wailed. âSanta wonât bring me a present!â
âLook at all the presents,â Mina said. âSanta already came.â
All the presents were under the fallen tree, lying in a pool of water from the tree stand.
Jared stabbed his finger at Nicola. âTwo More Chances! Just Two More Chances for that dog!â
âStop it!â Terence said. âFor heavenâs sake! Letâs all go back to bed! Itâs three oâclock in the morning!â
Everyone did, except Nicola, who rescued all the wet presents and set them out of June Bugâs reach. She wiped up the puddle of water. Then she sank down by the fallen tree and sobbed while June Bug danced around her, pushing a toy soldier ornament against Nicolaâs leg, trying to get Nicola to chase her. When Nicola wouldnât, June Bug jumped into Nicolaâs lap and licked the snot and salty tears off her face.
The next morning, Nicola was up first, even before June Bug, who was still tired from her active night. Half an hour later Terence came into the living room, yawning and tying up his robe. He looked around and saw Nicola curled on the couch waiting for the rest of the family to wake up.
âI was hoping it was a nightmare,â he said.
Together, they stood the tree up again.
âLook,â Nicola said.
Not a single ornament remained on the branches. The lights, too, were mostly pulled off, lying in loops at the base of the tree. But at the very top the china angel still perched, unbroken, soundlessly blowing its golden horn.
June Bug hadnât touched it.
6
â
Nicola lay on her bed with June Bug. From the basement came the repeated smash of Jared practicing kick-flips on his new skateboard in the desperate hope of impressing Julie Walters-Chen. Heâd asked for a cellphone and a laptop. The skateboard had been a distant third choice.
In the hall, Jacksonâs new remote-control car whirred up and down. Every time it neared Nicolaâs closed bedroom door, June Bug would stop chewing Nicolaâs braid, stand at attention and bark.
Nicola began humming along to âHark the Herald Angels Singâplaying on the radio in the kitchen. June Bug stopped chewing again. She tilted her head.
âWhat is it, June Bug?â Nicola asked.
June Bug tilted her head the other way and her ears twitched. Her tail, stubby and white, thumped the bedspread. June Bug thumped slowly, then faster and faster until she had wound herself up. Then she pounced on Nicolaâs chest and washed kisses inside her ears and nose until Nicola shrieked with laughter.
âDinner!â Terence called. âCome and get it!â
Dinner was one of the words June Bug understood, along with her name and the commands Come, Sit, Lie Down, Roll Over, Bang Bang Youâre Dead, Shake, Wave and Crawl. Despite being such an intelligent animal, June Bug could not seem to make sense of No, Stop, Leave It, Get Down or Iâm Going to Kill That Dog Right Now.
June Bug dashed ahead to the dining room and jumped up on Jaredâs chair.
âGet Down!â Terence commanded.
June Bug didnât. Her face, divided down the middle, white and black, peeped hopefully over the edge of the table at the enormous turkey spilling out stuffing, the Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes, the steaming gravy in the china boat.
âNo, June Bug!â Mina scolded, coming in with the Christmas crackers.
June Bug lifted her nose in the air and sniffed.
âIâm Going to Kill That Dog Right Now!â Jared said, shoving June Bug off his chair and throwing himself on it.
âDonât be so mean!â Nicola cried.
âPut her outside,â Mina said.
Nicola didnât want to. It was terribly cold. Despite how much white hair June Bug shed all over the furniture, she hardly seemed to have any on her body. The pink skin of her belly showed right through her skimpy coat.
âOut!â Terence said, and Nicola picked