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He struggled to keep his gaze anywhere but on the delicate tiny blue—or was it purple?—butterfly body art flirting with the beginning of the swell of her breasts...just above the diving neckline of her black top. He found it and her absolutely fascinating. And that was not good.
He swallowed hard and drew his focus back up to her face. His brother and his soon-to-be sister-in-law should have picked up Jules—not him. But family takes care of family.
Jules was undeniably intriguing but not in the usual manner. Her goth style was unique, to say the least. And then there was the purplish lipstick, heavy black eyeliner and the stuff on her eyelashes that set off her look. He was anxious to see the woman beneath it all.
He certainly didn’t know what to make of Julianne—erm—Jules. Lizzie hadn’t given any hints that her sister was so different from her in every way. Lizzie was tall, fair and blonde; Jules was the opposite. She was shorter in stature with dark brown hair in twin ponytails and long sweeping bangs that she brushed off to the side.
Realizing he was staring, he said, “We should get moving. Lizzie should be done with her meeting when we get there.”
“Get where?” Jules eyed him as though she wasn’t planning to budge.
She didn’t trust him. It was a new experience for him. There had been a time in his life when he didn’t have a problem putting the female persuasion at ease. But he wasn’t exactly acting like the old smooth-talking guy he used to be. Things had changed a lot in recent years.
Combine that with his concerns over his younger brother’s sudden wedding announcement and the fact that he’d been elected to play chauffeur today without so much as waiting for him to agree and he was left feeling out of sorts.
Stefano swallowed down his agitation and tried to soften his tone. “I’m dropping you off at Dante’s place, Ristorante Massimo. It’s not that far from here.”
She gave him one last hard look as though making up her mind about him. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get moving.”
He reached for her suitcase but then hesitated, recalling how she’d expressed her desire to remain independent. He returned his hand to his side as she extended the handle on her luggage. He merely shook his head and turned away. His lack of understanding where women were concerned had cost him dearly not so long ago. Since then he’d learned to refrain from flirting with them. Relationships were a thing of the past for him.
So then why did he find Jules so intriguing? He couldn’t help casting her the occasional glance. It had to be her pigtails. Did grown women really wear those? He smiled. They did look cute on her.
But it was the butterfly that kept him distracted. He pictured it in his mind’s eye. He had to admit that he’d never been intrigued by a tattoo before. His late wife had had a fear of needles, so getting any sort of body art wasn’t even a possibility. And they’d lived out in the country where that sort of thing wasn’t popular in the nearby village.
When his shoulder collided with someone, he glanced up. “Scusi.”
He could feel Jules’s gaze on him, but he pretended not to notice. He wasn’t about to let on that her little butterfly had him distracted to the point of not watching where he was walking. After all, he was a DeFiore. DeFiores didn’t allow themselves to be distracted.
Once they were situated in his sleek black luxury sedan, which he only used when escorting around special guests of the DeFiore Vineyard, he turned to Jules. Her body was stiff and her hands were clasped in her lap. He supposed that was to be expected. He hadn’t exactly made her feel welcome. He really needed to try harder. After all, it was important to Dante that this visit go well.
Stefano was about to say something when that darn butterfly once again snagged his attention. It rose and fell with her every breath. He was being ridiculous. It was just an inconsequential tattoo—that teased and taunted him.
He turned and stared blindly out the windshield. “Is this your first trip to Rome?”
“Yes, it is.” Jules turned to him, but he kept his gaze directly ahead. “What happened? I mean, Lizzie was supposed to pick me up.”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“No. My phone battery died, so I haven’t been able to talk to her.”
This was his chance to see what Jules thought of the impending nuptials. He was curious to see if she thought they were a bit rushed. “When Dante called, he said that the announcement of their engagement made a big splash with the paparazzi, and the studio heads wanted to figure out how to work the wedding into an upcoming show.”
“What does their wedding have to do with a cooking show?”
“My thoughts exactly. Maybe it’ll delay the wedding.”
“Why would you say that?” Suspicion laced every syllable.
This is where he had to move carefully. He sensed Jules’s defenses kicking into gear, and he didn’t blame her. He’d react the same way if he thought someone was about to jeopardize his brother’s happiness.
Again Jules’s taunting butterfly came to mind as well as her different taste in clothes. Something told him that she wasn’t a traditionalist like his family was. Maybe she was one of those live-on-a-whim types? Even if it meant letting people set themselves up to get hurt?
Like he’d done to himself.
Like he’d done to his late wife.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_8fd78ab0-4540-5230-bf46-4bf7ec55b3ad)
THE SILENCE STRETCHED OUT.
The longer it took Stefano to answer her, the more concerned Jules became. With her sister’s happiness at stake, Jules couldn’t let the subject drop. Not without some answers.
She turned in her seat in order to gauge Stefano’s expression. “Why do you want them to delay the wedding?”
He sighed. “I just think they are rushing into this without thinking it through.”
“It sounds to me like you’re opposed to the wedding.” Jules sank back against the leather seat. Surely she had to be jet-lagged and reading too much into his reserved demeanor and hesitant words. Perhaps she needed to be more direct. “Will you try and stop the wedding?”
Jules studied his handsome face with its aristocratic features for some indication of his thoughts. Because there was no way she’d let anyone come between Lizzie and her happiness. Over the years, when they’d fantasized about the future, Lizzie had always dreamed of meeting Mr. Right. But neither of them had ever invested much hope in those dreams. Until now. This was Lizzie’s chance to live out her dream.
Though that meant breaking up their small family and the thought saddened Jules, she refused to dwell on it. Lizzie’s happiness had to be the priority. And on a positive note, this meant Jules would at last gain her freedom to make all her own choices. They’d been making decisions together since they were kids, but now it was time they each stood on their own. And for Jules that meant making her own career choice—one Lizzie wouldn’t approve of.
And if Jules was ready to see her foster sister—her only family—move an ocean away so that she would be happy, what possible reason could Stefano find to object to the wedding? Or was she reading him wrong? It was so hard to tell—his tanned face wasn’t giving her any clues about his thoughts.
“I’m waiting for an explanation.” She crossed her arms. No way was she going to drop the subject until they sorted it out.
“Fine. I’ll admit it. I’m not a fan of marriage.”
“This particular marriage? Or just marriage in general?” She could have sworn that Lizzie had mentioned he was married. Maybe that was it. Maybe he and his wife had hit a rough patch. “Aren’t you married?”
“I was.” His knuckles on the steering wheel gleamed white. “She died.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Great job, Jules. Talk about opening your mouth and inserting your size-six boot.
“And for the record, it’s not my place to say whether the wedding should go on or not. My brother has a mind of his own.”
“Good.” She settled back against the smoky-gray leather seat. “I don’t want anything ruining this wedding for them.” She gave him a pointed look, but Stefano didn’t give her the satisfaction of looking her way. “We have a lot to plan between now and next spring or summer. Have they mentioned to you if they’ve picked a date?”
“No. But it sounded to me like it is going to be sooner than next year.”
“They can’t move up the wedding. That would be a nightmare. There’s just too much to arrange. Besides, if they were doing something like that, they’d have told us. After all, you’re the best man.”
Stefano sighed. “I suppose I am. But that just means they’ll tell me when and where to show up.”
“You really think you’ll get off that easily?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Men don’t care about all of that stuff. Weddings are for women.”
“We’ll see about that.” Did he really believe that? Was he that jaded? Or was it grief over losing his wife?
“I guess we will.”
She pressed her lips firmly together. She’d been in Rome less than an hour. It wouldn’t do to wage war with Lizzie’s future brother-in-law.
Jules inhaled a deep, calming breath and noticed the very fine automobile had a wonderful new car scent. Her gaze strayed to the dash, where Stefano’s long, lean fingers were adjusting the controls on a large touch screen. Soon the velvet sounds of an Italian baritone replaced the oppressive silence.
She leaned her head back and turned to the window. She took in the golden glow of the sun over the city. People were out and about—neighbors filling each other in on the events of the day. Children were running around laughing and playing. Jules smiled, liking what she’d seen so far.
She couldn’t believe that she was truly in Italy. Her friends back at the New York City coffee shop where she worked were never going to believe this. She’d definitely have to get lots of photos before catching her flight in a week.
When the car pulled to a stop, Stefano turned to her. “We’re here.”
So this was Ristorante Massimo.
Jules stared out the window at the line of patio tables with red umbrellas. And the double red doors with large brass handles that led to the dining area. This was where her sister had lost her heart—this was where Lizzie intended to spend the rest of her life.
The breath caught in Jules’s throat. She might at last be gaining her freedom, but at what cost? She blinked repeatedly. She’d told herself the whole flight here that she wouldn’t melt into a sobbing mess.
A hand pressed against her shoulder. “Julianne...um, Jules, are you okay?”
She nodded and blinked, tucking her emotions into that trusty box she’d been using since the days of being shuttled in and out of foster homes. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, hoping that when she spoke her voice wouldn’t waver. “I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you go inside? I’m sure Lizzie is anxious to see you. I’ll grab your luggage and meet you in there.”
She agreed and made her way inside. The restaurant was quite large, and a wall of photos was the first thing to grab her attention. There were framed photos of various sizes and all manner of frames starting at the ceiling and trailing down to the floor. As she passed by, she noticed some famous faces. Wow! This place must be really upscale.
“Jules, is that you?” Lizzie came rushing toward her.
In no time, they were wrapped in each other’s arms. It felt so good to be with her sister again. They both started to talk at once. It wasn’t until they glanced around and saw Dante and Stefano observing them with amusement dancing in their eyes that both women realized their lack of manners.
Lizzie stepped in the middle of everyone. “Jules, I’d like you to meet Dante, my future husband. Dante, this is my sister, Julianne, but everyone calls her Jules.”
“Hello, Jules.”
“Hi.” When she went to hold her hand out to him to shake, he pulled her forward and gave her a big hug.
She hesitated at first. This wasn’t the sort of greeting she was accustomed to. It certainly wasn’t the sort of greeting she’d received from Stefano. When Dante let her go, she gazed up at him. He was almost as tall as Stefano. But he wasn’t nearly as disarmingly handsome as his older brother.
“Don’t frown at me,” Dante said lightly. “We’re family and you’ll soon find that the DeFiores are huggers.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
From what Lizzie had told her most of the family lived outside the city on a vineyard. Too bad there wouldn’t be time to visit, but Jules didn’t want to overstay her welcome or crowd the lovebirds. Her mission was to check out the groom, catch up with Lizzie and get wedding details—lots of details. It was never too soon to plan the perfect wedding, and Lizzie deserved no less.
“Let’s go upstairs and get you settled.” Lizzie started for the front door of the restaurant.
“Where exactly are we going?” Jules asked, looking around and trying to get her bearings.
Dante spoke up. “There are apartments above the restaurant. And the entrance is outside.”
“Sounds good. We can get started right away on the wedding plans. We don’t have time to waste.” Jules grabbed for her purse. Before she could reach for her carry-on, Stefano had it in hand. She turned back and followed Lizzie out the door. “Do you have a date picked out? Say, next spring? Or summer?”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” There was hesitation in Lizzie’s voice.
Jules’s hand gripped the strap of her purse tighter. She sensed trouble. Were they calling the wedding off? They didn’t seem to be fighting or anything. So what was the matter?
“Lizzie, at least let your sister get settled in before you get into it.” Dante maneuvered her suitcase in through a side door and over to a waiting elevator.
“You’re right. My head is just spinning at the moment.” Lizzie turned to Jules. “Wait until you see the penthouse. It’s amazing. I think our entire apartment would fit in the guest room alone.”
Jules watched as Lizzie leaned over and placed a kiss on Dante’s lips. A look came over her sister’s face—a look of utter happiness and love. Suddenly the impact of what was about to happen struck Jules. The thought made her stomach plummet. How had she missed this before?
First, there’d been the eviction notice. Their New York apartment building was converting to expensive condos. That shock had been closely followed by the panicked search for affordable housing combined with trying to find a way to tell Lizzie that she’d had a change of heart about her future. All in all, she’d been pretty caught up in the drama that was her life.
But even with all of that, she couldn’t hide from this piece of reality forever. The backs of her eyes stung, and she blinked repeatedly. The life she’d always known—Lizzie and Jules joined at the hip—was over.
She was now alone in this great big world.
* * *
The smiles.
The I-love-you looks.
The kisses.
Stefano couldn’t wait to bolt for the door. His younger brother certainly had it bad for Lizzie. Whatever was going on with the wedding, they certainly weren’t about to call it off. Maybe they’d already eloped. Stefano ground his teeth together. The thought of his brother doing something so impulsive—so reckless—had Stefano’s whole body tensing up.
He knew what it was to love and lose. He knew the pain...and the guilt that ate at him. He didn’t want Dante to end up like him or their widowed father. DeFiore men inevitably ended up alone—one way or the other. Dante knew all of this; he just chose to ignore it. Avoidance, it was a DeFiore trait. So was stubbornness. And he couldn’t forget to toss in a driving need for independence.
“What has you so quiet this evening, big brother?” Dante clapped him on the back.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Really? Do tell?” Dante moved through the open floor plan from the ultramodern black-and-white living room to the stainless steel galley kitchen.
“Nothing you’d be interested in hearing.”
“Aka it’s vineyard business.” Dante pulled open the fridge and perused the contents. “Want something to drink? Looks like Lizzie stocked up on everything for her sister’s arrival.”
“I’m good.”
Dante withdrew a bottle of water and unscrewed the top. “Okay, what’s eating you?”
Before Stefano could think up something to tell his brother besides the truth, the women returned. Thank goodness. He could now escape before the lovey-dovey stuff started again.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Lizzie smiled. When her eyes landed on Dante, she glowed with happiness.
