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?”