2. Opening Delays
Chapter 2
Opening Delays
T he sun peeked through the light gray clouds that blanketed the midday sky. Hugo took Alice’s hand as they approached the Raskin’s Neighborhood Market. He rubbed his thumb in circles to send love messages he knew she wouldn’t decipher, but her body would understand. Hugo risked a peek at Alice’s face and smiled.
“Do you think they’re still mad at you?” Alice asked with a returning grin.
“Nah,” Hugo said. He thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. It’s all good. I explained to them what happened. I owe them for the cost of the false alarm . . . and maybe the late night wake-up call, but nothing major. I’m glad Gwennie took off and didn’t get caught.”
“Broomsticks tend to scatter when startled.”
“Gally never scattered,” Hugo said.
“Gally thought he was a dog,” Alice replied. “He probably picked up some bad habits from Max.”
Hugo chuckled. “Oh, no doubt. Luckily, Gwennie hid on the roof.”
“She’s a good broomstick. Young, but good,” Alice said as she locked arms with Hugo. “I think the cop was more startled to see me.”
They approached the front entrance. Shoppers came and went as they conducted their Saturday errands. Hugo and Alice passed through the automatic doors as a gush of air descended upon them. Alice quickly secured her curved witch’s hat before it went flying off her head.
“One day, I’m going to lose my hat to that thing.”
“It would be hilarious to watch you chase after your hat,” he replied with a sly smile. “Unable to use your magick in front of everyone. Scrambling around the parking lot for it.”
“Oh, there’d be magick,” Alice replied with a Cheshire grin. “Believe that. I’m not chasing after this thing.”
The store was bustling with activity, far busier than a typical Saturday crowd. There were candy stations setup through the store, so kids could trick-or-treat while their parents shopped for their weekly groceries. It was the Saturday before Halloween and, most importantly, the launch day for The Neighborhood Witch .
No one greeted them as they entered. Someone always welcomed customers into the store. Oliver wanted to welcome customers like an old friend returning for a visit.
Hugo focused on the registers as they continued past. Two were empty, very unusual for a Saturday. The other registers had lines stretching back into the aisles. The cashiers frantically hurried to get the customers through their lines as quickly as possible. They didn’t have time for the usual pleasantries.
Hugo and Alice made their way through the store toward the deli counter. They were expecting Oliver to be holding court, but he was absent.
“Huh,” Hugo said. “Oliver’s usually hanging out here.”
“Maybe he stepped away,” Alice said.
Hugo smiled at Alice with a mischievous grin. “Let’s go check out the display. Maybe they’re over there.”
They followed a familiar path to the wine section. There was a crowd of people checking out the new wine, holding and examining the bottle. Some people placed it back on the shelves. Others put the bottle in their carts. Alice turned to Hugo, a twinkle in her eye, grinning ear to ear.
“They’re buying my wine. In a real store,” she said in a hushed tone to Hugo.
“I’m so proud of you. Congratulations,” Hugo said. He hugged her and gave her a quick kiss on top of her hat.
“You missed,” she said.
“Did I?” he asked with a coy smile.
“Look, Mommy, it’s the witch from the picture!” a small child belted out. “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”
A small boy, standing next to Alice, caught her attention. She bent down to meet the child at his level. “What do you think? What kind of witch am I?”
The boy thought for a moment and said, “A good witch?”
Alice smiled. “And why am I a good witch?”
The boy paused for a moment. “Because your hair is purple. I like purple.”
Hugo laughed. Alice side-glanced to him with a Cheshirish grin.
“I’m sorry,” the boy’s mother said. “He’s five and says whatever is on his mind.”
“It’s okay,” Alice said, turning her attention back to the boy.
“I like her hair too,” Hugo said.
“Are you excited for Halloween?” Alice asked.
“Yep,” he answered.
“Me too. Are you going to get lots of candy?”
“Yep,” he answered once again.
“It’s my favorite part. That and a bit of mischief,” Alice replied.
The boy laughed.
Alice stood up, raising her arms above her head. “Now, my little minion, go forth and cause as much chaos and mischief as possible.”
The boy giggled as he rushed behind his mom .
“Thank you,” the mother said. “I love that they hired someone to dress up as a witch, especially with Halloween coming up.”
“Oh, this isn’t a—” Alice paused and nodded her head. “Thank you.”
“She’s the model for the wine label,” Hugo added. “Doesn’t she look the part?”
“Absolutely,” the mother said. “Congratulations.” She strolled off with her son.
Hugo draped his arm over Alice’s shoulder. “So, is purple hair the difference between good and bad witches?”
“Hardly,” Alice replied.
“There you two are,” a voice said.
They turned around to see Carol Raskin standing behind them.
“So, how do you like the display?” Carol asked.
“I love it. It’s far more than anything I could have asked for. Thank you,” Alice said.
“Well, it was all Hugo’s idea,” Carol said as she gave Hugo a hug. “Speaking of which, if you’re going to sneak in at night, next time remember the alarm code.”
“It was all his idea, Mrs. Raskin,” Alice said, pointing to Hugo.
“I smoothed things over with the police,” Hugo said, smacking his hands together. “Mostly.”
“Getting phone calls in the middle of the night isn’t fun,” Carol said.
“You should know better, Mr. Dodds,” Alice said, moving next to Carol. She crossed her arms. “We’re very disappointed in you.”
“It won’t happen again,” Hugo said. “I promise.”
“That’s okay, sweetie,” Carol said. “How did the other thing go?”
Hugo shook his head no and waved his hand to motion for Carol to stop asking.
“What other thing?” Alice asked.
“Max,” Carol said. “How are things going with Max?”
“Max is Max. Still very much a puppy,” Hugo said .
“How does she get along with your new . . . well, you know?” Carol asked.
“Max tries to get it to play, but—” Hugo started.
“It’s not really in a playful mood,” Alice finished.
“Well, you two be careful on that thing. It makes me nervous when you’re are flying up there,” Carol said. “Maybe wear a helmet or something.”
“We’re always careful,” Hugo said. “Short staffed today?”
“It’s the oddest thing,” Carol said. “We’ve had so many people call off sick the past few days.”
“Something’s going around,” Oliver said as he approached the group. “I think half the staff is sick.”
“Sick?” Hugo said.
“They called in saying they felt tired and weak and wouldn’t be able to make it in,” Oliver explained. “They were perfectly fine the day before. It hit them all at once.”
“Odd,” Alice said.
Oliver turned his attention to Alice. “So, what do you think?”
“I love it,” Alice said. “Thank you so much. It means the world to me.”
“Well, thank you,” Oliver said. “I think we’re going to really move some wine.”
“Being in the store is a dream come true for me,” Alice said.
“Do you need any help?” Hugo asked. “I mean, it’s been a few years, but I can jump behind a register if you need me.”
“Don’t worry about it, we’re fine,” Carol said.
“We don’t do fine, Mrs. Raskin,” Alice said. “We can help. Hugo can scan and I’ll bag.”
“Are you certain? I don’t want to bother you two on your big day,” Carol said.
“Nonsense,” Hugo said. “You’re not bothering us. We’d be glad to help.”
“They want to help. Let them help,” Oliver said. “Consider us even after last night’s wake up call. ”
“I’m sorry about that,” Hugo said. “It won’t happen again.”
“Besides, we’d have The Neighborhood Witch bagging groceries,” Oliver added. “We can move even more product. Keep a couple bottles with you up at the register.”
“Always thinking of some gimmick,” Carol said. “Oh, okay.”
Hugo turned to Alice. “Now you get to see me in action. I mean, it’s been a long time, but it’s just like riding a bike, right?”
“Didn’t you take this job to spend time with Elizabeth only to quit a few weeks later?” Oliver asked.
Hugo turned to Oliver. “In my defense”—he raised his hands, trying to find a suitable answer—“our schedules didn’t line up. I couldn’t talk to her while doing the job, and I totally took the job because I wanted to talk to her. This will be different.”
“Yeah,” Alice said. “I’ll be the one quitting early because I can’t talk to Hugo while doing the job.” She winked at him.
He rolled his eyes.
“Well, any help is appreciated,” Carol said. “Thank you, sweetie.”
“Here, I’ll walk you up there and get a register going for you,” Oliver said as he picked up a few bottles from the shelf.
Oliver and Alice headed toward the checkout.
“Hugo, sweetie, wait a moment,” Carol said, touching his arm as if to hold him back.
“I’ll meet you up front,” Hugo said.
As soon as Oliver and Alice disappeared behind the corner, Carol asked, “Did she say no?”
Hugo chuckled. “I never got to ask. The police arrived as I started to ask her. I had my hand on the box when they knocked on the doors.”
Carol smiled and shook her head. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“It was the perfect moment, but there’ll be another time, right? Besides, I felt like I was going to take away from her celebration, anyway.”
“She would have loved it,” Carol said.
“Her reflection told me so. She wasn’t exactly happy it didn’t happen,” Hugo added. “She kept going on about how she can’t wear her ring until I give it to Alice. She’s threatening to spill the secret for me to hurry up.”
“You’re still going to ask her, right?” Carol asked.
“Of course. I would do it Halloween night, but we already have plans. We have dinner reservations for next Saturday to celebrate. So, I’ll have to fall back on Plan B.”
Carol smiled and gave Hugo a hug. “She’ll love it. Trust me.”
“I certainly hope so.”