“Didn’t you say Stella handed you a crystal in the cab?” I ask, and she turns it back around and continues to read.
“Yeah, Cami said it was called apatite. It’s the blue stone I was looking at this morning. Why?”
“Crystals and gems are the same thing, right?”
“Maybe.”
Turning the pages, I stop at the section on crystals and begin to read.
“This says apatite can help people manifest things and reveal truths,” I say, looking up at Claire.
“Mmhmm,” she says, not looking up from her book. “Did you not hear Cami say that earlier?”
The wheels begin to spin in my head, and she slowly looks up at me as she sips from her glass. “You said you told Stella you wondered what it would be like to get a second chance with me while holding it.”
“Did I?” Her eyes shift back down to her book. I can’t believe I hadn’t put it together before.
“So, that would mean…the crystal made you tell the truth, and by saying all that, you manifested being here married to me.”
“Maybe.”
“No, not maybe. That’s definitely what happened.” A wide grin erupts across my face.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She shakes her head. “I knew it. I knew I’d never hear the end of it if you put that together.”
She sips her wine, and my heart blooms in my chest.
“What does that being the truth have to do with getting us home?”
“Because I think the crystals are the answer.”
“What?”
“Think about it. Stella gave you a crystal that brought us here. When I told Ginger you wanted to be an Etsy witch…” She lets out a little snort, causing me to chuckle too. “Stop, I think I’m onto something.”
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“Ginger said it sounded like you had been hanging around Cami too much. Cami sells crystals, and the coffee shop is namedCitrineBrews. Isn’t that one of the crystals she tried to sell us?”
“Oh, my god.” Claire squeals, grabbing my arm. “And she and Stella said the same thing aboutgiving into the magic.”
“Right.” I nod. My eyes find her hand, and she pulls it away. “Stella also said to give into the spirit of the town, and if its history is rooted in mining gemstones, then maybe…”
“Holy shit, you’re right.”
“This says that they all have different purposes, so what if there’s one that could get us home?”
“Okay, but which one?”
“I’m not sure.”
Claire sets the books she’s holding down and moves closer to me, so she can read what I’m reading.
“Maybe it’s the apatite crystal,” I suggest.
“That doesn’t make sense though. I have one of those in my purse. If it would send us home, wouldn’t we already be back?”
“Not necessarily. You stopped telling Stella the truth when you put it down, right?”
