Page 30 of Shifters Unifying

Me: MOM. Promise me.

Mom: Love you.

Me: Love you, too.

Jasper turned to me as I lowered the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“My mom offered to cook us lunch.”

“Uf, aye, that’s the end of the world, innit it?”

“No, that’s not the problem.”

“Well, there’s nothing good as ye mother’s food, lass. It’s been a spell since I’ve had anything as good as a mother’s cooking.”

“Except now she thinks you’re my boyfriend.”

He laughed, loud and boisterous. “I believe that spot in your life is taken.”

“I suppose I might as well tell her about Logan, too. She’s in for a shock when I tell her about shifting anyway, maybe she won’t focus so much on the boyfriend in the middle of it all.”

He wagged his eyebrows and gave me a lecherous look. “She wants grandbaby shifters, does she?”

“How did you guess?”

“Another trait common to mother-dears.” He hit the blinker, and he turned into the parking lot of a small coffee shop with melons and peaches on the sign. The emoji imagery triggered the memory of an uproar in the church crowd of Willow Creek.

“I’ve never been here before.” I studied him through squinted eyes. “Exactly where are we?”

“Best coffee around.” He pulled to a stop at the order window.

When it slid open, a scantily clad twenty-something woman leaned out, pushing her arms together to showcase her ample cleavage. She wore her hair in two long blonde braids, and her name tag read Sunshine.

“Welcome to Peaches and Melons. Coffee with more than a smile!” she said. “I’m Sunshine. What can I get you?”

Jasper leered at me over his shoulder and then leaned toward the young woman. “Whatever you’ll give me.”

“Jasper,” I gasped. “You’re ridiculous. What would Olivia say?”

He made a face, as thought I’d said something foolish. “She’s the one that brought me here the first time! She’d probably want her usual.”

“Oh, my god.” It was all so… so…Jasper.

The humor of it struck me, hard, in the chest, and my laughter bubbled up and spilled out in near hysterics. But it had the side benefit of diffusing all my pent-up concern about everybody I loved in Willow Creek. Maybe that had been Jasper’s intention all along.

“Large… iced… mocha… two extra… es… press…ssssso… shots,” I said between giggles. “P-p-pleassse.”

“Coming right up,” she said, and she slid the window closed with a peppy grin.

“Jasper,” I said.

“Don’t bother me, lass. I’m watching me show,” he growled.

Another belly laugh erupted from me.

The woman returned with our coffees and handed them through the window.

“Do you even like coffee?” I asked.