Her expression softened. “I hope some of that can rub off on you too. I know you’re only here for now, but enjoy it.”
“I am,” I said, holding up a charcoal-gray crystal as if to prove my point.
“No, I meanreallyenjoy it. More than just trekking out once in a blue moon because I practically begged you.”
“You didn’t beg me,” I said.
We continued shuffling through the shelves, reading about the different crystals.
“I saw Oliver yesterday,” she offered casually.
“Oh?” I said, feigning indifference.
“Uh-huh. He asked about you.”
“He did not.” I set down the crystal I was examining and moved to the other side of the shop.
“He really did.” Mattie followed me. “I ran into him at the lodge. He asked how you were doing.”
“He was being polite,” I said. But just talking about him spiked my heart rate.
“You should get his number from Giles. You’re both single…new to town…” She said it in a singsong voice.
“Mattie,” I hissed. “Nothing will be happening between us.”
“You mean happeningagain,” she corrected.
“Right, whatever. That kiss was a temporary lapse in judgment.”
One I had thought about repeating many times since it happened.
Mattie smirked as if she knew exactly the thought going through my head. “Fine, whatever. I still think you should do it. Oliver screams fun. And let’s face it, you could use fun.”
I raised both hands. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Because it’s true.”
Irritated, I marched away from her to a different display. People could see through me like tissue paper. I’d never realized how un-fun I was. Or at least, I hadn’t cared in the past.My fingers traced over a yellowy-white crystal on the shelf in front of me.
“Citrine,” the owner said. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
“Sorry.” I yanked my hand away, but he shook his head.
“No, feel free to touch. That’s how you transfer the energy.”
“Right,” I said, wanting to be polite, but also still not believing any of this in the slightest.
“You’re drawn to that one?” he asked, tapping at the paper.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe?”
He chuckled, as if sensing my skepticism. “Citrine is known as the merchant’s stone. It’s good for wealth and success. Some say it helps attract money and abundance.”
Mattie snorted from the other side of the small store. “Of course that’s the one that drew you in.”
My fingers moved back to the crystal I had been originally tracing, and I closed my hand around it.
Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “You’re actually getting it?”
