Alessia (The Casella Cousins Book 4) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Don’t miss all of The Casella Cousins

  GIDEON Excerpt

  About the Author

  ALESSIA

  The Casella Cousins

  Book 4

  Kathryn Shay

  Alessia

  Copyright © 2020 by Kathryn Shay

  All Rights Reserved

  Published by Ocean View Books

  Cover Design by Shelley Kay at Web Crafters

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the bookseller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cast of Characters

  * * *

  Finn Casella—Owns an independent bookstore in New York City

  Hayley Casella—Lawyer in firm Covington, Casella and Covitz

  Paul Covington—Lawyer in firm Covington, Casella and Covitz

  Ronan Casella—Oldest brother who abandoned the family twenty years ago

  Bridget Sullivan—Hayley’s mother

  Albert Casella—Hayley’s father, deceased

  Seth Casella—Cousin to Hayley, Finn and Ronan; Legal Aid Attorney

  Julianne Ford—Seth’s former girlfriend

  Rafe Casella—Oldest cousin, wife Kate, son Tommy

  Alessia Casella Benatti—Cousin, deceased husband, Billy; sons: Petey, Matt and Mikey

  Gideon Casella—Older cousin, divorced, children Cory, Carina, Cassie

  Carmella Casella—Aunt to Seth

  Tomaso Casella—Uncle to Seth

  Other characters:

  Fitzgerald’s—bookstore

  Judy Shannon

  Erin O’Grady

  Max Pinkney

  Craig and Lorna

  Joe Monti

  Jonah—Finn’s driver

  Thomas—Bridget’s driver

  Markham Management—Buyers of building

  Jonathan Parks—The building owner

  Community Board #2

  The O’Neils: Bailey, Dylan, Liam, Kinley

  Jake Hogan—Finn’s lawyer

  Linc Blackwell—Finn’s financial advisor

  Emerson Clark—Soup kitchen manager, Millie’s date

  Sabrina Knight—Author, Finn’s date

  Scout—The dog, named after character in To Kill a Mockingbird

  Enid and Henry—Millie’s grandparents

  Chapter 1

  * * *

  As soon as Alessia Benatti finished her afternoon class, she threw on her quilted jacket and raced out of the room, down the hall and to the exit. She’d just reached the door of the building when she heard, “Alessia, wait up.”

  She turned. And gave a half smile. Any other time, she’d be thrilled that Derek Davidson, the dark-haired, blue-eyed heartthrob of the class had called out to her. He was movie-star handsome with a quick smile. That he also had a quick wit made him even more attractive. Despite the cold, he wore a thin leather jacket over a navy sweater. “I can’t—”

  “Talk, I know. I saw you leave in a hurry. Did something bad happen?”

  “No. It’s all good. I have to get home for a Girl Power Party and I don’t want to miss dinner.”

  He pushed open the door for her. Once outside, her dark hair blew all over the place in the November wind. She tried unsuccessfully to contain it. “My car’s right down the street. I’ll take you to Hidden Cove. You can tell me on the way what a Girl Power Party is.”

  Startled at his suggestion, she said, “Thank you so much for the offer. But I don’t want to put you out.”

  He peered over at the busy traffic, honking horns and shouts of drivers on the street in front of the school. A light snow had begun to fall. “What would you do? Try to get an Uber at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon in lower Manhattan?”

  She checked her watch. “Or walk to the train.”

  “Which will be mobbed. I’m free the rest of the day.” His mouth crooked into a delicious smile. “Let me do this for you.”

  “All right. And thank you.”

  They hurried to a lot not too far way, the snow increasing to large, wet flakes, and stopped at an older, gray Honda Civic. He unlocked the door and opened the passenger side. She slid in, he got behind the wheel, checked the rearview mirror, then pulled out into the thick traffic that made the roads spit slush.

  “This’ll save me tons of time.” She uttered the words once he started driving. “I really shouldn’t have come to school today, but I like this teacher and what she does in the course.”

  “Me, too.” The windshield wipers squeaked on the glass as he glanced over at her. “So, what’s a Girl Power Party?” His voice was deep and husky.

  She chuckled. “It used to be called a bachelorette party but none of us liked the name. This is for my soon to be sister-in-law, who’s marrying one of my brothers, and my cousin, who I’m very close to.”

  “Two brides?”

  “We have an interesting family.”

  “Being there for family is important.” He winked at her. “You said that once in a group work session.”

  “So did you. You’re from Brooklyn, right?”

  “We were both paying attention.”

  Alessia struggled not to sigh. When they were asked to relay some of their bio in Interpersonal Communication, a required course, he’d told the group that, too. The other eight females in this particular course of twelve had fawned over him. Not Alessia, though. Why bother? She wasn’t his type. Word had it he dated around, but never stayed with anyone too long.

  As he got on the expressway, he relaxed back in his seat. Now, his scent, something spicy and male, began to fill the car. “Tell me about your brothers. You mentioned them in class.”

  “The first one, Rafe, has a doozy of a story.” Doozy. What a stupid word. “He’s a firefighter captain and lost the love of his life seven years ago. She…abandoned him. But she came back, with his five-year old boy in tow. They eventually got together, married and she’s pregnant again.”

  “Wow. Girl or boy this time?”

  “A girl. She named Tomaso after my father even when they were split.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “What are your twins’ names?” He’d also mentioned he had two children a year older than Pete.

  “Hell on Wheels and Holy Terror.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I got a Hurricane Peter.”

  He laughed.

  “Any other siblings with drama like the first one?”

  “Uh-huh. My younger brother Seth, the one who’s getting married, got stabbed last year where he works at Legal Aid by the disgruntled husband of a client.”

  “Was it serious?”

  “Touch and go for a while. But he recovered. He got back together with his long-lost girlfriend while he was recuperating, and they worked things out. And she—Julianne—was being stalked at the time, so they’d both been in danger. Their double jeopardy kind of brought them together again.”

  He gave her a sideways glance. “Alessia, are you making this up?”

  “Nope. Honest. And there’s more.”

/>   He waited.

  “My other brother’s a cop.”

  “A hard profession.”

  “Yeah, he’s hard in some ways, especially since he got divorced.”

  “I’ll bet he’s a softie with you.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I can’t imagine anybody being mean to you. You’re so sweet.”

  “How would you even know that?”

  “Remember how Mary Jane started crying when Professor Jolson yelled at her? You spoke right up and told him she had a right to be chided respectfully.”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Word had it you bought her a coke after class and talked to her. What’d you tell her?”

  “That not all men were jerks.” Even she could hear the tinge of sadness in her voice.

  “You said you were lonely after your husband died.”

  “God, I said a lot.” Too much.

  “What about him? Was he one of the good guys?”

  “Absolutely. Do you have any siblings?”

  “Um…a sister. Tell me more about your cousins.”

  “Not yet. I’m doing all the sharing. I want to hear three things about you first.”

  “Okay, I’m widowed, too.”

  “You didn’t mention it.”

  He cleared his throat. “It was too hard to talk about in class.”

  “I’m so sorry. But you still have to give me two more things.”

  “I spent some time in community theater here in New York.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It was a release for stress.”

  “What do you do for a living?”

  “Actually, I quit my job to get my teaching degree faster. I want to work with kids. Okay, that makes three. The cousins?”

  “Living in New York. You probably know about the gala where a guy shot up the ballroom of a hotel last summer?”

  “He’s your cousin?”

  “No, his fiancée is. Hayley. She’s the other one getting married. I’m in the wedding.”

  “How do you keep all this straight?”

  “It’s my life. My other cousin owns Fitzgerald’s on MacDougal Street and knows the famous O’Neils.” She grinned. “Last one: my oldest cousin was a famous movie star twenty years ago.”

  He shook his head. “No kidding?”

  “Nope.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Ronny Case?”

  “As in the Rebel movies?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m bowled over by your family.”

  “Not me, though.” The comment just slipped out. She usually kept her lack of uniqueness to herself.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Nothing dramatic has ever happened to me. I’m an ordinary widow, mother and sibling.”

  “Alessia Benatti, you’re anything but ordinary.”

  “What a nice thing to say. But I’m okay with who I am. All I want is an ordinary teaching career.”

  “Teachers change the world one kid at a time. That’s far from ordinary.”

  “Is that why you went back to school?”

  “It’s one of the reasons.” He looked straight ahead. “I need directions to the house.”

  She was shocked. “Are we in Hidden Cove already?”

  “Yeah.” As he drove out to the lake, her directions kept them from sharing any more, and too soon, Derek pulled into the long driveway up to the front of the house. The shuttered, dark gray building shot up three stories. Big stone steps led up to a door. The deck and dock around back had been a source of joy during her childhood. She’d spent wonderful times here.

  When he stopped, she turned to him. “Thank you so much, Derek.” Spontaneously, she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You know, you’re sweet too, to have done this for a stranger. I won’t forget how kind you’ve been.”

  A quirky smile. “I wanted the trip to be easier for you.”

  “That makes you even more special.” She watched him for a sec. “What’s your favorite cookie?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’ll make you some.”

  “Chocolate Chip, of course.”

  “I’ll bring them to the next class we share. Take care.”

  “You too, Alessia. Have fun, but stay safe.”

  * * *

  As soon as he was out of sight of the house, Derek hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Fuck!” Grant Wilson would kill him if he knew the impulse Derek had given in to. He’d been working this case for five months, and the task force was involved even longer, and not once had Derek broken any rules. But he’d come to like Alessia Benatti from the courses they shared over the summer and now this fall semester. She had a quiet strength about her, an unassuming personality and—very important to him now—totally disconnected from the mess at the college.

  Besides, he was lonely.

  He’d happily listened to her bubble over about her family and her concern for her sons. For the hundredth time, he wished his life was that simple. Instead, he joined the bureau at twenty-two, right out of college, and started undercover work at thirty. Now, at thirty-seven, he was deeply entrenched. Grant, who would eventually become his handler, had warned him and a female operative when they were about to go undercover…

  You have to lie to nice people, maybe even hurt them in order to find answers.

  You can’t have a social life because you could slip up during sex.

  You might even have to sleep with someone to get information.

  The female agent didn’t flinch.

  Derek cringed inside. But he’d pursued this life despite the drawbacks. It wasn’t too bad until this assignment. The case was slimy.

  Or maybe he’d burned out. Grant warned about that, too.

  For God’s sake, he told himself. Forget about Alessia Benatti and her family. Forget about that luscious black hair and eyes as dark as midnight. Just do the job. Catch the criminals involved, then when it’s over, decide whether or not to stay undercover.

  He wouldn’t leave the organization, though. Derek Drake, aka Derek Davidson, was an FBI agent through and through.

  * * *

  “They glow with joy, don’t they?” Kate Cassidy, her brother’s wife, grinned. She and Alessia sat in the furniture grouping by the window of the lake house and observed the group.

  “Just like you do, honey.”

  Kate patted her stomach which stuck out adorably in a knit maroon dress. “Me? I’m a beached whale already.” She angled her chin toward the women. “Even wearing that little veil with lace, Hayley’s stunning.” Her cousin had chosen a green one-piece suit that accented her eyes.

  “She’s only two months into her pregnancy. You’re in your seventh.”

  “I know, and love the evidence of Rafe’s and my commitment. I shouldn’t joke about myself.”

  Alessia watched Julianne, bride number two, as she crossed to the other guests. Jules wore a slinky gold top with white dressy pants. “Who is Julianne talking to?”

  “Anabelle Sanders. The cop. Remember, during the stalking, they got pretty tight.”

  “Man, I didn’t even recognize her. She’s the one Gideon always complains about?”

  “They’re both up for the same job. It should be decided soon. I hope he gets it.”

  Kate focused on her. “Tell me what’s going on with you. Our family’s been in such a whirlwind over two weddings, that we haven’t had a lot of time to talk.”

  “My life is pretty boring.” She couldn’t help but smile. “But I did have a gorgeous guy sweep me off my feet and into his car to drive me up here.”

  “Seriously?”

  “It’s true. Men like him rarely even talk to me.”

  “Because you send out a Stay Away signal.”

  “Do I?”

  “Really, Ali, you’ve been doing it since I’ve known you. Guys sniffed around you all the time, and you made it clear Billy was the one for you.”

  Al
essia had never noticed other boys taking an interest in her.

  “Since I got back,” Kate continued, “I saw men approach you at Finn’s birthday party, at dinner parties. Even when we’ve had lunch together, the waiters are so happy to see you and devastated when you shut them down.”

  “All of that must have gone right over my head.”

  “Who was the guy that got under your shell?”

  “I never said he did. He only offered me a ride.”

  “I want the whole story.”

  Alessia told her what happened.

  “Hmm, sounds promising. He was looking out for you.”

  “He left the building when I did, so he saw I was in a hopeless position.”

  “Yeah, could be. But he didn’t have to drive you an hour up here.”

  “I understand that he wanted to. But he’s a player.”

  “Is he?”

  “Yeah.” Why did the thought make her sad tonight? “He dates women at the college for a bit then drops them.”

  “Maybe he hasn’t found the right one.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not nearly as pretty or as young as his former dates. I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “Chicken.”

  “What?”

  “You’re a chicken if you don’t.”

  “We’re not fifteen, Kate.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “I stand by my assessment.”

  “Well, I did say I’d make him cookies.”

  “Please. At least invite him for dinner as a thank you.”

  “Maybe coffee.”

  “And wear a dress. You have the best legs of all of us.”

  “I think I have the best legs.” Hayley had come up to them and fell into a chair.

  Julianne was with her and sat in the other. “I take offense. I do.”

  Alessia shook her head. “You know who has the best legs here?”

  Together, they all said, “Anabelle.”

  * * *

  When Derek took the steps up to his fifth-floor apartment and opened the door, he knew someone was inside. Reaching for his gun in the drawer in the entry, he crept into the living room and caught sight of a man seated near the window.