He braced the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he stacked family-sized cans of tuna in the pantry. He could probably record his side of the conversation and play it back without his mother even noticing. Fortunately, he had a secret weapon. When his mother took a breath, he slipped in the five magic words sure to change the topic. “Diego finally got a job.”

“Where? When? I hope he’s not working too hard. Is he working too hard? My poor baby.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “He’s bartending at a local place. He just got the job. Tonight’s his second shift. And no, he’s not working too hard. He’s never worked too hard.”

“Now, Alex, your brother was in the service. In the desert! That’s not an easy job. You need to cut him some slack.”

“Slack? Mom, he’s lived in my house for almost a month rent-free, utility-free, everything free. How much more slack can I give him?”

“Just be kind to your brother. He’s had a hard road.”

Alex couldn’t stop the growl that built up in his throat. “I’m sorry, a hard road? In what way?”

“Well, he can’t seem to find a woman who appreciates him.”

The snort of laughter that Alex answered with earned him a long sigh. “Yes, Mom, that’s Diego’s problem. He can’t find a woman. I think he’s found too many women, frankly.” Alex really didn’t want to participate in this conversation. Diego was the baby of the family and always would be where their mother was concerned. He could do no wrong in her eyes. “I love you, Mom, but I need to get ready for –”

“Speaking of women, I understand you’ve met someone.”

She’d obviously been saving that one up, testing him with the initial barrage of questions to see if he’d say something, then yanking that out as a last resort when he didn’t. “I suppose Diego told you that.” Probably as his own out when the conversation went in a direction he didn’t like.

“What’s she like, this new chica?”

“She’s my neighbor. She’s very nice. And I only told Diego I liked her so he would leave her alone.”

“That wasn’t very nice. What if she’s the right woman for him?”

“She’s not.” But she could be the right woman for Alex. If only she were a shifter too. He sighed.

“What was that sigh? You do like her, don’t you?”

“Yes, but not like that. Just as a friend.” Because that’s all he could be. “She’s not a shifter, Mom.”

“So? Witch, vampire, whatever she is. No one gets hung up on labels like that anymore.”

“Really? Not even the label human?”

His mother went silent, a rare and curious moment for both of them. After a long break, Carmen finally spoke. “That’s not what your father and I would want for you. A mixed marriage can be very difficult.”

Alex doubted his father cared half as much as his mother did. “Slow down with the M word. This isn’t even in the same zip code of that ballpark.”

“Does she know what you are?”

“No. And it’s going to stay that way.” At least until Delaney decided otherwise.

“But I thought everyone in your town was some kind of supernatural.”

“Not everyone. Most. But there are still plenty of regular humans who live here too.”

More silence, but this time the pause didn’t last as long. “Do you think she’d understand? If you told her the truth?”

“Not happening.”

“But if you like her—”

“I really need to get ready for work.”

“I just want you to be happy, Alex. You deserve that. You’re a good man, you work hard, you’ve earned the right to be happy and have a family. I want that for you. Unlike Diego, you’ve never given me a reason to worry or lose sleep, but my heart aches for you to find the kind of happiness that your father and I have.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll talk to you soon.” He hung up, a small knot in his throat. It was nice to hear his mother say those sorts of things. And to hear her admit that she understood more about Diego than she let on.

Alex knew he deserved to be happy. Everyone deserved that.

Roxy wasn’t that happiness, though. And that wasn’t a gray area, it was black and white. At least to him. Beyond the fact that she wasn’t interested, beyond the fact that she wasn’t a shifter or any kind of supernatural, she also wasn’t his soul mate.

He’d thought he’d felt that thing that he’d expected to feel, but the more he mulled it over, the less sure he was. He needed to have that sense of absolutely knowing the person across from him was his one true match. And so far, he didn’t. Maybe if Roxy hadn’t been his neighbor, maybe he would have pursued a fling anyway, had some fun and been okay with that.

Except flings weren’t his style and she really had become a friend to him. And while the surge of excitement and interest he felt when she was around was fun, infatuation—or whatever he was feeling—wasn’t something to build a future on.

With an odd sense of disappointment curling through him, he put the last of the groceries away, then went to get dressed.

He might not have a soul mate, but he had his job. And if no woman needed him, the town of Nocturne Falls did.

For now, that had to be enough.

He got to work a few minutes early, so he headed for the sheriff’s office to check in. Birdie was already packing up and getting ready to go home since her day was over.