On the walk over to Mistletoe Cottage, Chloe held on tightly to Charlie’s leash. He was so excited by all the wild and unusual woodland smells that he was frolicking around like a puppy! It was almost impossible to keep him on the path.

“Charlieeeee,” she groaned. “Stick with me, please. We’re not wandering in the woods right now.”

“It’s hard to say who’s more excited—you or Charlie,” Dad teased Chloe.

But Chloe’s attention was focused on something else: a carved wooden sign that read MISTLETOE COTTAGE in bright red letters. “Dad! Look! There it is!” Chloe cried. “We’re here!”

“I think I see Sandy looking out the window,” Dad said.

Chloe caught a glimpse of her, too—but just as quickly, Sandy disappeared behind the curtain.

“Why don’t you and Charlie go ahead and knock on the door,” Dad told Chloe. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Chloe didn’t need to be told twice. She and Charlie jogged the rest of the way to Mistletoe Cottage. On the doorstep, Chloe paused for a moment to catch her breath. Then she knocked three times.

The woman who opened the door had short chestnut-colored hair. She smiled brightly. “Chloe? Hi! I’m Jessica!” she said warmly. “Come on in.”

“Hi,” Chloe said, suddenly feeling a little shy. She’d tried to imagine this moment so many times—but now that it was here, she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

A girl—who had to be Sandy—was standing a few feet behind Jessica. She looked just like her mom, except her hair was much longer and twisted into a loose braid on one side.

“Hey,” Chloe said, stepping forward. “I’m—”

Then she saw it: a cat. A beautiful gray cat rubbing against Sandy’s ankles.

Unfortunately, Charlie saw it at the same time. He lunged forward a split second before Chloe could tighten her grip on his leash. The leash slipped through her grasp—

“Charlie! No!” Chloe exclaimed. But it was too late. He was already barking wildly as he charged at Sandy’s cat.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Sandy screamed, her voice more high-pitched with every word. “Make him stop! He’s going to kill Elsa!”

No, he’s not! Chloe wanted to yell back—but she knew that if Charlie heard her speak loudly, he’d only get more riled up. She knelt down and used her softest, most soothing voice. “Come here, boy, come here,” she cooed.

But Charlie was having way too much fun to stop now. He was running in fast, wild circles, barking his head off at Elsa, who was yowling and hissing with fear as she tried to escape. The cat was obviously miserable—her back was arched, her fur standing on end—but Charlie was just a dog. He didn’t understand.

“Why isn’t anyone doing anything?” Sandy cried. “Please! Don’t let him hurt Elsa!”

Dad arrived just in time. “Charlie!” he said sternly. “Come here!”

Jessica hurried to the kitchen and returned with a container of kitty treats. “Want a treat, Charlie?” she said in a singsong voice, shaking the container.

“No!” Chloe said—and this time her voice was loud. “He can’t have—”

Crash!

At that moment, Elsa ducked under the side table—and even though Charlie was a small dog, he was too big to follow her without knocking into one of the table legs. As the table shuddered, a lamp on top of it began to wobble.…

“Whoa!” Dad said, lunging forward to grab the lamp before it fell.

“Don’t grab the lamp—grab the dog!” Sandy shrieked.

“Hey!” Chloe began. But then she caught a glimpse of Sandy’s face, all blotchy and red; her eyes were filled with tears. Sandy’s really terrified, Chloe realized.

From under the table, Elsa’s hisses turned into an angry spitting sound. She growled, a low, guttural sound that was audible even over Charlie’s happy barks. Chloe came up with a plan. She’d shimmy under the table, grab Charlie, and take him outside so Elsa—and Sandy—could have a few minutes to calm down.

Chloe dropped to the floor just in time to see Elsa’s gray paw slash through the air. Charlie yipped, a terrible, heartbreaking noise, and whimpered as he backed out from under the table—right into Chloe’s arms. A thin red line of blood from Elsa’s scratch welled up on his nose.

“Dad?” Chloe said. “Charlie’s bleeding!”

Dad crossed the room and took a good look at Charlie’s nose. “He’ll be okay,” Dad assured Chloe. “I’m sure his pride is wounded worse than his nose.”

“Oh, Elsa!” Jessica groaned, sounding embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. We cut her nails yesterday and everything.”

“It wasn’t Elsa’s fault!” Sandy protested. She was crouched next to the table, shaking the kitty treats in hopes of luring Elsa out. “She was just trying to defend herself from that vicious, crazy dog!”

“Charlie is not vicious!” Chloe exclaimed. “I mean, maybe he gets a little crazy sometimes, like when he sees a squirrel or a blue jay or—”

“Or my cat,” Sandy muttered.

“I know you don’t know Charlie at all, but you have to trust me,” Chloe insisted. “He would never hurt Elsa. He just wanted to play with her. I promise.”

Sandy didn’t say anything, but from the look on her face, Chloe could tell she didn’t believe her.

“Let’s start over,” Chloe continued, hoping to lighten the mood. “I see you’ve met my dog, Charlie. And I’m Chloe.”

“I already know who you are,” Sandy replied.

“Sandy!” Jessica said with a frown.

“What?” Sandy asked. “Isn’t the whole introduction thing kind of pointless? We all know who we are. It’s not a huge crowd.”

Suddenly, Chloe’s dad sneezed—an enormous, shoulder-shuddering sneeze that was so loud everyone turned to look at him.

“Sor—” Dad started to say, but another massive sneeze cut him off.

For the briefest moment, Chloe thought he was trying to be funny. Then she remembered.

“Dad!” Chloe exclaimed as her eyes darted over to Sandy, who was still snuggling Elsa. “Your allergies!” It had been so long since her dad had been around cats that Chloe had forgotten how allergic he was.

“Allergies?” Jessica asked.

“Did I forget to mention I’m allergic to cats?” Dad asked with a sheepish smile.

“Did I forget to mention that we have one?” Jessica asked, smiling back. There was something about their smiles—Chloe couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was almost like they were sharing more than a smile. It was like they were sharing a secret.

“Seriously, Mom?” Sandy asked. “How could you forget to tell him about Elsa? She’s part of the family!”

“Sorry, sweet pea,” Jessica replied. “It just slipped my mind.”

Ah-choo! Dad sneezed again. A look of concern flickered across Jessica’s face.

“Sandy,” she began.

It was like Sandy knew what Jessica was going to say next. She wrapped her arms even tighter around Elsa and shook her head.

“You’ll have to keep Elsa in your room while Tom is here,” Jessica said. Her voice was even—she didn’t sound mad or anything—but there was a no-arguing tone in it that was obvious to everyone.

Sandy didn’t move a muscle, and she didn’t say a word. The only sound was when Dad sneezed again.

A silent look passed between Jessica and Sandy for a long moment that was uncomfortable for everyone. Then, with a loud sigh, Sandy spun around and marched out of the room.

The next sound was the loud slam of a door.

Jessica shook her head. “Please excuse me,” she said before disappearing after Sandy.

Chloe hadn’t done anything wrong, but she still felt terrible. This was not how she had pictured her first meeting with Sandy and Jessica.

If only Dad wasn’t allergic—

If only Charlie hadn’t chased Elsa—

If only there was something Chloe could do to fix everything—

That’s when she had a great idea.

“Dad!” she said in an excited whisper. “Let’s go get the tree!”

“Now?” he asked, sounding uncertain. “Maybe we should wait until—”

Chloe shook her head. “No, when they get back, it will be really awkward,” she replied. “Jessica and Sandy are probably, like, fighting right now. But if we surprise them with the tree…”

“I see where you’re going with this,” Dad said. “I think the tree will be just what we need to bring back the Christmas spirit.”

“Great! Let’s go get it,” Chloe said.

A few minutes later, they returned with the tabletop tree. The scent immediately filled the room, making the cottage feel much more Christmassy.

“The little tree was a great idea, Chloe,” Dad told her. “They’re going to be so surprised.”

“I hope so,” Chloe replied. “Quick! Let’s see if we can get the lights on before Jessica and Sandy come back!”

The tree was small enough that Chloe and Dad were able to wrap the strand of lights around it in no time. Dad held the plug out to Chloe. “Would you like to do the honors?” he asked.

Chloe reached for the cord—but stopped herself just before she plugged it into the wall. “You know what? I think I’ll ask Sandy if she wants to plug in the tree,” she said.

Before Dad could respond, Chloe heard footsteps coming down the hall. Her heart sped up a little bit as Sandy and Jessica returned to the living room. More than anything, Chloe hoped that the little tree would be a fresh start, a way to help them get the trip back on track.

“What’s this?” Jessica asked.

“Surprise! It’s a little Christmas tree!” Chloe exclaimed. She immediately wished she’d said something—anything—else. Duh, of course it’s a little tree, Chloe thought. Way to state the obvious.

But she pushed on, hoping that she wouldn’t keep sounding so, well, desperate. And dumb.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas without a tree,” Chloe continued. “So we—we thought we’d surprise you. Here—do you want to plug it in?”

Sandy stared at the cord in Chloe’s outstretched hand like she didn’t know what it was.

“We already have a tree,” Sandy finally said. “Back home. We already decorated it, too.”

Chloe dropped her hand, feeling even more embarrassed. Maybe Sandy is upset because this tree doesn’t even have any ornaments, she thought.

“I love this little tree!” Jessica said in happy voice that was maybe just a little too loud. “What a great surprise, Chloe and Tom! It’s just what our cottage needed. I can’t wait to decorate it!”

“We, um, we didn’t bring any ornaments, actually,” Chloe spoke up. “But I have a ton of stuff to make ornaments! It’s all here in this bag—sparkly paper and foil and ribbon and—”

“Mom,” Sandy said, staring straight at Jessica. Now Chloe was even more confused. Had she said something that upset Sandy? Or was Sandy still mad about Charlie and Elsa’s fight? Or the fact that Elsa had to stay in Sandy’s bedroom?

Chloe glanced uncertainly at her dad. He looked as confused as she felt. “Maybe the tree wasn’t such a great idea,” she said. “We can take it back to our cottage.”

“No!” Jessica insisted. “I love it. It was so thoughtful—the perfect surprise! And I’d love to make some ornaments with you, Chloe. Let’s see what you brought.”

With a shy, sideways glance at Sandy, Chloe brought over the bag of her best crafting supplies.

“Ooh, I love this glitter paper!” Jessica exclaimed. “The gold piece will be perfect for the star on top.”

“Check out this foil, too,” Chloe said, feeling heartened. “So easy—all we have to do is cut out circles and they’ll look like shiny Christmas orbs. Of course, my circles look more like squiggly ovals. I’m not so great at drawing—”

“You could use this.”

When Sandy spoke, everyone turned to her. She brought over the canister of kitty treats, which had a perfectly round lid.

“Yes!” Chloe exclaimed. “Just trace it and cut it out, right?”

Sandy nodded. “I think that will work.”

Sandy sat down in the chair across from Chloe and reached for a package of coffee filters. She held it up and made a funny face. “Is your tree hooked on caffeine?” she cracked.

“Not exactly,” Chloe said, smiling back. “I thought we could cut those into snowflakes.”

“Cool,” Sandy replied, reaching for the scissors.

“Who wants some hot cocoa?” Jessica suddenly asked. “We’ve got mini marshmallows and whipped cream!”

“Yum! I do,” Chloe said.

“Me too,” added Sandy.

“Tom, would you help me in the kitchen?” Jessica asked.

“The kitchen? Sure. Of course,” Dad said quickly.

As soon as they were out of the room, Sandy laughed under her breath. “Way to be obvious, Mom,” she said. Chloe laughed, too. Dad and Jessica hadn’t been very subtle.

“Bet you anything they’re talking about us right now,” Sandy added.

“Yeah. You’re probably right,” Chloe said. “I think they talk about us a lot, actually. After my dad sees your mom, he’s always like, ‘Sandy scored a three-pointer’ and ‘Sandy got a ribbon in the science fair.’”

Sandy stared intently at the coffee filter she was cutting. “My mom never tells me anything,” she said.

Whoops, Chloe thought. Just when things were getting better, she’d blown it—again. “My dad doesn’t tell me that much, honestly,” she said. “Just, like, your basketball games, mainly. I play, too.”

Sandy looked up, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Oh, yeah? Which position?”

“Guard,” Chloe replied.

“Cool. I’m a guard, too,” Sandy said.

Chloe already knew that, but she wasn’t going to tell Sandy. “Awesome,” she replied. “Are you on any other teams?”

“Nope. Basketball’s my favorite,” Sandy said.

There was an awkward pause. Chloe tried to think of another topic.

“I like to cook—do you?” she asked.

“Not really—that’s more my mom’s thing,” Sandy replied. “But… I like to watch people cooking.”

“Really?” Chloe replied. “Like, cooking shows?”

Sandy nodded. “I could watch them for hours,” she said. “Actually, I have watched them for hours! Last weekend, one of the food channels had a Christmas-cookie marathon—”

“I saw that!” Chloe exclaimed.

“I watched it for, like, six hours!” Sandy told her.

“Me too!” Chloe said. “Then I was inspired to make florentines—you know, those lacy ones with the chocolate in the middle—”

“I remember! They looked so good. Were they delicious?”

“Well…” Chloe began. “They looked delicious, but I accidentally used baking chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate for the chocolate layer. They were so bitter, we couldn’t even eat them! I threw the whole batch away!”

“No! That’s tragic!” Sandy cried, cracking up. “I thought you liked to cook!”

“I do like to cook!” Chloe replied. “I never said I was any good at it!”

“Oh, no—look what I did,” Sandy said, holding up her coffee-filter snowflake. She’d laughed so hard that she had accidentally cut it in half—which made both girls laugh even harder.

Suddenly, Chloe stopped laughing. “Where’s Charlie?” she asked, glancing around the room. “Usually if I’m sitting down, he’s got his head on my feet.”

“Don’t worry,” Sandy told her. “He’s right here. He’s got his head on my feet.”

Chloe was so surprised she ducked under the table to see for herself. “Charlie! Don’t bother Sandy,” she scolded him. “Come here, boy.”

“It’s okay,” Sandy said quickly. “I don’t mind. He’s like my own personal foot warmer.”

“Okay… if you’re sure he’s not bothering you…” Chloe said as she returned to her seat.

“Nah, he’s a good boy,” Sandy said. “How old is he?”

“Nine,” Chloe said. “We got him after…”

“After what?” Sandy asked when Chloe’s voice trailed off.

“Oh. Sorry. I spaced out a little. After my… third birthday. Charlie was a Christmas present, actually,” Chloe said, quickly covering. Inside, though, she was yelling at herself to be more careful. She’d almost said after my mom died. Thankfully, though, Chloe had caught herself just in time. She knew from experience that there was no quicker way to derail a conversation than to mention her mom. Nobody ever knew what to say when they found out that her mom had died.

If Chloe was acting weird, Sandy didn’t seem to notice. “Nine? I can’t believe it! He still acts like a puppy!” she said.

“Actually, he has some health problems,” Chloe told her. “He got really sick last year and now he has to be on a special diet and take medicine every day.”

“Aww, poor Charlie,” Sandy said, reaching down to scratch his ears. “That must have been so scary.”

“It was awful,” Chloe agreed.

“I’ve been there with Elsa—but in her case, it was entirely her own fault,” Sandy replied.

“What do you mean?” asked Chloe.

“She likes to eat things she shouldn’t,” Sandy explained. “Ribbon or tinsel or string—stuff like that. That’s why…”

Sandy’s voice trailed off as she gestured at the small pile of ribbon she’d made on the table.

“Oh!” Chloe exclaimed. “Is that why you didn’t want to decorate the tree?”

Sandy nodded. “At least, not with ribbons,” she said. “One time when Elsa ate ribbon, it made her really sick. She almost needed surgery.”

“Yikes,” Chloe said, making a sympathetic face. “That’s terrible.” She impulsively reached forward and grabbed the ribbons, then shoved them in her backpack. “I’ll keep these zipped up until I can stash them at our cottage,” she promised. “We have plenty of other stuff for decorating the tree.”

Sandy flashed Chloe a grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said. “I love Elsa so much. If she got sick like that again…”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Chloe replied. She smiled at Sandy as her heart filled up with hope. The trip may have gotten off to a rocky start… but Chloe had a feeling it was only going to get better from here!