1. La Vie En Vino

Chapter 1

La Vie En Vino

T wo wineglasses clinked together in the ethereal glow of the autumn moon. The whitish-blue hue bathed the trees of Wildgrove Park in light, fighting against the darkness of the night. It was still. Calm. Not a cloud in the sky. To Alice Primrose, it was perfect.

Alice and Hugo sat on a blanket in a clearing. A small picnic basket nestled between them. They each took a sip of their wine, sloshing it around in their mouths before drinking. Alice basked in the glow of the moon. She breathed in deeply. The smell of the crisp autumn air. The mustiness of the fallen leaves. It was heaven.

“So, Mr. Wine Connoisseur, what are your thoughts?” she asked Hugo.

“Well, it’s bold and fruity,” he replied.

“Bold and fruity, huh? You always say bold and fruity,” Alice teased.

“Let me finish,” Hugo responded with a sly smile. “It’s bold and fruity?—”

“We’ve established that,” Alice interjected .

“With a hint of sweetness that conjures the image of passion. Sexiness,” he said with a sultry gaze.

She lost herself in the gaze of his icy blue eyes. His eyebrows arched to complement his seductive smile. Alice bit her lips and blushed.

She averted her eyes, peering into her glass before asking, “Sexiness? Did you put it on the label?”

“No,” Hugo replied. “But Oliver wanted to put it on the label. Right under your silhouette. He said it would sell more wine.” Hugo took another sip.

“Did you? Please tell me you didn’t.”

“Carol wouldn’t let us,” Hugo said. “Are you sure you didn’t add anything magical to this wine? It’s making me feel something.”

Alice took another sip. “Other than how it was made, nope. It’s pure wine.” Alice paused. With a hint of panic in her voice, she asked, “Why? Is something wrong? What are you feeling?”

Hugo finished his glass and set it in the picnic basket. He moved the basket back, removing all barriers between him and Alice. He leaned in. The smell of his vanilla and cedar cologne, combined with the worn leather of his jacket, tantalized Alice’s senses. An unseen force emanated from Alice to Hugo, beckoning him to move closer to her, to touch her. He stopped short, teasing her, torturing her. She loved it.

“My stomach is twisted in knots. My heart beats uncontrollably. Madness runs through my mind. My soul aches for you. It’s driving me crazy. Surely, you put a spell on me,” Hugo proclaimed in a low, husky voice.

Alice leaned in, inviting, daring him to kiss her. Their lips hovered mere inches away, ready to remove the gap which separated them from their desires.

She whispered, “What if I did? Would that make me a bad witch? We’re in the woods, after all. Don’t bad witches live in the woods?”

Hugo removed Alice’s wide-brimmed, curvy, pointed hat and tossed it onto the ground. “I don’t think you’re a bad witch. ”

“Be careful. I may lure you to my house,” Alice whispered.

“And then what?”

“You’ll just have to find out.”

“I look forward to it,” he replied.

His hand traced the contours of her jaw as it worked its way behind. His hand cradled the back of her head. His fingers entwined in her purple hair. He leaned in.

Their lips finally met in soft, tender embraces. Their tongues danced a familiar tango. A passionate union of two souls melded together by the fires of twin flames. Alice closed her eyes. The world faded away, leaving only the two of them behind. They lost themselves in all reality, time, and space. There was nothing else, only their love.

Alice leaned back to the ground and Hugo followed, never breaking their union. He caressed her head so it met the ground softly and safely. He leaned over her. Their hearts beat as one. His body shielded her from the night sky.

They broke their union. Alice’s lips tingled, longing for more. She caught her breath, opened her emerald green eyes, and fixated onto his icy blues.

“So, am I a bad witch?” Alice asked.

He smirked. “What if I’m a witch hunter, secretly seducing you to bring you in?” Hugo playfully asked, staring down into her emerald green eyes.

“Then I’ll sic my broomstick on you,” Alice replied. Her voice grew louder. “Broomstick, attack Hugo.”

They both peeped a glance toward the grayish-white, ash broomstick floating behind them. It continued floating there. Unmoving. Uncaring of the command.

Alice frowned. “Broomstick, help me. Get Hugo.”

It didn’t move.

“Is it okay?” Hugo asked as he rolled off Alice.

A sense of disappointment doused the internal flames of desire building up inside of her.

He sat up. “I mean, the process didn’t like half work, did it?”

Alice sat up, keeping her eyes on the floating broomstick. “No, it . . . it worked. It has a different personality than Galahad did.”

“Maybe he needs a name,” Hugo said. “I named the last one. You have to name this one.”

“That’s the thing,” Alice said. “I don’t think it’s a he. I think it’s a she. When I conducted the creation ritual, I sensed an internal fury. A rage. A feminine rage. Hidden behind a poised facade. I know it too well.”

“Okay, so it’s a she. What are you naming her?”

“Well, since you named the last one after a knight of the round table, let’s keep it an Arthurian name. What about Guinevere?” Alice glanced toward Hugo with a sly smile.

“I love it. Guinevere.”

“Gwennie for short.” Alice traced a finger along Hugo’s chest. The black leather was soft to her touch. Her internal fires reignited. “Shall we continue?”

“After you lure me back to your house,” Hugo said as he stood. “I have something I want to show you first.”

Alice pouted. “Show me?”

“Yeah,” he said as he sauntered over to Guinevere. He used two fingers to pet Guinevere on the end of the broomstick handle. His fingers traced the cracked grooves of her bark. “Nice to meet you, Guinevere. I look forward to many adventures together.”

He flung his leg over the broomstick and sat on the brown leather saddle seat. He tapped the area behind him, inviting Alice to join him. “Hop on.”

“Where are we going?” Alice asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Hugo answered.

“Tell me.”

“Generally, surprises are left secret until you reveal them. Come on. Hop aboard.”

“Fine.” Alice stood and grabbed her witch’s hat. She secured it on her head and took her place behind Hugo. With a snap of her fingers, the blanket folded neatly into a square. Another snap returned the blanket, bottle, and glasses to a basket. Once the contents returned, the basket lifted and flew to Alice. She tied the handle to a strap under the seat. “Where to?”

“As I said, it’s a surprise. Hold tight.”

Alice wrapped her arms around Hugo, holding him tightly. She rested her chin on his shoulder. Her breath teased at his ear.

He peeked back and smiled. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Hugo leaned forward and shouted, “Yaw!”

The broomstick took off. They flew out of Wildgrove Park, careful not to hit any of the tree branches attempting to strike them out of the night sky.

They raced toward the muted glow of Newbury Grove off in the distance. The trees were like blurry streaks beneath them. They passed above the town center. It was the witching hour, the time between 3 and 4 a.m. They were the only souls awake. Normally, they had a rule to stay away from the town center while flying to avoid a repeat of last March—back when Hugo flew across the sky, in front of a crowd of onlookers, as he raced to rescue Alice from the torment of the amulet of witch’s fire.

Tonight was different. Alice allowed him to give her this view. This beautiful view of the turn of the twentieth-century buildings passing beneath them. Hugo pulled back to slow their speed, to not spoil this moment for Alice. She took it all in. The brightly colored awnings. Ornate light fixtures bathed the town center in an orangish glow. Neatly trimmed trees lined the street. This was her home. Their home.

Alice hugged Hugo tighter, wanting him to be as close to her as possible. She kissed him on the shoulder. He side-glanced back at her and smiled before banking to the left. They were following the streets below.

The building with the black-and-white striped awning came into view. The unmistakable, cursive black lettering. Raskin’s Neighborhood Market.

Alice gave a curious look. “What are we doing here?”

“I told you it’s a surprise,” Hugo said.

Hugo maneuvered Guinevere to the back of the building. Alice snapped her fingers, and the area darkened to conceal their arrival from any onlookers. Their feet meet the ground with a cushioned touch as they landed. They disembarked and Hugo moved over to a door with an alarm.

“Are we breaking and entering?” Alice asked with a smile.

“Nah,” Hugo said. “They trust me with the code. It’s fine.”

Hugo punched in a code on the security keypad. The door unlocked.

He opened it, holding and gesturing for her to go inside. “After you.”

Alice smiled and said, “Gwennie, wait here.” She entered the building with Hugo following behind her.

They were in the back loading area. Pallets of non-perishable items waited to be put on shelves. Hugo examined an electrical box on the wall. He flipped a few switches, and the entire store lit up.

“Follow me,” Hugo commanded.

He proceeded through a swinging door. Alice followed.

They exited the loading area down a hallway leading to the main store. Alice followed Hugo as he forged a path through the lines of shelves. They passed by the deli counter, where only a year ago she told Hugo she would have said yes to a date if he had asked her out on the fateful night they first met. She was glad he had eventually asked her out.

“It’s over here,” Hugo said. “Wait. Close your eyes.”

Alice stopped and did as commanded. “What is this?”

“It’s your surprise. Trust me. Give me your hand,” Hugo said.

Alice stuck out her hand, and he took it.

“Follow me.” He led her down an aisle.

“I feel silly. ”

“That’s okay. We can be silly together.”

Alice tingled at his familiar phrase, conjuring images in her mind of when they stomped grapes together.

“Keep them closed.”

“They’re closed,” she assured him.

“Okay, stop. Now open your eyes.”

She did as instructed. Her mouth dropped with joyous glee. She covered the lower half of her face with her hands. The shock overwhelmed her. Tears formed in her eyes. She was motionless, frozen in time, not wanting to waste a second of the moment as it filled her soul.

Before her was a grand display. Multiple shelves of greenish-black bottles, neatly arranged in rows, glistened in the glow of the store lights. A cardboard cutout of Alice’s silhouette stood next to the display. A banner hung above the shelves. An image of a witch riding a broom in front of the moon separated the two phrases “The Neighborhood Witch” and “Locally Brewed Wine” on the banner.

Alice approached the shelves. She dropped her hands and picked up a bottle. Her thumb traced the rectangular, dark purple label, exploring every bump and elevated line. In the center, there was a black silhouette of a witch from the waist up. She wore a curved, pointed, wide-brimmed hat and was snapping her fingers. A white line framed the image. The Neighborhood Witch was written across the bottom in a white font invoking the language of secret arcane knowledge.

Alice held the bottle, not wanting to let go. This was her bottle. This was her wine. This was her dream. Everything she ever wanted. She had her own wine in a store, not hidden away in some clandestine bar. Not anymore. She was on the store shelves. She made it.

“I helped them set up the display earlier today. Do you like it?” Hugo asked.

Alice pulled her eyes from the greenish-black bottle, tears running down her face.

Hugo’s gleeful expression changed to one of worry. “If . . . if you don’t like it, I can have the Raskins make a new label. This was only the first batch from the supplier.”

“I love it. It’s perfect.”

Hugo breathed a sigh of relief. Alice put the bottle back on the shelf and hugged Hugo. He wrapped his arms around her as they embraced.

“Thank you. This means the world to me.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Hugo said.

“I love you, Hugo Dodds.”

“I love you too, neighborhood witch.”

They chuckled.

“It’s the best Samhain present anyone could give me.”

“Don’t you mean Sauin?” he asked with a wink.

She let go of Hugo to glare at him with a coy smile.

“Come on. I’m going to show you what happens when I lure you back to my house.” She grabbed Hugo’s hand to lead him back home.

“Before we go, I have one more surprise,” Hugo said.

Her face beamed with glee. “Oh. Another surprise?”

Hugo averted his gaze to the floor, biting his lower lip. He rocked back and forth, as if he was unsure of what to do next. Alice waited, her smile shrinking.

“I honestly didn’t think I would ever be doing this again,” Hugo said, never taking his eyes off the floor.

“Do what?” Alice asked.

“I thought things were over. Done. I was riding out time and waiting for . . . I don’t know what. And then I met you. You changed everything. Thank you.”

“Hugo . . . you’re welcome.” The smile faded from Alice as her joyful mood succumbed to Hugo’s somber tone. “You’ve done more for me than anyone. You changed me too. This is possible because you helped me make it happen.”

Hugo’s gaze met hers. Tears in his eyes, he smiled and nodded. “I’ve struggled to find the right words because I didn’t want to mess this up.”

“You haven’t messed anything up.”

“Alice Primrose,” Hugo said as he delved into his pocket. “You’re the adventure of a lifetime, and I?—”

Red and blue lights filled the grocery store. Banging noises against the front sliding doors echoed throughout the store. Hugo and Alice snapped their attention to the newfound commotion.

“I forgot to disarm the security alarm after we entered. Shit.”

Hugo and Alice froze, checking with each other for clues on what to do next.

“Run?” Alice asked.

“No. I’ll talk to them. The Raskins are going to be pissed tomorrow.”

“You talk to them. I better get Gwennie in case they went around back.” Alice took off, running for the back exit.