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I heard a noise, and when I turned my glare to Mica, he quickly closed his mouth and nodded. The absolute last thing he ever wanted to do was babysit any of our clients. Then again, not many ever wanted to spend time with a client who was most likely a spoiled and entitled PITA.

I didn’t say anything to any of the others.

I simply walked out the door and into the bright afternoon sun.

I tossed my bag into the passenger’s seat and climbed in behind the steering wheel.

My first thought was to go yell at Ma, but I knew it would truly be a waste of time and energy.

She wouldn’t fix things, she wouldn’t be apologetic, nor would she even see what it was that she did wrong or why.

I loved my parents, and despite everything going on, I always would. Dad was amazing, and he and Ma were mates, but at times, Dad tended to let Ma get away with things because he always looked at her and the things she did through rose-colored glasses.

No, I wouldn’t be stopping by my parents’ place anytime soon.

I started the truck, and instead of going somewhere that I knew would get me nothing more than even more frustrated, I headed home.

I could work in the quiet of my home office, enjoying not having to listen to my brothers going on with life without much care in the world while I continued to follow along behind them and clean up the messes they usually made.

My gorilla grumbled in my head. He was just as upset with our brothers as I was.

Sure, I was the oldest, but at forty-two, I shouldn’t have to put up with their antics.

They were too old to still be acting like they were all in their college days.

I sighed out loud, realizing that the directions of my thoughts weren’t helping me to calm down in the least. If I didn’t calm myself, my gorilla would push out, and next thing, there would be an oversized silverback driving my truck through the streets.

Sure, humans knew about us, and we lived, for the most part, in harmony together.

But how would people react to a gorilla driving through the streets of Whispering Pines?

Most likely not well. Instead, it would probably be best if I did everything I could to calm myself.

At least until I made it home, where it wouldn’t matter that I let my gorilla out to burn off some energy.

It didn’t take too long to make it to the entrance of my neighborhood.

Give it a few more hours, and the evening traffic would have turned my commute into a forty-minute endeavor.

That was often a test of my patience, but my place made it worth it.

I had slowly made it into my own little sanctuary over the years, and despite the uncertainty of the world at times, my gorilla and I always felt at home here.

I drove through the winding and curving roads, making my way back home.

Living in the suburbs wasn’t necessarily my first choice.

I’m not sure it was any shifter’s ideal place to live, but the neighborhood was quiet, and my neighbors weren’t intrusive.

Those were all bonuses for me and my gorilla.

I loved my family, but I only tolerated others, and if I didn’t have to chat with my neighbors, I considered it a good day.

Which brought my mind back to the main reason for my current sour mood.

Ma. I was trying to understand her reasoning for doing what she did, but I absolutely could not come up with any logic for her to do such a thing.

It was upsetting that she signed me up for Mate Match, but it was inexcusable for what she did to whoever this Charlie person was.

He was expecting to meet me. He was looking for a mate and had signed up with the hope that he would be matched with someone he could spend his life with.

I sighed. Why me? Why had Ma decided to throw my name into the pool?

I knew why. I was the oldest, and at forty-two years old, she was of a mind that by now, I should have, at minimum, a mate and two children.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. When did I have time for any of that?

I didn’t. I was mated to Silverback Security and didn’t have time for more in my life.

None of that mattered because I only had a few hours until I was due to meet Charlie for our blind date.

It wasn’t nearly enough time to back out, which I was sure was part of Ma’s overall plan.

How she managed to keep me from receiving the emails with enough time to cancel, I’d probably never know.

She had to have had at least one of my brothers in on it.

How else could she have managed to get my information uploaded in time for me to be matched with someone for tonight’s event?

I pulled into the drive and parked my truck.

After realizing that I had a death grip on the steering wheel, I let go and took a deep breath.

I wasn’t going to take my frustrations out on Charlie.

He was innocent in all of this. He was just looking for a life partner.

Someone to have a family with, I was sure.

First thing to do: figure out what one wore to a Valentine’s Day blind date set up by their mother.

I dropped my keys, phone, and wallet on the table just inside the door before quickly climbing the stairs.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a date.

I hooked up when I needed something more than what my own hand and some of my favorite videos could provide.

There was never a need to figure out what to wear because it wasn’t necessary.

But without a doubt, there would be some sort of dress code for tonight, and although I could fit in at any black-tie event, I didn’t want to make too much of an impression. That wasn’t the endgame here.

My plan was to go, get a free meal, and then let Charlie down gently. He would surely be understanding, wouldn’t he? I couldn’t be the only shifter who had a meddling mother who had decided to sign her grown-ass adult son needed a mate.

I groaned as I shook my head while heading toward my closet.

I wasn’t going to go underdressed, just as I wouldn’t go overdressed.

But a clean pair of slacks and a button-down with a blazer should be appropriate for a meal at such a place, shouldn’t it?

I honestly had no clue, and if there had been a dress code mentioned, I’d not paid enough attention to notice.

Why? Because I was obviously an asshole and didn’t care.

It wasn’t as if I wanted to make an impression. I was just going for the free food.