Single Witch's Survival Guide by Mindy Klasky

reminder that I hadn’t yet told Neko about the housing situation. Damn. “Um,” I said to my familiar. “May I talk to you for a moment?”
    My heart pounded as I led him toward the chopping block, a work-smoothed tree stump that David used for splitting endless cords of wood. On this summer day, the axe was nowhere in sight. That was probably just as well.
    I swallowed hard and spoke to the ancient stump’s heartwood. My words ran together in a single stream. “I-sort-of-told-the-witches-they-could-live-in-your-apartment-I-hope-you-don’t-mind-too-much-but-I-couldn’t-figure-out-what-else-to-do.”
    Neko’s voice was colder that the breeze we had just failed to summon. “Excuse me? Did you just say you’re throwing me out of my home?”
    “I’m not! You and Jacques have been living in the city!”
    “I slept above the garage last night,” Neko said. Last night. When my need had summoned him from his boyfriend’s side. When I had interrupted their plans for a party. When Neko had as much as told me that his relationship was on the rocks.
    “I should have asked first, I know that. But I panicked. Clara sent those two without giving me any warning. If you’re going to be angry with anyone, you should be angry with her.”
    “ Clara didn’t give me an eviction notice. Oh, wait! You didn’t bother with that either.”
    I’d never heard Neko this angry. But he had to realize that the Academy meant… He had to understand… No. He didn’t. He didn’t need to turn his life upside down just because I wanted him to.
    And then I glimpsed the coward’s way out of this disaster. “Will you do me a favor, just for now? Help the guys get settled in the greenhouse and the barn. You’re so much better at that type of thing than I am.”
    He gave me a withering look. “Do not even start with the flattery, Jane.”
    “But you are better at it.” I braced myself and brought out the big guns. “I know it’ll take money to make things livable. We’re going to need all new bed linens.” I threw caution to the wind. “I’ll give you my credit card!”
    “Sheets and blankets won’t be enough,” Neko pointed out, and I could have laughed in relief. I had won. I might need to declare bankruptcy, but I had won. Neko went on. “They’ll need towels. And throw rugs. And a lamp or two, at the very least. And window treatments . We can’t forget window treatments.”
    I gulped and sternly reminded myself that poverty was the lesser of two evils. I had acted entirely out of line. And we did need to convert the barn and greenhouse into dorms.
    Neko was just getting geared up. “Maybe if I picked up some new things for the place in D.C…. Jacques has his eye on some dishes. And we saw some adorable napkins just the other day.”
    I swallowed hard. In for a penny, in for an entire savings account. I might as well cement my familiar’s forgiveness. “I’m sure you’ll be exhausted after all that shopping. Maybe if you treat Jacques to dinner at that new oyster bar on Connecticut Avenue, you’ll recover faster.” Oysters. Like I needed to coach Neko on aphrodisiacs of any type.
    He knew a good deal when he heard it. As he extended his hand for my card, I knew I was going to regret this. Probably with interest payments for months. But a magistrix does what a magistrix has to do. I just hoped I wouldn’t be forced to declare bankruptcy before the Madison Academy had ever truly begun.

CHAPTER 4
     
    SOMEHOW, I MANAGED to feed lunch to the invading hordes—there was a loaf of bread in the freezer and plenty of peanut butter and jelly—but I couldn’t avoid the all-too-obvious truth. I had to make a major run to the grocery store—sooner, rather than later. Clara’s tuition money couldn’t arrive quickly enough.
    David pulled into the driveway as I finished dishing up the last of the sandwiches. Instead of coming into the house, though, he strode across the lawn. He paused at the circle of our abortive