She sighed, knowing she needed to rein them in. A bell kept pinging in her brain, warning her to stop the foolishness, reminding her of the danger of surrendering to his charm. Hadn’t she already rehashed all this with herself at the fitting?
Yes, and she knew what she risked if she continued to let her emotions rule her actions.
Yet she still reached up and tangled her fingers with his at her shoulder.
“It’ll be rushed, but it sounds like fun.”
“Okay, let’s go.” He stepped to the curb and waved down a taxi. “At least we’ll get to see it. And if we really want to see more, we can plan a day when we can come back and do a full tour.”
Her heart soared at the way he linked them into the future.
She deserved this time. Work always came first and because the nature of it was so party central she experienced a faux sense of having an active social life. For too long she’d suppressed her loneliness. Just this once she’d let loose and enjoy the history and charm of an ancient city in the company of a gorgeous man totally focused on her.
Sliding into the back of the cab, she smiled when Zach linked their hands. And sighed when he leaned in for a kiss.
Tomorrow could take care of itself.
* * *
Zach in a Speedo was a piece of art.
He swam once or twice a day. She remembered from her research that he’d met Antonio on the Harvard swim team. Obviously he still enjoyed the water. And she enjoyed him.
Funny how his swims always seemed to coincide with her need for a break. Uh-huh, a girl was allowed her illusions.
And she could look as long as she didn’t touch.
The man was grace in motion. Watching that long, tanned, toned body move through the water gave her a jolt that rivaled caffeine. It was one fine view in a villa full of spectacular views and it made Lindsay’s mouth water with want.
Now that she knew how it felt to brush up against that fine body, she longed for more. But she was back in the real world so she turned away from the sight of Zach striding confident and wet from the pool.
She took a sip from her soda, needing the wet and the cool. And drained it before she was through. Leaving the empty can on the bar she joined her assistant at the lovely oak table Zach had purchased for her use.
She pulled up her email and sent Christina a message to let her know they were still on the hunt for the brooch. As Christina had warned her Aunt Pia had been leery about talking to them, but with Christina’s note she’d finally softened. She’d given the brooch to her daughter, but the younger woman hadn’t worn it for her wedding, either. Pia had called her daughter while they were there and she couldn’t recall what had happened to the brooch. Pia suggested Sophia might know.
Lindsay would be meeting with Sophia tomorrow, two weeks from the wedding.
“Serena, can you call and remind Louisa that Zach and I will be meeting the landscapers at the palazzo this morning.”
The two of them were set to leave in a few minutes and she needed work to help her get the visual of his nearly nude body out of her head.
“Already done. And I sent the information to the glassblower as you requested. He already confirmed delivery for a week before the wedding.”
“Excellent.”
Serena turned out to be a godsend. She looked cool and competent in blue jeans and a crisp white tee, her long black hair slicked back in a ponytail that nearly reached her waist. And she was every bit as efficient as she appeared.
“Let’s put it on the calendar to check with him in a few days to be sure he’s on schedule. If I have to find another gift, I’d rather know sooner than later.”
“Si, I put a note on your calendar.”
“Perfect.”
They went over a few other items, scratching off two on the to-do list and adding three. “The palace rep is supposed to take care of ordering the table and chairs, but can you call to make sure they have and confirm what they’ve ordered.”
Her brown eyes rounded. “You want me to check the palace’s work?”
“Yes. There’s no room for misunderstandings. I need to know every detail is covered.”
The girl nodded. “Si, I will call them.”
“Good. I know this may be a hard concept for you, Serena, but until this wedding is over, your first loyalty is to me. It’s my job to give the prince and Christina a beautiful wedding that will represent the house of L’Accardi well. You have no idea how many errors I’ve found by following up on details handled by other people. Some have been innocent mistakes, but others were outright sabotage.”
“That’s terrible!”
Lindsay nodded. “If I hadn’t caught the mistakes, intentional or otherwise, not only would the bride and groom have been disappointed and possibly embarrassed, but my reputation would have suffered badly.”
“Si. I will check every detail.”
“Grazie. And don’t forget to find a nice, understated dress for the occasion. Something in light blue.”
Serena’s brown eyes rounded even bigger than before. “I am to attend the royal wedding?” It was a near squeak.
“You’ll be working it with me, yes.”
“Oh, my goodness! I have to shop!”
Lindsay smiled. “After you check on the table and chairs.”
“Si.” Serena nodded, her eagerness offset by a desperate look in her eyes.
“And bring me the receipt. It’s a work expense.”
Relief flooded the girl’s features. “Grazie.”
“Are you ready to go?” A deep male voice filled the room.
Zach stood in the doorway to the house, thankfully fully dressed in jeans and a brown T-shirt that matched his eyes.
“Ready.” Lindsay grabbed her purse and dropped her tablet inside. “Let’s go.”
The wind whipped through her hair as Zach drove them across town in the golf cart. He pulled straight into the drive.
Two things struck her right away. Louisa was in the middle of a heated discussion on her doorstep. Her opponent towered over her smaller frame. He had dark hair, broad shoulders and a wicked-fine profile.
And second, construction paraphernalia had been cleared away but the grounds were only a quarter cleared.
“What the heck, Zach?” Lindsay demanded as she climbed out of the golf cart. “I thought you hired someone to clean this all out.”
“I did and I take full responsibility for the mess-up. I hired the crew the mayor recommended and I told them to clear out all the weeds but to save the original plants.”
“No, no, no. Everything was supposed to be cleared out.”
He grimaced. “I’m hearing that now, at the time I was answering a text from my office. I got it wrong. I’m sorry.”
“They didn’t even do what you asked.” She stomped forward, scanning the dry brush and overgrown ground cover. “The landscaping team is going to be here any minute. The construction team is scheduled to start the day after they’re done. This needed to be done already.”
This couldn’t be happening. She’d had everything planned down to the last minute. There were acres to clear. The whole property needed to be in shape, not just the area around the chapel and palazzo.
“Lindsay, I’m sorry.”
Lindsay swung around to Louisa. The other woman stood huddled into herself, the tall man she’d been arguing with at her side.
“This is my fault,” Louisa said. “I’ve been distracted the past few days. I should have noticed the grounds weren’t being cleared out like they should be.”
“No. It’s mine. I should have been checking on the progress.” Follow up on every detail. Hadn’t she just pressed that fact home with Serena? She’d been the one to drop the ball.
“Placing blame does no good.” Z
ach refused to play the role of dunce. He’d made this mess. It was up to him to clean it up. “We need to focus on a solution.”
“He’s right.” Hands on his hips, the tall man Louisa had been arguing with surveyed the grounds. “You must be Lindsay Reeves, the wedding planner. Nico Amatucci.” He held out his hand as he introduced himself. “I own the vineyard next door.”
“Right.” She shook his hand, appreciated the firm grip. “We’re serving your wine at the reception. I’ve sampled some. It’s very good.”
“Zach Sullivan, best man.” Zach inserted his hand between the two of them, not caring for the admiration in Amatucci’s gaze as it ran over Lindsay. Some distance between the two suited Zach fine.
No way was Zach letting the other man play hero while he chafed under the restraint of his plan. It didn’t help that his gut roiled with guilt at seeing Lindsay so upset.
He was making her work harder than she needed to on the most important event of her career. Watching her blame herself for something he’d done didn’t sit well, no matter how well-intentioned his plan had been.
Especially when he had nothing to show for it.
Neither Tony nor Christina showed any signs of backing out of the wedding. The two of them had managed to distance themselves from what went on in Monte Calanetti so any delays Lindsay suffered were mere blips on their radars.
Zach had only managed one meeting with Tony, but whenever he broached the topic on their hurried calls, Tony shut him down. Christina did the same when Zach got a few minutes alone with her at the fitting, though he had to give her points for being much more polite about it.
“I’m not sure how this happened.” Zach gritted his teeth as he played his part for his audience of three. “I was telling Lindsay I hired the crew Mayor Alonso recommended. He mentioned the owner had just broken up with his girl, but I didn’t figure that signified.”
“Are you talking about Fabio?” Nico ran his hand through his dark hair. “He gets molto messed up when he and Terre are fighting, and he is no good for anything.”
“I need to call him, get him out here.” Lindsay took out her tablet. “This needs to be finished today. If he can’t get it done, I need to get someone who can.”
“Let me talk to him, signorina,” Nico offered, his tone grim. “His girl is incinta. Fabio needs the work. I will make sure it gets done.”
Lindsay hesitated then slowly nodded.
Seeing the despair in her indomitable blue eyes shredded Zach. He decided right then to stop messing with her. Why should she suffer for Tony and Christine’s stubbornness?
She shouldn’t.
No more than he should be forced to play the fool.
The trip to Milan rated as one of the best days of his life. He’d enjoyed spending time with Lindsay, more than anyone he could remember in a long time. She was smart and fun, and too restrained, which challenged him to loosen her up. And she constantly surprised him. He marveled at her performance at the Ferrari dealership.
Her ex had given her enough grief. Zach wouldn’t add to it.
He’d still try talking sense into the couple. For all the good it would do him. But no more messing with the wedding.
“Fabio’s going to need help getting this all done,” Zach announced, feeling the need to fix the problem. “Who else can we get to help?”
“I can call my men over to lend a hand for a few hours,” Nico offered.
“Thanks, that’s a start. I’m going to call the mayor.”
“I’ll help,” Louisa stated. “It’ll feel good to get outside and do some physical labor for a change.”
Zach lifted his brow at that. The temperature topped eighty and the palazzo was in a valley. There was little in the way of a breeze to offset the mugginess from the clouds overhead.
“It is too hot for you,” Nico told her bluntly. “You will stay inside.”
Wrong move, buddy. Zach watched the storm brew in the palazzo owner’s light blue eyes. She was almost guaranteed to work harder and longer than she would have if the other man had kept his mouth shut. But her offer gave him an idea.
“No,” Louisa informed Nico, her chin notched up, “I will not. I’m partially responsible for this situation and I want to help.”
“Me, too,” Lindsay piped in. “Louisa, do you have an extra pair of gloves? We can get started while Nico contacts Fabio.”
“I do. I have a scarf, too. You’ll want to put your hair up.”
The women wandered off. Nico glared after them. “She never listens.”
Zach cleared his throat and clapped Nico on the shoulder. “My man, let me give you some advice. Rather than order a woman about, it’s better to make her think it’s her idea to start with.”
Nico grimaced. “I know this. But she drives me...pazzo.”
“Crazy? I know the feeling. Perhaps when she starts to weary you can casually mention how thirsty the workers look and she’ll go inside to provide refreshments.”
“You misunderstand. There is nothing between us,” Nico clarified with more emphasis than necessary. “As there is between you and Ms. Reeves.”
“If you asked her, she would say there is nothing between us, either.”
Nico scowled.
Zach laughed. “You should call me Zach, as we’ll be working together.” And they got to work.
* * *
The whole town came out to help. Or so it seemed. The mayor arrived shortly after a remorseful Fabio. Alonso didn’t ask what needed to be done. He wore khaki pants and an old denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He picked up a shovel and got to work.
Lindsay called Serena and she showed up with a few friends, four of Nico’s men arrived in a pickup, including his brother Angelo. Eva’s son, Mario, and a pack of early teens pitched in. The barber closed his shop to help. And on and on it went. Even the landscaping crew joined in, helping to haul debris and refuse away.
Everyone was happy and laughing.
At some point Lindsay was introduced to Vincenzo Alberti, the director of tourism. When she expressed her gratitude, he explained that the whole town was proud the royal wedding was happening there. That they wanted their city to be represented well and that they were all excited to be a part of it in some way.
Lindsay wiped at the sweat on forehead with a towel she’d tucked into her waistband and surveyed their progress. Another hour should see it done. A good thing as it would be dark not long after.
She was hot and sticky, tired and sore. And hungry.
She imagined everyone else was, too. But no one was leaving. They all meant to see it finished. Nico and Louisa had put their animosity aside to coordinate the workers’ efforts.
“Almost done.” Zach appeared beside her, his tanned and muscular chest on full display. As had many of the men, he’d ditched his shirt somewhere along the way.
She resisted the urge to run her palm down his sweaty abs. More than once she’d caught herself admiring the flex and flow of muscle and tendon under smooth flesh. Dark and tanned, he fit right in with the Halencians. Fit and toned, he matched the laborers pace for pace.
He was poetry in motion and she had a hard time keeping her attention fixed on her chore. Especially with him standing in front of her.
“I’m amazed by the support we got from everyone.” Rather than look at him she watched the landscapers fill their truck with bags of weeds. “I wish there was something we could do for them.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He took her towel and wiped the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine where his fingers trailed over her skin. “I thought about hosting a party at the villa, but I prefer to reward everyone now, so I asked Alonso for a suggestion. He mentioned Mancini’s. I called and talked to the owner. Raffaele Mancini said he’d open up the patio for us an
d put a nice meal together.”
“‘Nice’ is the operative word there, champ. Mancini’s is catering the wedding. Eva also told me about Mancini’s as an option for an upscale meal. I’m not sure I can afford that.”
“I’m covering it.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist. I feel this is mostly my fault. Paying for dinner is a small enough thing to do. Plus, Mancini heard about what happened and apologized for not making it over here to help out. So he’s giving us a discount.”
The spirit of this town just kept amazing her.
“Shall we start passing the word? Mancini’s at eight. That’ll give Raffaele time to cook. And the rest of us time to clean up.”
* * *
Dinner turned into a party. When Lindsay stepped inside, assisted by Zach’s hand at the small of her back, she got pulled into a big hug by the maître d’, who was a curvy blonde with bright gray eyes and a smile so big she beamed.
“Hello. Welcome to Mancini’s.” Surprisingly the bubbly blonde was American. Then she announced why she was so excited, “Winner of the Italian Good Food Award!”
“Wow.” Lindsay knew the award was on par with the Michelin Star in France. “Congratulations. That’s fantastic.”
Zach echoed her. “Raffaele didn’t mention it when I spoke to him earlier.”
“We just heard an hour ago. You must be Lindsay Reeves and Zach Sullivan, the wedding planner and best man. I’m Daniella, Rafe’s fiancée. We have the patio all set up for you. Some people have already started to arrive. You’ll have to excuse us if we’re a little giddy tonight. We’re over the top about the award.”
“As you should be,” Zach said easily. “I hope you, Raffaele and the staff can join us later for a congratulatory toast.”
That smile flashed again. “I’m sure that can be arranged. I’ll tell Rafe.”
The patio was enclosed but the large windows were wide open, letting in the cool evening air. Wine bottles hung from the overhead beams along with green ivy. Red-checked tablecloths covered two large picnic tables that seated twenty each and three round tables at the far end.
A couple of extra chairs were needed, but everyone shuffled around so everyone got seated. Alonso arranged it so he and Vincenzo sat with Lindsay and Zach along with Nico and Louisa.
The Best Man & The Wedding Planner Page 13
