a conflict. I’m checking to see if there is a way around it. If you just give me one more minute.”

“Sure. Whatever it takes. I know this is short notice, but it’s so important.”

The saleswoman smiled. “I understand. You two are a cute couple.”

Jules felt Stefano’s gaze on her. He wanted her to correct the woman, and she would, just not yet. They needed a spot on the calendar before Jules would risk rocking the boat.

“Okay, I can make this work. It just took a bit of juggling.”

Jules released Stefano’s hand and clapped her hands together. She was more wound up about this than she’d realized.

“If you could just give me your name, I’ll add you to the calendar.”

Jules supplied the necessary information. The last part that might mess up this arrangement was the location of the wedding. She hesitantly informed her that the wedding and reception would be outside the city at the vineyard, but the woman barely batted an eye except to tell her that there’d be an additional delivery fee. Jules told her that would be perfectly fine.