Hayley (The Casella Cousins Book 1)

by Kathryn Shay

  Hayley’s heartbeat sped up. “Is something wrong?”

  Matka frowned. “He is angry.”

  “I can see that.”

  “I’m tired and I’d like to leave.” He nodded to Hayley and took his mother’s arm.

  “Paul, you are being rude.” His mother glanced over at Hayley. “It was nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” Hayley stood and walked away without saying anything more to Paul. First, she was hurt. And second, she didn’t appreciate being treated like a criminal.

  What the hell just happened here?

  Chapter 6

  * * *

  I’m at the lake house. I thought we were meeting here tonight.

  Paul ignored the text. It was childish, but he was still mad at her. How dare she subject Matka to interrogation about him?

  Paul, his mother said on the way out of City Hall. That woman wasn’t doing anything wrong. I got nostalgic and wanted to talk about my boy.

  He refused to discuss Hayley with her. His mind had gone into overdrive, first with the shooting, then the commitment to Hayley, then the Medal of Honor and Matka showing up. Hayley’s digging was icing on the cake to a mind overcrowded by emotions.

  He looked at his phone again. But she deserved better than this. And typed, I’m not coming.

  Send!

  He waited. No response.

  Turning off his phone, he walked outside. The sun was setting, and it would be beautiful on Hidden Lake. Was she out on her deck, wondering what happened? She’d be upset, he knew that, but was she crying? Probably not, as that wasn’t her style. But, Christ, all he wanted was a little privacy. He thought back to Matka…

  He’d ridden the subway out to Greenpoint with her, said goodbye with a promise to call. She cupped his face before she left…

  I will not let you go away again, Paul. I will come after you. I thought of hiring one of those…you know, a man who finds people. But I did not. This time, I will. Now, promise me you will not disappear.

  I won’t disappear, Matka, I promise…

  She kissed both his cheeks and walked down the street. He stood there, hands in his pockets, yearning to go with her, to see all his brothers and sisters. He hadn’t even had time to ask about them. But his father would be home, as he was retired, sitting in that fucking chair, looking down his nose at Paul. No matter what, he couldn’t handle that right now.

  He’d just come back inside and poured himself a bourbon on the rocks when his front buzzer rang. The press? Maybe. Hayley wouldn’t have time to get back to New York yet, not that he thought she would come to him. He picked up his phone and checked the doorbell cam. Shit!

  He could ignore the visitor. But something compelled him to go to the foyer and open the door. “Hello, Finn.”

  “Hello, my ass,” Hayley’s brother said, pushing Paul aside.

  He stumbled back because he was surprised Finn could move that fast. Hayley said he was always in second gear. He not only went into the condo, but he made his way to the living room. Paul followed him. He was many things, but not a coward.

  Finn, hair windblown, still dressed in a suit, spat out, “What the fuck is going on?”

  He liked this man. He cared about Hayley. He’d be as honest as he could. “I’m not going to Hidden Cove this weekend.”

  “You were supposed to meet her an hour ago. I thought you were a man of your word.”

  Abashed now, he said, “I think I am. I didn’t want to see her yet.”

  “Yet?”

  “Fuck it, Finn. I’m mad at her.”

  “Because she talked to your mother?”

  “She pumped my mother.”

  Finn had the audacity to laugh. “That is so not Hayley’s style. If you didn’t want to tell her about your background, why did you invite your mother to the ceremony?”

  “I didn’t. She just showed up.”

  “What the hell’s going on with you? What are you hiding?”

  “If I wouldn’t share my family history with her, I certainly won’t with you.”

  “We have skeletons, too. For God’s sake, as soon as my father died, my mother changed mine and Hayley’s names. Our brother abandoned us. We never saw our cousins again until we were adults.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I’m afraid my situation isn’t quite as innocent.”

  Finn looked over his shoulder; he crossed to the sidebar then turned around with a drink in his hand. “Paul, Hayley hasn’t cared about one single man in her life like she does about you.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “I thought you felt the same way.”

  “I do. I’m just—”

  “Mad, I know. People get mad at each other in relationships. They fight. But it’s shitty that you stood her up.”

  Guilt slammed into him. “It is.”

  Finn sipped his liquor. “Listen, you don’t have to tell me anything, or tell her, for that matter. Go to Hidden Cove and talk to her. The thought of her there alone, hurting, makes me mad. I’d go, but I have a big author day at the bookstore tomorrow.”

  “Call one of your cousins.”

  “I’d rather you went.”

  “Maybe in the morning.”

  “Then listen to this. You’ve got one chance, and if you blow it, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and Hayley apart.”

  “Fuck. You’re Jekyll and Hyde.”

  He knocked back his drink and pushed away from the sideboard. “I can be. Remember that.”

  * * *

  Seth rang the front bell of the lake house and it flew open. Hayley, with a hopeful expression on her face, sighed. “Hey, honey.”

  “Hi, Seth.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” He stepped inside; she closed the door and turned.

  “I heard you got stood up.”

  Though she was disheveled, very unusual for her, she gave a grim smile. “You came to see me one other time when I got stood up. For a prom. Did you hear this from Finn again?”

  “Yep.”

  “Remember how you took the subway to New York, marched into the ballroom and slugged the guy?”

  “He was a little twit.”

  “You’re Mr. Pacifist now. Finn and I were shocked by what you did.”

  His eyes lit up. “I can go to New York and beat up Paul.”

  “Ha.”

  They took seats on the couch. She curled her legs under her and faced him. “How much do you know?”

  “Finn filled me in some.” He didn’t tell her the expletives his shy, reticent cousin used. Now that shocked Seth.

  “I’m not so much sad, Seth, but disappointed in Paul.”

  “You’re kidding yourself. You’re sad. And I’m disappointed in him, too.” He’d thought maybe the guy was the one for her, even though he never met the guy in person, only knew him through Hayley’s point of view. “Tell me in your own words what happened.”

  “Here are the facts: he told me he wasn’t ready to share all his secrets; I said I’d wait until he was ready; his mother showed up at the Medal of Honor ceremony. I saw her sitting alone, and went to talk to her.”

  “Did you pump her?”

  “Not for his secrets. All I wanted to know were some stories about his childhood. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn’t have even done that.”

  “What you did doesn’t sound bad. Must be Paul’s struggling with all this.”

  “Did you come here to defend him?”

  “Not at all. I’m seeing the situation objectively, counselor.”

  “I know you are, I’m sorry. Can I get you something? I made dinner and Paul’s not coming. Fried chicken and potato salad. It’s your mother’s recipe.”

  “Sure, I’d love it.”

  As they set out the food, he remembered Julianne making this salad for him after getting the recipe from mom. “Do you want to talk more about Paul?”

  “No. Not much to say. I have to see how all this plays out. But I’
m very glad for the company.”

  After they were seated with food, she said, “Tell me about your date with the model.”

  He talked to this cousin at least once a week, like he did to Rafe, Ali and Gideon. Since she met Paul, they didn’t get together as much.

  “Her name is Lorna. The date was fun.”

  “Not serious?”

  “Nope.”

  “I hope you find somebody to share your life with.”

  “Have you, Hayley?”

  She stared over his shoulder. “I thought maybe. But now…who knows? I’m tired of thinking about him. Can you stay?”

  “No plans tonight.” Actually, he’d reneged on his promise to go out with the people in his office. He’d rather be with Hayley when she needed him.

  * * *

  He’d dreamed about Finn Casella. The man had come to his condo and shot him with an AR-16. He didn’t need Freud to tell him the meaning of that. Maybe he was experiencing the PTSD the authorities mentioned, hence Finn carried the same gun as the ballroom attacker. Maybe Paul was reacting to the reaming out he’d gotten from Hayley’s brother. Whichever haunted his nocturnal adventures, he’d slept only a few hours and the rest of the night tore the covers off the bed thinking about Hayley and the images of her that Finn put in his head. Nothing he came up with would fix this situation. So, an hour after dawn, he got in his car and drove up to Hidden Lake, arriving at her house at eight.

  No signs of life in or around the place, but he saw a car parked in the driveway. No lights on, nobody walking past a window. He thought about going to the back, but he didn’t want to scare her. Maybe he’d peek in the front window before he rang the bell. They’d been left bare because the trees in the front lawn gave them privacy. He sidled in between the bushes and the house.

  And wasn’t shocked to see her curled up on the floor in sleeping bags with another man. Seth, he presumed. He still hadn’t met the guy. Finn must have called his cousin after all. Well, at least she hadn’t been alone all night, as he had. Picking his way back to the stoop, he knocked on the door. He thought that might be an easier mode of awakening them. It took a while, but finally Hayley opened the door. Her hair was mussed like it got after sex. Her clothes were wrinkled. And her eyes went from sleepy to fiery in sixty seconds. “Well, I lost the bet.”

  “The bet?” He shifted on his feet trying to read her mood.

  “Seth said you’d be here by morning. I said not.”

  Since she was being sassy, he wasn’t going to betray how bad he felt. “What’d you bet?”

  “Dinner at the Hidden Cove Inn. It’s the nicest place in town.”

  “Maybe we can take him there tonight.”

  She folded her arms across her chest and her eyes narrowed. “If we’re both still standing.”

  “I’m mad.”

  “I know. Now, I am, too. I felt contrite until you stood me up.” She lifted her chin. “I never took you as a coward.”

  “I didn’t think that way of myself, either. I apologize.”

  She stepped back. “You can come in.”

  Once he got into the living room, he saw that Seth had roused. The guy bore a striking resemblance to her. His hair was blond, but his eyes were the same color. “Who woulda thought the hero of the day was a pussy?”

  “Watch your language around Hayley.”

  Both he and Hayley laughed. “We taught each other how to swear. Every time we heard a new word, we added it to a list we kept.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Maybe eight or nine.” Rising from the floor where they must have slept in front of the television, he crossed to his cousin. “Want me to stay, honey?”

  “No thanks. I appreciate you being here last night.” She arched a brow at Paul. “I was sad and you cheered me up.”

  “Some of us keep our promises.”

  After he left, Hayley sat on the couch. Pillows and blankets and two sleeping bags were still scattered in front of it. Paul joined her.

  But Hayley took charge. “So, I’m going first. I wasn’t pumping your mother. I noticed the woman you were with on the steps of City Hall was sitting alone. I went to talk to her and recognized who she was to you because you have her eyes. The only possible thing I did wrong was to ask what you were like as a boy.”

  Her comments fueled the anger inside of him instead of calming it. “When you knew I was holding back everything about my family.”

  “Do you think I shouldn’t have gone to sit with her?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  She shook her head. “Must be some secret you’re keeping.”

  “I don’t want to share my background, Hayley! Plain and simple. My past is my business. Not yours.”

  And suddenly he knew the real reason why he didn’t want her anywhere near his family. Maybe the insight came from being in the house where she’d told him about Bridget. She hated the fact that her mother had rejected her roots. It had caused havoc in her family, and taken her away from cousins like Seth, whom she obviously adored. That loss must have hurt, a lot.

  And then her older brother deserted her. Like he’d deserted his siblings.

  But something else niggled at him, something that didn’t concern her family. He had to make decisions about seeing his family now. Even being with Matka might not have changed his mind. But in a round-about way, Hayley had forced him to make a choice. He couldn’t bring her into that mess until he decided exactly what he was going to do.

  She was saying, “It is my business now, Paul, when it affects us as a couple like yesterday.”

  “You said you understood that I needed privacy.”

  “And I did. But after I saw your reaction to me simply chatting with your mother, before we can go any further, I have to know what you’re hiding.”

  “That sounds like an ultimatum.”

  “Call it whatever you want.”

  This was how she was in court. She hadn’t yet turned that aggressor side on him personally. So, he returned to his court persona, too. “I won’t be pressured into revealing things about my past.”

  “Do you think I’d use it against you?” Her voice was filled with horror.

  “I have no idea. I went to some length to bury all this, and I’m not resurrecting it for you or any other woman.”

  Her hands clamped together on her lap. “Wow. And here I thought I wasn’t simply any other woman.”

  “You know I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Do I?” She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we jumped into this thing between us too fast before we really got to know each other.”

  “I didn’t say that at all, Hayley. Besides, you can’t change the past. We did get involved.” He waited for a response and when it didn’t come, he said, “I guess we’re at a stalemate.”

  “You won’t give in on this?”

  “I can’t live with you going off on me if I make a mistake.” His voice raised a notch. “I don’t lead my life that way.”

  “I didn’t go off on you. But call it whatever you want. I don’t date men who get mad like you did over an innocent incident, either.”

  “This was a special circumstance to me.”

  “Which I have to live with? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I need time to process everything.”

  “All right, Paul, take all the time you need. But I won’t be comfortable in your company right now. And know I’m not going into a relationship with any man where I have to worry about what I say.”

  “So, I’m any man.”

  “And I’m just another woman.”

  They were adversaries again, which was how they started out. Realizing that, he stood. “I’m leaving.”

  “I think that’s best.” She stood, too. “Call me when you have things straightened out. If I’m free, I’ll see you again.”

  “What the hell do you mean if you’re free?”

  “Exactly what that implies.”

  He
raised his arm with an open palm. “Now we have an ultimatum and a threat. You’re two for two, girl.”

  Instead of responding, she left the room. He heard the front door swish open. He walked to the entrance and right outside. He didn’t turn to her again. He couldn’t, because he feared he’d give in before he figured things out with his family.

  * * *

  “Hey, cuz, good to see you.” Rafe met Haley at the front door of his house. She’d never seen his place, though Seth said Rafe owned it for twenty years. “We’re so happy you could come to the picnic.”

  “Thanks. I’m psyched, too.” She hugged her cousin, grateful to be with people who cared about her today.

  Anything, that would make her forget the scene with Paul yesterday morning. In the afternoon she found a way not to second guess herself. But she’d slept poorly. Today, she’d distract herself with her cousins.

  And wow, were there a lot to take her mind off things, she thought as she went out onto Rafe’s new deck. All four cousins were around the pool, along with their children. She counted seven kids. Funny, though, she thought as she looked at the adults. None of them were married, except for Rafe, who’d tied the knot only a couple of months ago.

  “When did you put the pool in?” she asked him.

  “Right after we went to your cottage. Tommy couldn’t stop talking about your pool, so we got one.”

  “That was quick.”

  “Life’s short, kiddo.”

  Discomfort wormed its way inside her. As a firefighter, of course Rafe knew that. Hayley forgot sometimes. Had she been rash yesterday with Paul?

  “Did you wear your suit?”

  “Yeah.” Under a sage green cover-up that Paul said highlighted her eyes.

  “We’re planning a rousing game of pool volleyball before we eat.”

  “I’m in.” She was still a pretty good athlete. She’d been on the swim team at the private prep school she’d gone to and college at Radcliff.

  Alessia sat on a chaise halfway down on the slate deck of the pool, watching the kids swim. Hayley joined her. “Hey, Ali. Want some company?”

  “Sure.” Hayley leaned over and hugged her cousin.