Page 86 of The Neighborhood Ghost

Alice and Hugo chuckled and then glanced at each other. “Kids,” they said in unison.

Alice reached out her hand and helped Hugo to his feet.

Hugo’s eyes found the Raskins. Carol held her fist in front of her mouth, her other hand closer to her stomach. Her eyes watered. Oliver draped his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. A big smile was on his face, and tears were in his eyes. Hugo smiled and held back tears.

“Umm . . .” Hugo began. “I suppose I owe you two an apology. I should have told you. It shouldn’t have been Alice’s burden.”

Hugo scratched his shoulder, glancing down at the soft grass beneath his shoes. After a moment, he raised his head to meet them once more.

He said, “We should have done this together. As a family.”

“Can I see them?” Oliver asked.

Hugo lifted his head back in shock at the statement. “See what?”

“I want to see the teeth,” Oliver said.

“Oliver!” Carol said as she rushed toward Hugo. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly, nearly forcing the air out of his lungs.

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” Hugo said.

After a moment, Carol pulled back. She took her index finger and shoved it into Hugo’s chest, the spot where the stake had poked through. It was still soft and tender, even though it was fully healed. She hit him a few times.

“Don’t you ever do something stupid like getting yourself turned into a vampire again. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hugo said.

She continued, “And don’t you ever keep it a secret from me.”

Hugo rubbed his chest. “I won’t. Trust me.”

Oliver moved in and gave Hugo a hug. “Good to have you back.” Oliver gave him a few pats on the back and then took a few steps back.

Hugo opened his mouth and elongated his vampire fangs.

Oliver whistled. “You know, we could make some money off those teeth. We could move some wine with a vampire as a spokesman. The Neighborhood Vampire of Newbury Grove. Think of the potential.Think of the potential.”

“I appreciate the offer, Oliver, but I think Newbury Grove has had enough wine from a vampire for a while.”

Hugo turned to Alice. “What happened with the Savinos? Come to think of it, how long have I been gone?”

“Too long,” Carol said.

“Your fiancée here kicked the crap out of the vampires,” Oliver added.

Hugo held his gaze with Alice’s emerald green eyes. “Oh, yeah? Did you wipe the floor with them? I bet you looked sexy as hell doing it.” He winked at her.

Alice bit her lower lip and batted her eyes. She approached Hugo with a sultry walk, one foot in front of the other and hips swaying with every step. She pulled her purple hair back behind her ears. Alice leaned in and whispered into Hugo’s ear, “Maybe I’ll show you my moves later.”

Hugo grinned at her. “I look forward to it.”

She returned the wink.

“She’s your fiancée?” the Oaken King asked. “Excellent, we shall have a wedding.”

He snapped his fingers and gave a whistle. The brightly colored woodland sprites and fairies emerged from the tree line. They were shades of green and yellow, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings. They poured out from the tree line, more numerous than Hugo originally assumed.

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