“That’s fine. I can talk to him when I get back to the vineyard, anyway. I have a lot to do when I get there. The temporary flooring and tent will be arriving tomorrow, and I have to figure out the most level spot to set everything up. I should grab my planner and we can go over the final details.”
She went to stand when Lizzie said, “Wait. We aren’t done talking.”
Jules sighed as she settled back on the couch.
“What did Stefano mean by I don’t listen to you?”
No way was she getting into all of this with Lizzie on the week of her wedding. This was Lizzie’s moment to shine. There would be a better time and place for this talk.
Jules shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he was just frustrated. This running around for the wedding while trying to keep his business going has been a lot for him. I think he just needed to blow off some steam.”
“That’s interesting because he said almost the same thing on the phone.”
“He did? I mean—see? I was right. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. All you have to do is show up for the big day.” She forced a smile.
“You better not be falling for him.” Lizzie gave her an I-mean-business look. “You can’t mess up grad school. You worked too hard for it.”
And you already paid the tuition.
Jules stifled a frustrated sigh. Time to change the subject.
“By the way, where’s Dante?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“ARE YOU TRYING to ruin everything?”
Stefano’s body tensed at the sound of Dante’s voice. His brother was the last person he wanted to deal with right now. He glanced up as Dante crossed the patio in his direction. Stefano turned away and stared blindly out over the sun-drenched rows of grapevines. The only vision in his mind was Jules’s beautiful face.
“I’m not up for it today, Dante,” Stefano warned.
“Too bad.” The footsteps behind him stopped. “You have some explaining to do, big brother.”
So he’d heard about the incident yesterday at the bridal boutique. He wasn’t surprised, but the fact Dante had driven to the vineyard while the ristorante was open for business was a worrisome development.
Stefano sighed and turned to face his brother. “Shouldn’t you be in Rome working?”
“I would be if my brother wasn’t trying to wreck my wedding.”
“What? I’m not doing any such thing.”
“That’s not what I hear.” Dante’s hands rested on his waist, pushing his suit jacket back. “I know that you’re not a fan of weddings after what happened to you and Papa, but I thought you were man enough to step aside and let me make my own choices.”
“I am. I did.” How did he explain away yesterday? Jules wasn’t even speaking to him. “How’s Jules?”
“First, I think you owe me an explanation before I withdraw my request for you to be my best man.”
The serious glint in Dante’s eyes left Stefano no doubt about his sincerity. But he needed to know Jules was okay after the way she’d disappeared. “This is important. How’s Jules? Did she say anything to you?”
Dante’s brows arched. “You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t. We’re...we’re friends. That’s all.”
“You have it real bad for her, and you’re fighting it. That’s what yesterday was about. And judging by Jules’s tears, she has it bad for you, too.”
“She was crying?”
His brother nodded.
Stefano ran a hand over his stubbled jaw. He hadn’t bothered to shave. This was worse than he’d been imagining. He wanted to go to her and take her in his arms. But he couldn’t do that. It’d only succeed in making things worse. She’d get over him. She surely didn’t love him, did she? It was a crush. Nothing more.
“You need to make this right.” Dante’s tone left no doubt about his sincerity. “And I don’t mean by playing the part of Romeo. That’s already gotten us in enough trouble.”
He waved away his brother’s unwanted advice. “I know. I know. You don’t have to lecture me, little brother.”
“Really? Because from where I’m standing you’ve made a mess of things. And this is my wedding week. My bride is not happy, and this should be the best time of her life.”
“Okay. I hear you. I’ll fix this.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” The stress lines on his brother’s face eased. “Then quit messing around with my soon-to-be sister-in-law. You know she’s supposed to go off to some grad school, don’t you?”