The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6) (8 page)

He turned to look. Diego was talking to Shanna. Alex frowned, then glanced at Roxy. “I need to let him be, don’t I?”

She lifted her shoulders, her expression placid. “He’s a grown man. And Shanna’s probably old enough to make her own decisions. Even if they are bad ones.”

Alex grabbed the signed book she’d given him. “In that case, I really need to get back to work.”

“Sounds good. I still have errands to run.”

They walked out together and all the way back to the station, then stopped at the door. “Where are you off to?” he asked.

“In no particular order, the post office, the Shop-n-Save and Delaney’s store.” She grinned. “Just because I didn’t eat dessert at lunch doesn’t mean I’m not going to want something sweet later.”

He nodded. “I get it.” He hesitated, the feeling that he should kiss her battling with the reminder that this was
not
a date. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

She smiled. “I’ll call you when the tank’s all done. You can come see the fish.”

“Sounds like a date.” He paused. “I mean, not a date. A…” What did he mean?

Her grin widened. “I have your number. I’ll call you.”

“All right. Good.” He went inside before he said anything else that made him look like a half-wit. The woman had a strange effect on him.

Birdie waved. “How was lunch, Alex?”

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “It was…” He smiled, his mind returning to Roxy’s big, brown eyes and rosebud lips and warm sense of humor. “Good.” And it had been. Really,
really
good.

Birdie grinned and started humming the
Wedding March
.

Roxy felt lighter than air. It was the same feeling she got when she released a new book, or got a great, over-the-top review, or knew she’d nailed a scene.

Thomas had never made her feel that way. But Alex sure did. In fact, he was the first man who had.

And it scared the stuffing right out of her. It was an odd combination to be gloriously happy and also petrified of what that glorious happiness meant. What she did know was that she was
not
feeling anything remotely romantic for Alex. Not at all. He was just hot. (
So
hot.) And nearby. And nice.

That was
it
.

Please let that be it. She did not need, or want, a man in her life. She still hadn’t technically gotten rid of the one she had. Which reminded her that she needed to nudge her attorney on Monday about what was taking Thomas so long to sign the papers.

She looked in the shop windows as she walked, not really seeing anything.

Maybe she was feeling this way because Alex was the first guy in a long time who’d been so kind to her. He hadn’t wanted anything from her. Just to make up for the ticket and be a good neighbor.

She squinted at that thought. That was all he wanted, right? Nothing he’d done had given her any indication of anything else. And he was such a standup guy. It was literally his job to uphold the law. There was no way he was playing some secret game of Let’s Be Friends Who Turn Into Lovers.

No, this was just a guy being neighborly. Not a guy. A neighbor. That was a safer way to think of him.

She checked the address of Delaney’s shop on her phone, then plugged it into her maps app. She’d thought she knew where she was going, but after walking several minutes with her head in the clouds, she wasn’t sure at all.

As it turned out, she was only a block and a half away. She arrived at Delaney’s Delectables a few minutes later.

The smell was divine. She paused just inside the door and inhaled, eyes closed. Chocolate was both the fuel for her writer’s mind and the bane of her writer’s backside. But she’d had salad for lunch. Very low carb. She could splurge a little.

And chocolate was good for the writing. She believed in literally feeding the muse.

“Roxy!”

Delaney’s voice rang out over the hum of the shop. Roxy opened her eyes and smiled. “Hey, woman, what’s up?”

Delaney came out from behind the counter and greeted her with a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming by today. Did you tell me and I forgot? I might be getting pregnancy brain.”

“Can you have pregnancy brain when you’re not even showing?”

“I’m showing.” Delaney leaned back and pulled her apron tight across her stomach, displaying a slight roundness.

“I look like that after a big lunch. Are you sure that’s a baby in that little bump?”

Delaney nodded and laughed. “Yep. I’m almost four months now.”

“Picked out any names yet?”

“Not really. We talk about them a lot, but nothing’s stuck. I’m sure it’ll come to us as we get closer.” Delaney put her hands on her hips. “You look happy. And a little weirded out. What’s going on?”

Roxy shrugged. “I wish I knew. Do you have a minute to talk?” The shop was kind of busy. “I don’t want to take you away from your work. Maybe after you close?”

Delaney waved that idea away. “I have all kinds of time for you. We can go in my office. You want a slice of something? Some truffles? Coffee?”

Roxy eyed the display cases. “Yes, definitely. But there are too many options. I need help. Anything new I haven’t tried yet?”

“Let’s see, what’s new… I’ve got these fireball truffles I just came up with. Plus a new mocha flourless cake. The strawberry champagne bonbons aren’t as new but they’re a summer only thing and I just started stocking them again. Oh, and adult chocolate-covered cherries. You should definitely have one of those.”

“What are adult chocolate-covered cherries?”

“The cherries are soaked in moonshine. I hear they’re good, but I haven’t been able to try them myself.” She patted her stomach. “You’d really be doing me a favor.”

Roxy laughed. “Well, if it’s doing you a favor, how can I not help out a friend?”

Delaney nodded. “Exactly.” She looped her arm through Roxy’s. “C’mon.”

Roxy let Delaney guide her back behind the counters, and a few minutes later, they were in Delaney’s office with two plates of sweets and two small bottles of milk.

Roxy took the chair beside Delaney’s desk and dug into the mocha flourless cake. The coffee-chocolate goodness of it spread across her tongue and raised goose bumps on her arms. “Oh man. I could weep at how good this is.”

Delaney grinned and finished the bite of truffle she’d just taken. “You want a slice to take home?”

“Just one?” Roxy laughed, then shook her head. “I don’t know if it’ll keep in the trunk. I still have some other errands to run. I better not this time. Trust me, this plate will keep me going for a long time.”

“Good.” Delaney sat back in her desk chair. “So what’s up?”

Roxy rested her fork on the edge of her plate. “This is going to sound really strange. It’s the stress of the divorce, I know that’s all it is, but…I…I’m seeing things. Weird things.”

Delaney’s brows lifted, but that’s where the surprise on her face ended. “Like what?”

Roxy rubbed her forehead. “I thought I saw a black panther this morning. I’m pretty sure that was just a weird shadow, or someone’s overgrown house cat, but still. And then when the woman came to install my tank—”

“Undrea?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m embarrassed to even say this, but I could have sworn I saw gills behind her ear. Because of course the woman who owns the fish tank place would have gills.” Roxy groaned and shook her head. “I’m sort of worried that all this stress from moving and getting divorced and being behind on my book is making the stuff I write about come to life.”

Because that’s all it was. Stress. Nothing like what had happened to her mother.

Delaney bit her lip. “Stress does do strange things to people. I don’t think you should worry about it too much. Hey, maybe it’ll give you some new story ideas.”

Roxy leaned in. “Your teeth look odd. Pointed, sort of.”

“What?” Delaney seemed to pale a little. She closed her mouth and then, after a breath, said, “I thought the divorce was final. Didn’t you say it was just a matter of time?”

“Yes, and when I said that, I thought I’d have the signed papers any day. They still haven’t come.” Roxy stabbed another piece of cake. Delaney’s teeth seemed normal now. Weird. “That jerk. He’s really dragging this out. Oh, and get this, because emailing and texting me wasn’t enough, he just sent me this creepy little note asking me if I was enjoying my new house.”

“What?”

She scowled. “He cannot leave me alone. I can’t believe I ever fell for him. He was so different when we first got together. But man, once that ring went on, he changed completely. Absolutely thought that little band of gold made me his property.”

Delaney made a noise of disgust. “The sooner you’re done with him the better.”

“I’ll say.”

“You know what? You need to get out. Spend some time doing something that will take your mind off things. The book can wait a little bit, right? Your fans aren’t going anywhere. Did you get your dad’s car yet? Take it out for a drive maybe—”

Roxy started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Delaney asked.

“I went for a drive. And ended up with a ticket.”

“Oh no! Do you want me to have Hugh take care of that for you? Because he can. And he will.”

“No, no. I already paid it. Plus the officer responsible took me out to lunch.”

Delaney’s mouth hung open. “What? Why didn’t you start with that?” She swatted Roxy’s leg. “Now that’s news. Who was it?”

“Alex Cruz. Do you know him?”

“Ooo, he’s a cutie. I know him a little. Why, you want me to do a little digging on him? Find out how available he is? Help you get to know him?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Roxy smiled. “He’s my neighbor. I think I’ll be getting to know him well enough pretty soon.”

Delaney ate the other half of her truffle. “You couldn’t do better for a neighbor. You’ll never have to worry about crime. Not that you would in this town anyway.”

Roxy looked at her watch. “I’d better go. I still have to get some groceries, and I really need to write a few pages today. Thanks for listening to me and my craziness.”

Delaney put her hand on Roxy’s arm. “I’m here any time you need to talk. I can only imagine how nuts this divorce must be making you. Please don’t hesitate to come by or call. I am so glad you’re here. If I wasn’t pregnant, I swear I’d be dragging you out every night.”

Roxy stood. “I’m glad to be here. Having a friend in town I can rely on is awesome.”

Delaney got up and gave Roxy a quick hug. As she pulled back, she said, “Hey, you want to come over for dinner some night this week?”

Roxy narrowed her eyes. “Is this one of those things where you secretly invite Alex too? Because I’m not looking to get involved. I’m really not. I need time to process this divorce.”

“Nothing like that, I swear. Just dinner, and then I’ll watch you and Hugh drink all the wine I can’t have.”

Roxy snorted. “Sounds good. Text me.”

“I will. You know what else we’re going to do soon?”

“What’s that?”

“A spa day. Maybe even before the dinner, because it sounds like you need it.”

“No argument there.”

“Excellent.” Delaney opened the door. “C’mon, I’ll walk you out.”

On their way back into the shop, Delaney grabbed a bottle of water from one of the big coolers. “Here, take this with you. This isn’t like Jersey. You have to stay hydrated in the South.”

“Thanks.” Roxy stuck the bottle in her purse. “Talk to you soon.”

Delaney waved as Roxy left. She walked back to her car feeling better. The divorce would be over soon, and her life would take on a new normal. It was just going to take time. And maybe in time, she’d give Alex a chance to be more than just a friend.

But for right now, Officer Hotness was going to have to settle for being Nocturne Falls’ sexiest neighbor. One Roxy was really glad she lived next to.