Mattie thrust the sweater into my hands. “Are you forgetting they’re taking another Alaskan cruise in a few months? Feel it. Isn’t it soft?”
The texture was indeed plush and luxurious. I fought the desire to bring it up to my cheek and nuzzle against it.
“I’m getting it,” Mattie insisted. “And I’m buying you this green one.” She held up an oversized cable-knit sweater that I’d been admiring when we first walked into the boutique.
“You don’t have to do that,” I protested, but she wasalready moving toward the checkout counter with the sweaters and a few additional items in hand.
Mattie had taken the day off today and insisted on showing me around Key Ridge. So far, that had entailed eating breakfast at her favorite diner, then she took me over to the small reservoir at the edge of town. The surface of the water was frozen and littered with cars and tents. She’d insisted it was fully solid, but I still couldn’t imagine feeling confident enough in nature to drive a car out to the middle of a lake. We’d walked around the outskirts of the reservoir before heading back to Main Street.
Now she was dragging me into every shop in town for a little retail therapy.
My mood had recovered a bit since arriving in Key Ridge a few days ago. While cheery might be too extreme of a word, I had at least stopped outright sulking. Mostly.
The job pool wasn’t great. So far, I’d only received rejections, but I was holding out hope. My résumé was good—I knew it was. Someone would see that and give me a call. They had to.
“There’s a crystal shop next door.” Mattie looped her arm through mine and led me back outside. She handed me the bag since she was already holding a few in her other hand. Even though this retail therapy was supposed to be for me, Mattie was doing most of the spending. I was financially responsible, and my savings were great. But not dropping money on clothes and random little trinkets was exactly how I’d be able to keep it great, especially when I had no idea when my next paycheck would be coming in.
“Crystals?” I shot her a puzzled look.
“Right. Like energy and manifestation and all that jazz.” She wiggled her fingers.
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe in all that, do you?”
“It’s fun,” Mattie said as we walked outside, lingering in the crisp air for only a second before approaching the shop next door. Inside, the smell of incense overwhelmed all of my senses. The whole place was lined with shelves, crystals of all different sizes and colors scattered everywhere.
“Welcome in.” The owner sat behind the counter. At least I assumed he was the owner. He had long hair and half-moon spectacles pushed down the bridge of his nose. He looked exactly like the type of person who would own a crystal shop in a mountain town.
The crystals were grouped by type, and each section had a piece of paper taped to the shelf, describing what the crystal was and what it was good for.
“This is silly,” I whispered.
“Fun,” Mattie repeated, picking up a purple and green crystal the size of a golf ball and turning it over in her hands. “Besides, if anyone could use some positive energy right now, it’s you.”
“Thanks for that.” I lightly shoved her, but we were both smiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent a whole day with just my sister. We’d always been close, but living on opposite sides of the country meant significantly less time together.
“I’m happy you’re finally out of that dark basement. I can practically see the color returning to your face,” she said.
“I’m hardly down there,” I insisted, even though I knew for a fact that yesterday, I only came up to the main floor once to down a slice of pizza Giles had picked up.
“Any leads?” Mattie asked, setting back down the crystal and moving on to a collection of pink ones.
“Not really,” I sighed, deflated. “Hardly anyone is hiring.”
“Something will happen eventually. It hasn’t even been a week.” Mattie offered me a sympathetic smile. “At least you’re here and not stuck in your condo in Atlanta. I’m so happy I get to finally show you around and spend time with you. It seriously feels like it’s been ages.”
“It has been too long.” Guilt crept into my voice.
Mattie had offered to buy me a plane ticket out here a number of times, but I’d always had an excuse not to come. And all of those excuses revolved around being busy with something or other at work. It was strange to think back on it. What had I thought was so important that I couldn’t take time off? Clearly, I was wrong because they had let me go without a second thought. They didn’t even ask me any questions about the projects that were on my plate—the same ones I thought weresovital—as I was on my way out the door. I had let them run my life, and to them, I was completely expendable.
“I’m glad I’m here too,” I admitted. “But it’s still weird to see you so at home here.”
“Really?” Mattie scrunched her nose. “I’m so used to it by now.”
“You’re different here,” I concluded. My sister had this glow about her that she’d never had before. The glow of being utterly content and happy. This town—and Giles—had brought this newfound life into her eyes that she hadn’t had before.
“Different good?” she asked.
“Very good.”
