Page 92 of Puppy Christmas

“That’s okay. I really should get going.” Even though Emily showed every sign of flinging herself at Lila’s legs and demanding that she stay in place, Lila was determined to go before she started screaming—or worse, crying. “I know you want me to stay, love, but I’ve got to get back for at least a few hours. If you want, I can send Princess Dawn over to check up on Jeeves instead, okay? You like Princess Dawn.”

“I don’t want Dawn,” Emily said. “I wantyou.”

“I know you do, but—”

“You promised to stay with me.”

“I know I did, but—”

“You said you’d be my friend. Don’t you want to be my friend anymore?”

Lila didn’t know how to respond in a way that wouldn’t break either Emily’s heart or her own. She cast a helpless look up at Ford, but he was glancing distractedly over his shoulder at the computer. When he finally did notice her distress, he came to her rescue, but not in any way that counted.

“Emily Ford, you are being very impolite. Lila is not our servant. She has other places to go and other people to see. She’ll be back to work next week on the puppy training, but that’s all either you or I have a right to ask of her. Got it?”

Emily didn’t get it—at least, not from what Lila was able to gather—but she picked up on her father’s expression just fine. With a resolute sniffle, she nodded once. Had Emily said one more word to get her to stay, had Ford asked her to stick around long enough to talk things through, Lila would have parked herself in place forever.

But she had people to see and places to go.

And so, apparently, did they.