Page 86 of The Neighborhood Witch

“Well,” Hugo said. “Yeah. I guess. We can always switch seats if you want, in case it feels awkward.”

Alice turned around and stepped in front of Hugo to stop him. She peered intently into his icy blue eyes and leaned in. The smell of his cedar and vanilla infused cologne tantalized her senses. A tingle ran down her back. Many thoughts of pleasure and ecstasy overwhelmed Alice, none of which were why she decided to confront Hugo directly to his face.

Later, she thought before giving him a sly smile.

Hugo took a step back. His eyes widened as Alice leaned closer.

“Do you know why I like to sit there?” she asked.

“Umm. No. I guess I don’t.”

Her smile grew and her voice hushed to keep the answer only between them. “I’m guessing you don’t know why Elizabeth liked to sit there, either.”

Hugo blankly stared back. Alice refused to blink. The tension built between them. Hugo shifted in his stance. Her smile grew. He relented and blinked a few times. The tension faded away as he glanced down.

“I guess I don’t.”

“You have much to learn, Hugo Dodds. That seat not only gives me a great view of you against the backdrop of the town, but it has a great view of the moon as well. And as you know, I —” Alice’s words trailed off as they urged him to finish the sentence.

He replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone. “I know. I know. You never miss a beautiful moon.”

“Well”—Alice tilted her head back with her Cheshirish grin—“maybe you do know something, after all.”

Hugo clutched his ring finger. He let go as soon as he found the finger barren. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised her right eyebrow. Alice tilted her head and placed a hand on her hips.

Hugo shrugged his shoulders and lifted his left hand for her to see the empty finger. “Habit.”

She gave him a wink and continued walking. Hereyes lingered on Hugo for as long as possible.

“Watch out!” Hugo yelled.

He grasped Alice’s arm, but could not stop her from colliding face-to-face with a passerby. They reeled back at the force of meeting head-on and covered their face with their hands.

“I’m so sorry,” Alice offered as she assessed the damage done with her fingers. Nothing was bleeding or broken, merely numbed from the collision. “That was entirely my fault.”

“I think I’m okay,” the woman said. “It was an accident. It happens.”

Alice raised her head and held her breath. Her eyes widened, and her body tensed. The world slowed. Emotions swirled, and she was filled with anxiety and loneliness and heart ache. Alice stepped back. Her mouth quivered at the sight of a woman with golden blonde hair that emerged from beneath a red knit cap.

“How did you find me?” Alice asked in a low, hushed tone. “They told me you wouldn’t be able to find me.”

She raised her right hand. A glow of purple energy formed in her palm as it raised waist high. The arcane bolt was ready to strike at its target—her ex-lover and betrayer—Sam. The purple energy dissipated as Hugo grabbed her arm and forced it down to interrupt the magick spell.

“Excuse me?” the woman asked as she lowered her hands.

“You’re not Sam.” Alice took in the stranger with a red knit cap all too similar to the one Sam wore. Alice gasped at the thought that she had nearly attacked an innocent bystander. “I’m… I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

She squatted down and buried her head into her arms. Her hat once again shielded her from the outside world as it had the last time she had a panic attack. Her breathing labored as she tried to soothe her frayed nerves. Her mind clouded as the world spun out of control.

“Is she okay?” the woman asked.

Hugo squatted next to Alice. He braced a hand against her back. “She’ll be fine. Are you okay?” Hugo asked the woman in the red knit cap.

“I think I’m okay. I’m sorry if I…” her words trailed off. “Does she need help?”

Alice rocked back and forth to the rhythmic beats of her labored breaths. She pulled her arms closer and tapped her shoulders. A technique she learned to help calm herself in the middle of one of her attacks.

“I think she needs a moment. I got it,” Hugo replied. “I’m sorry again.”

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