Page 61 of The Neighborhood Witch

“Oh, sure,” Alice answered. “I have everything ready downstairs.”

“Well, let’s go take a look.” Esmerelda stepped through the basement doorway.

Alice followed, closing the door shut behind her.

“I don’t think she likes me, Max,” Hugo said, looking down at her. Her tail swept back and forth at the excitement. “No, she definitely likes you.”

The basement was well lit.Empty grape boxes were strewn about the floor. The door leading to the wine cellar was open. The candle wall sconces held back the darkness. Esmerelda closed the door as they entered the cold, damp cellar.

Alice strode over to the wine rack with a spring in her step. The bottles were neatly organized based on their magical properties. They lay ready for packaging and transportation to The Coven Club. Alice stood next to the rack with her head held high and a smile onher face. She arched her back and puffed out her chest. Alice was proud of her work.

“Okay, so we have bottles of Luck… obviously,” Alice said as she recited the wine labels. “We also have Courage, Insight, Happiness, Fertility—be careful who you give that to—Protection, Air Walk, and my personal favorite, Contortion.”

Esmerelda examined the wine racks. She surveyed each bottle, reading the labels. “This is all of them?”

“Yep. All 576 bottles are ready for boxing. Forty-eight crates of wine in total delivered as promised,” Alice replied.

Esmerelda shook her head. “Impressive. Impressive indeed. Especially given the circumstances.”

“Hugo helped me. We did this together.”

Esmerelda turned around and scolded Alice with a narrow-eyed glare, as if she were in trouble. Any sense of pride faded from Alice’s face.

“Did he?”

“He is a very good and capable assistant,” Alice replied.

Esmerelda continued her examination of the bottles. She pulled one out of the rack. A bottle marked “Insight” in black calligraphy lettering set against a faux weathered label. She snapped her fingers. The cork flew out with an audiblepopbefore it landed on the ground. She smelled the wine. She took a sip and sloshed the liquid around in her mouth before drinking it.

“Pretty good,” she said.

“This whole batch has been excellent so far.”

Esmerelda snapped her fingers once more. The cork returned to her hand. She popped it back into place. With a tap, the cork descended back into the bottle’s neck.

“You did good, kiddo. You did good.”

“Thank you. That means a lot,” Alice replied. “And thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“Any time, kiddo. Any time,” Esmerelda said. “But I want you to do something for me.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Leave him.”

“Leave him?” Alice questioned. “I can’t leave him. He lives next door.”

“You shouldn’t have shown him any of this in the first place. Now he knows you’re a witch. We have ways of dealing with him if you want us to,” she offered.

“What?” A shocked expression fell over Alice’s face. “I don’t want him taken care of.”

“I’m only saying it’s an option,” Esmerelda responded.

“Look. He’s a really great guy. He accepts me for who I am. He’s bonded with Galahad—”

“Who’s Galahad?” Esmerelda asked.

“My broom. Hugo named him.”

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