“Only her mother, really. I haven’t had any of those from anyone else.”
“Yet,” Mason said. “You haven’t had any of those yet. You will. Lila might be a beloved fixture in town because she runs the diner, but everyone knows Jade because she works at the bank.”
“We sure know how to pick ’em, don’t we.”
“Actually, about that … Lila is my mate.”
Parker pulled the phone away from his face before looking down at it. “Huh. Really. That’s interesting.”
“Yeah, it is. I was shocked when I felt it.”
Parker frowned. “What? Why would you be shocked?”
“Because of the way it happened. I didn’t know she was my mate for a little while. It’s like,” before Mason went on, he seemed to choose his words carefully. “You know that freaky thing with the electricity in town?”
“And how no one seems to mind one bit?”
“Yeah, exactly. Well, I think that whatever makes everything glitch out like that impacts us shifters and our mates.”
Parker actually gasped. “What? That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of anything that can actually impact the mate sense. Are you saying it’s dulled?”
“Not dulled, exactly. Eventually, I did feel it. It’s more of a delay,” Mason explained. “So I guess I’m telling you in case you have an issue with the mate thing.”
“What do you mean?” Parker asked.
“Well, if you don’t want to find your mate, you’ve come to the right place, given the glitch. But if you do want to find your mate, then maybe think about your relationship with Jade.”
Parker thought about this for a few moments. “We don’t exactly have a relationship yet, but it’s something I’d like to consider.”
“Sure. I just thought I’d give you a heads up.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, I guess. I just don’t understand why the local shifters aren’t actively trying to fix the glitch if it messes with the mate sense.”
“That’s the thing. Every time the town elders say they’re going to look into the glitch, nothing happens. They say that nothing can be done, and the townspeople just accept it. Even the shifters. It’s almost like shifters have been moving here for a while now tonothave a mate sense, but I know how ridiculous that sounds.”
“Ridiculous,” Parker repeated. “Right. Why would anyone want to dull part of their shifter senses?”
“Actually, what made me think this was happening? My brother. The sheriff. He had his heart and ass handed to him by love a little while ago. Shortly after that happened, he took the job here as sheriff.”
“And you really think that his breakup would make him move to a town where he would never know if he did meet his mate?”
“It was a little bit more complicated than a mere breakup, but yeah. I think that with the right amount of pain, we can do anything to protect ourselves.”
“Shit, you’re right.” Parker’s head was spinning. “This is a lot of information.”
“And to think, all you wanted was dating tips.”
“Hey, now!” Parker interjected. “That’s not what I was looking for at all.”
Mason chuckled. “I’m just messing with you. Follow your instincts, man. I’m sure you’ll do great. And don’t forget we’re fishing on Sunday morning. Just don’t bring up the mate stuff in front of Cohen. It will only put him in a bad mood, and no one wants a grumpy Cohen.”
“Umm, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cohennotgrumpy.”
“Sure you have. He’s been a right ray of sunshine since he moved here.”
“Shit, if that’s him happy, I never wanna see him in a bad mood.”
“Exactly,” Mason said. “Exactly. See ya Sunday.”