The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6) (15 page)

With a sigh, she set the beer on the coffee table, ran back to her computer to get the amount, then dashed off the check, popped it in an envelope and stuck a stamp on it.

She was about to put it on the counter next to her purse, when she realized the smart thing to do was put it in the mailbox now. Monday mornings were hectic, and she didn’t want to forget until the mailman came by and she ended up running down the street after him.

Flip-flops on, she walked the envelope down to the mailbox. The night was balmy and beautiful. The faint perfume of some night-blooming flower drifted past, along with the gentle hum of insects. She paused to take it all in and enjoy that this was where she lived now. Her own little piece of paradise.

Her gaze shifted to Alex’s house. A few exterior lights brightened the outside, but she knew no one was home. His offer to use the hot tub echoed in her head, and as enticing as that was, she was too worn-out to take him up on it.

She smiled, thinking about him. If this were a book she was writing, the heroine would definitely use the hot tub. She’d also forgo a bathing suit, since no one was home.

Of course, then Roxy would give the hero a reason to come home unexpectedly, putting her characters in an interesting situation that would lead to their romance leveling up a notch.

But this was real life. And as much as she liked Alex, friendship was as far as she was willing to go. Her heart just wasn’t ready for more. Not yet.

She stuck the envelope into the mailbox, yanked the red flag all the way up and walked back up the driveway.

She took her spot on the couch and started to turn on
The Bachelorette
, but the thought of watching all those men vie for the attention of one woman no longer held any appeal, research or not.

For the first time since she’d left Thomas, a sense of loneliness came over her. It was such an odd feeling that she allowed herself to wallow in it a bit. Sure, she was alone, but was she really lonely? She didn’t think so, but then, she’d never felt this way before, hollow and achy for something she couldn’t express.

She’d been homesick when she’d been in college, but that had been definable. This was so nebulous and deep that, for a brief moment, she wondered if she was slipping into depression. It happened to writers, creative types more specifically, all the time.

And it had happened to her mother. Among other things.

But this could also be a side effect of her divorce. What was a little depression on top of the hallucinations she’d already had?

With that thought in mind, she turned off the TV, picked up her beer, dumped it in the sink and went to bed.

She couldn’t afford this feeling. Not with her book already behind schedule. She was going to get a good night’s sleep, then first thing tomorrow, she was getting outside for a long walk and some fresh air.

Right after she called her attorney and told him to get Thomas’s signature on the papers immediately.

Because it was high time for Thomas’s influence on her life to come to an absolute end.

Alex pulled onto his street after a long but thankfully uneventful shift. All he wanted now was a hot shower and his bed. Thankfully, he had room-darkening blinds to shut out the morning sun.

Then he saw Roxy walking down her driveway in spandex capris and a tank top and his mind turned to other things. He pulled into his own, parked and got out.

“Morning,” she called. “Just getting home?”

“Yep. You look like you’re off for a walk.”

“I am.” Her smile was wistful and not full of the usual joy it normally contained. “I need some fresh air.”

“You okay?”

She shrugged and glanced away for a second. “Yeah. My ex is really dragging his feet on signing the papers. I left a stern message for my attorney this morning, but I’m not sure how much good that’s going to do and…” She shook her head.

“What?”

“I don’t know. I’m just in a funk, I guess.”

He put his hand on his belt. “You want some company on your walk? Just take me a minute to change.”

The light finally showed up in her eyes. “You just got off work. You really want to go for a walk with me?”

He nodded. “I’m always a little keyed up after a shift. It’ll help me unwind. If you don’t mind me butting in.”

She smiled. A real smile. “You’re not butting in.” She leaned against the mailbox post. “I’ll be right here.”

He grinned and headed for the house. “Back in a sec.”

He jogged inside, not caring if the door closed too hard and woke Diego. Alex actually hadn’t been keyed up before, but now he was.

He shucked his uniform and changed into gym shorts and a sheriff’s department T-shirt, then went in to brush his teeth. Just because. He caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror and was surprised by how happy he looked.

He should look tired. But he didn’t even feel that way anymore.

Because Roxy did that to him.

He stared at his reflection without seeing it, his mind too focused on the thoughts unfolding there. Thoughts he shouldn’t even be having.

Was Roxy the one? Was that what these feelings meant? Hank had said that Alex would know when he knew, but that was easier said than realized.

He leaned on the sink. There was no way this was love. It was much too early for that, and they were still getting to know each other.

But this was
something
. That was for sure. He stuck his toothbrush back in the holder, rinsed his mouth, then went back outside to join the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.

Roxy was staring at her mailbox like it was about to do something interesting.

“What’s up?”

She glanced at him, then shook her head. “I put a letter in here last night so I wouldn’t forget today.”

“And?”

Her mouth scrunched up on one side like she was thinking. “Well, for one thing, I’m sure I closed the mailbox all the way and I just saw that it’s barely shut. I’m mailing a check. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”

The door was closed, but only just. “You think someone tampered with it?”

“I don’t know. The flag isn’t all the way up either, and I made sure it was.”

“Did you check that your mail is still in there?”

“Didn’t have a chance yet. It’s okay to touch it right?”

He hitched one shoulder up. “It’s not like we’re going to dust for prints.”

“Yeah. Okay.” She pulled the door open, looked in, then shut it again. Firmly. “Yep, my envelope is in there.”

“It’s probably nothing.”

She gave a little half nod, then tilted her head to look up at him. “Ready to walk?”

“Let’s go.”

For the first minute or so, they didn’t speak, just found a rhythm. Alex shortened his steps a little so that Roxy could keep up, and after a bit, they fell into a good pace.

When he glanced over at her, she seemed to be miles away. “You don’t look like you’re here.”

She turned. “What?”

He laughed. “I said you don’t look like you’re here. I doubt the mailbox is bothering you that much so it’s got to be something else. The divorce?”

She kept her gaze straight ahead. “That’s part of it.”

“What’s the rest?”

She stayed quiet and he let it be, figuring she didn’t want to talk. But then she answered him. “It’s a lot of things, I guess. The divorce, being behind on my book, working on my new life…feeling a little lonely.”

“Lonely?” He wanted to put his arm around her, but that was probably crossing the line of friendly neighbor.

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s weird. I’ve never felt this way before, but it really hit me last night. I just kind of fell into this dark place. My mom had some issues with stuff like that when I was a kid, so maybe I’m just extra sensitive to it.”

Now he really wanted to hug her. “Are you feeling better this morning?”

She made a noncommittal noise. “I guess.”

“Very convincing.”

She smirked. “Getting out for this walk was part of my ‘snap out of it’ plan.”

“Is it working?”

She smiled up at him. “Maybe.”

He changed the subject in an attempt to draw her out a little more. “Do you believe in soul mates? You must, right? You write about them after all.”

“I do write about them, but honestly, I think they’re mostly fictional.” She shrugged. “That might also be my divorce talking.”

“You sure this walk is helping?”

“Yep.”

But something lingered in her gaze, something he’d come to recognize in his years on the force. She wasn’t being completely honest with him. Something was still bothering her. He held the eye contact for a moment. “If you ever want to talk, I’m a good listener. It’s part of my job, you know.”

She shifted to look down the sidewalk ahead of them. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“We should go out.”

“What?” There was an edge of panic in her voice.

He put his hands up. “Just as friends. I could introduce you to some people, you know, help you feel less lonely maybe.”

“That’s really sweet of you. The thing is…I don’t really like people that much.” She laughed. “That sounds way worse than I mean it. I love my readers. I love the emails they send me and the notes they send via social media, but I’m not great in big groups.”

“This wouldn’t be a big group necessarily. Just some of the people I work with. Like a happy hour thing. Couple of drinks and that’s it. Unless you want to hang out longer. It would be totally up to you.”

A couple seconds passed before she nodded. “Okay. I’m sure it would be good for me.”

“Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.”

She laughed, but it died off quickly. “Bear with me.”

“Not a problem.” He glanced down at her, caught her gaze and something passed between them. Something that, to him, felt like a promise.

“Thanks,” she whispered, her voice thin with an unnamable emotion.

Whatever was going on with her, he wanted to help. But he couldn’t do that until she was ready to talk to him. Until then, he’d just be around for her as much as he could. The shifter side of him was born with a desire to protect, especially those he cared about, and Roxy definitely fell into that category.

The cop side of him felt very much the same way.

He wished he could explain that to her, but he didn’t want to complicate her situation with his profession of protection. She didn’t need to think her neighbor had just become her self-appointed body guard. Although he sort of had.

No, he’d just stay quiet, doing what he could to watch over her and make sure she had whatever she needed to get through this.

He glanced at her again, and whispered back, “It’s going to be okay.”

She smiled. And a single tear rolled down her cheek.

The tear fell before Roxy could stop it. Alex’s kind words hadn’t caused it, but they had brought it to the surface. Everything else had caused it. But the mailbox—and the fact that she was sure that either Thomas, or someone working for him, was spying on her—had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. She wiped the tear away as subtly as she could, but Alex stopped walking.