Page 24 of Highlands Summer Wedding

I cleared my throat. “We’re just… It’s easy being around him. Plus he knows the area, so…”

“Say no more,” Caitlin said. “We’ll be there. Sounds like someone needs supervision!”

“Angus,” I pleaded, “help?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “An ex-boyfriend and two sisters having a tiff? I’m staying well out of it. Now let’s get you into town before this conversation gets any more awkward.”

CHAPTER 10

We shopped throughout the town, which had a surprising number of camping and hiking supply stores.

“It’s because tourists come up here without realizing they would need all this gear. They buy tickets to Scotland and picture themselves strolling through groves of heather whilst petting Highland coos, completely forgetting that it’s cold and wet here,” explained Angus.

“Even in the summer,” said Caitlin with a smile.

Angus nodded in agreement. “Not unlike Boston. You keep your winter coat out until May.”

“Sometimes June!” I added.

We wandered through the shop. Caitlin bought waterproof hiking boots, and Angus bought a windbreaker. I bought wool socks and a water bottle. Like other tourists, I hadn’t planned on doing much hiking while planning my sister’s wedding.

The gift shops were full of local photography, paintings, and jewelry. One necklace stopped me in my tracks. It featured a deep green stone I didn't recognize. A pair of smoky quartz earrings lay near it. I picked them both up.

As I approached the register, the clerk smiled at me. “Lovely choice. Shall I gift wrap it for you?”

“Um, no thank you, they’re for me.”

“Lovely,” she repeated. “Do you know about the properties?”

“Properties?” Was she talking about real estate?

The clerk brightened, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Scottish marble. Protective stone—fishermen wore it for safe travel. Connects you with the natural world, if you’re ready for that.”

I smiled, and she continued. “It also can give a sense of stability and security. They can help one let go of stress and anxiety. This makes it useful for personal growth and finding positive relationships.”

Whatever I was thinking must’ve shown on my face because she laughed.

She pursed her lips. “Best to wear it straightaway, I think. It can’t do any harm, and this stone called out to you, so you should listen.”

I let her help me with the clasp as I put the necklace on. It did look good.

Curious, I nodded to the smoky quartz. “What about this stone?”

“Well, I mean everything has a vibration. Whether it’s a lump of coal or a diamond, there’s an energy. These are smoky quartz, the national gem of Scotland. It was a stone of power worn by the Druids and Celts. It can dispel negative energy, provide protection, and help you bring your dreams and desires into reality.”

All that from a pair of earrings from a gift shop?

“Here’s a little information that usually comes in the box.” She smiled brightly and wrapped it all in tissue paper before putting it in a beautiful purple bag with a thistle on it.

In the next shop, Caitlin tried on sweaters and capes, finally settling on an Isle of Skye tartan plaid. “This is so gorgeous, Abby! The purple represents the heather, greens are the peat moss, or maybe that’s the lochs and sea, I can’t remember. And the brown represents the Cuillin mountains.”

“I love it!”

Caitlin twirled around in her cape. “What time are we meeting Max for dinner?”

I checked my watch. “In about a half hour.”

“We should head over there, then.”