Chestnut

by Jennifer Li Shotz

  In the morning light, the glitter and beads sparkled like ice crystals, just as she’d wanted them to. Any hope she had of keeping Chestnut was riding on these ornaments. But what if people thought they looked silly and childish?

  There wasn’t much time to worry about that, because her dad was right. The sunshine had brought the customers out in droves, and the day was even busier than the one before. Meg’s whole family and the entire staff were rushing around helping people. There was such a steady stream of customers at the register that she had to use all her focus to make sure she was counting correctly and not forgetting what change she owed customers.

  “Wow, honey!” a man’s voice broke through the holiday music and bubbly chatter all around. “Look at these ornaments. Don’t they look just like the sun hitting the snow on a tree? First thing in the morning when we’re out walking the dog?”

  Meg’s heart pounded in her chest as the man’s wife stepped over to examine her artwork.

  “Yes!” the woman replied, her eyes getting big and round. She picked out a couple of pinecones. “Aren’t they just beautiful? They’ll look perfect on the tree. We’ll take these two,” she said, holding them out to Meg at her register. “Along with the tree over there, and the wreath.”

  Meg beamed. “I’m so glad you like them,” she said to the woman as she rang up the sale.

  “Are you the artist who makes them?” the man said, handing her the money.

  Meg felt her cheeks go red. “I . . . Yes, I mean, I made the ornaments.”

  “You’re very talented,” the woman said, dangling the decorated pinecones from her finger. “I just love them!”

  “Thank you,” Meg said, grinning broadly.

  The couple turned to walk away, and Meg called after them. “We’ll see you back here at Briggs Family Tree Farm next year!” She was supposed to say that to every customer, but she was so tired and overwhelmed that she almost forgot.

  Late in the morning, Meg looked up and saw that the next person in line wasn’t a customer at all.

  It was Colton.

  “Colton, how are you?” Meg’s mom asked as she held out her hand for a woman’s credit card. Her mom had always liked Colton. At first Meg had thought it was because he was Meg’s first best friend, but over time she developed a sneaking suspicion that it was really because he complimented her mom’s cooking. A lot.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Briggs,” Colton said, polite as always. “Hey, Meg.”

  “What’s up?” Meg asked, trying to act naturally. She pulled her apron straight and brushed off loose tree needles from her coat sleeves.

  “Got a minute?” Colton asked Meg, eyeing her mom.

  Meg’s heart pounded in her chest. Something in Colton’s voice made her squirmy.

  Meg quickly glanced over his shoulder, making sure there wasn’t a line at her register. Luckily there was a lull in the action.

  “Hey, Mom?” Meg asked. “Can I take a quick break?” She tried to sound nonchalant.

  Her mom glanced around the tree lot. “Five minutes,” she said, as another car full of customers pulled up and parked. “And then check the cocoa and cookies.”

  “Thanks.” Meg made sure her register was locked, then glanced over her shoulder at Colton. “Come on,” she said, hoping that her mom couldn’t sense her nervousness. They went into the stock trailer and Meg double-checked to make sure they were alone.

  “What’s up?” she asked, trying not to sound like she was hiding something from her best friend.

  Colton sighed, leaning against one of the stacks of boxes. “I just wanted to see how it went at the shelter this morning.”

  Meg chewed on her bottom lip. She had to tell Colton something that would sound like the truth without actually telling him the truth. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She’d never lied to him before, but she wasn’t ready to give up Chestnut.

  “Good,” she said, turning her back to Colton and rearranging some receipt paper on the shelves.

  Colton exhaled. “I know that must’ve been hard,” he said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you. I had a chess tournament.”

  “It’s okay,” Meg said, still not turning around. “Did you win?”

  Her best friend shook his head and began helping her restack the rolls of paper.

  “Look, Meg. I’m not sure if now is the time to say this, but—” Colton searched for the right words. “I really think you did the right thing. For you and Chestnut.”

  Meg sighed. It suddenly felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She hated lying to her friend. The guilt twisted inside her. But she also hated the idea that Chestnut was scared and unhappy in the shed while she was working and couldn’t go see him. And to make matters worse, now she couldn’t ask for Colton’s help. Meg was totally on her own, and she didn’t know much about taking care of dogs. She buried her face in her hands.

  Colton put his hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” he said, his trademark grin back in place. “It might take some time, but everything will work out in the end. Chestnut’s going to be okay, got it?” Colton held up his fist, and Meg bumped it.

  She just hoped he was right.

  * * *

  Time passed in a blur as Meg helped a steady stream of customers. She sold trees and wreaths, garlands and goodies, but by noon, she still hadn’t sold a single ornament since the first couple had come by.

  Meg was starting to get nervous. She didn’t have a plan B. If no one else liked her ornaments, how would she ever be able to convince her parents to keep her new dog—let alone a dog who was anxious and needed a lot of time, love, and attention?

  Meg began to feel a sinking sense of dread. A question that had been nagging at her, way deep down, was worming its way to the top of her mind: What if this didn’t work out?

  ★ Chapter 9 ★

  * * *

  * * *

  As the day progressed, Meg’s lack of sleep finally started to catch up to her. Once, during a lull between customers, she snuck into the storage trailer, leaned against a pile of boxes, and let her heavy eyelids close.

  “You all right, sis?” Sarah asked as she stepped into the trailer, letting the door slam shut behind her. “You look exhausted.”

  Meg startled and blinked. “Yep,” she said, forcing herself to sound cheerful. “It’s just been a busy day.”

  A big yawn escaped Meg’s lips, and Sarah arched an eyebrow at her. “It has been a busy day. But not so busy that you should be falling asleep standing up. What’s going on?”

  For a heartbeat, Meg considered telling her sister everything. Telling her about Chestnut, about all of her work to prove that she could take care of him, about how she’d lied to Colton. But something stopped her. What if Sarah laughed at her? What if Sarah said that she was too young and silly to save Chestnut? What if she agreed that the shelter was the best place for him?

  Instead, Meg let out a laugh that sounded false to her ears, but she hoped Sarah didn’t notice. “I don’t know . . . I’m just tired, I guess. Nothing worth talking about.”

  Sarah shrugged and grabbed a cookie off a sheet pan resting nearby. “You want one?” she asked, passing the wreath-shaped sweet with red and green sprinkles to Meg.

  “Thanks,” Meg said. “How’s your day going?”

  Sarah picked up her own cookie—a triangular tree coated in green frosting—and took a bite. “I’m great,” she said through a mouthful. “Business is good, Christmas is almost here, and I should be hearing from NC State any day now.”

  “It’s going to be weird if you go away to college,” Meg said, her voice a little raspy.

  Sarah had a faraway look on her face. “Change is always scary, but it’s not like I’m going to disappear forever. I’ll only be an hour away. And I’ll be home all summer and definitely for the Christmas rush.”

  Meg was suddenly filled with an inexplicable sadness. She tried to imagine what it would be like with one less person in the house—especially if that pers
on was Sarah. Meg would spend less time waiting for the bathroom, but also less time laughing, shopping at the mall, or talking to her big sister. She hadn’t been worried about Sarah leaving for college, and yet . . . her heart felt even heavier. Here was another thing to pile on top of everything else.

  It must have shown on her face, because Sarah grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry, Meggie,” she said with a laugh. “I haven’t even gotten in yet.”

  “I know,” Meg said. “I’m excited for you. Don’t worry about me.”

  Sarah grabbed another cookie. “One for the road,” she said. “You coming?”

  Meg nodded. “I’ll be out in a minute,” she said, nibbling on her cookie.

  Sarah grabbed an armful of Styrofoam cups and left the storage shed. When she was gone, Meg collapsed against the boxes with a sigh. Rather than easing her mind, her conversation with Sarah had just made her more anxious. Everything in her life felt complicated. What if nothing worked out and everything was worse than it was before? She wished she could tell her sister what was going on.

  Meg was overcome by a deep, wide yawn. She shook off her sleepiness, crunched the last of her snack, and left the trailer—and hopefully her worries—behind.

  But as the day wore on, her fears only intensified. After the initial interest in her ornaments, not a single customer purchased one. By the afternoon, Meg’s heart was as heavy as her eyelids. The ornaments weren’t going to help save Chestnut, and Meg had wasted an entire night for nothing.

  She stumbled through the rest of the day. Every time she glanced at Sarah, her sister was watching her with concern. Meg knew that her sister suspected something was up. What was she going to tell her to keep her from getting curious?

  Just as they were getting ready to close up the tree lot, a woman approached the register. “Hi there,” she said, smiling brightly. “I understand that you’re the artist behind these beautiful ornaments.” She nodded toward Sarah, who was talking quietly with their mom. “Your sister told me that you make these all yourself.” Sarah and their mom looked over at Meg, and Meg’s heart pounded a little harder. She hoped they didn’t know how late she’d stayed up.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Meg answered the woman with a smile of her own. She tried to push away her thoughts about Sarah.

  “Where do you get all the pinecones? Are they all local?” the woman asked.

  “They are,” Meg replied. “Every single one is from right here on Briggs Family Tree Farm.”

  The woman’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful!” She waved her hands excitedly at the trees and wreaths nearby. “My friends and I are in charge of decorating the Christmas tree at city hall this year. The theme is a Carolina Christmas, and I’m going to ask them to come here, to see if they agree. But I think your ornaments really represent what’s best about North Carolina and the heritage of the Fraser fir. I hope you have a lot more!” The woman’s singsong voice rang out.

  “Oh—wow!” For a second Meg didn’t know what to say. “Um—how many more would you need?”

  “Well, we’d need a few hundred at least,” the woman said. She saw the shocked look on Meg’s face. “It’s a really big tree!” she added by way of explanation.

  Meg gulped but tried to seem calm. “That’s no problem! I can make that happen.”

  The woman sized Meg up and nodded knowingly. “You really are quite the artist. I’m going to buy a few of these for my own tree before you sell out.”

  She spent a few moments poking through the ornaments, a few oohs and aahs escaping her mouth. She finally picked four and paid for them.

  “Thank you so much,” Meg said.

  “Thank you, darlin’.” The woman turned to leave. “I’ll be back with the planning committee to have them take a look. Just imagine, your ornaments representing Christmas for the whole city . . .”

  Meg could barely breathe. If she sold a bunch of ornaments to this lady and her friends, it might just solve all of her problems! Then again, this woman had said she needed a few hundred. Meg had no idea how she was going to make hundreds of ornaments in time. But she’d just have to figure it out.

  She felt a sudden burst of adrenaline. She finished shutting down the register and helped put away the wreaths, garlands, and refreshments. Her heart was skipping with excitement as the last customer’s minivan pulled out of the lot with a tree tied to the top, and she helped her family close up for the night.

  Meg was willing to give up any amount of sleep for Chestnut. And if this worked out with the city hall tree, she’d sell enough ornaments to keep her dog. For the first time all day, things were starting to look up.

  ★ Chapter 10 ★

  * * *

  * * *

  The tree lot was finally dark and quiet, and Meg couldn’t wait to spend time with Chestnut. Even though she was tired, having a pet meant that she had to be responsible for him, no matter what. And most of all, she knew that Chestnut needed to get out of that small space and use up some energy. Every time she’d thought about him, all afternoon, it was almost as if she could hear him whining and scratching to get out the door. She knew he must be going crazy in there.

  Meg’s dad locked the gate and rubbed his eyes with both hands. Her mom yawned deeply. Meg looked from one to the other and cleared her throat.

  “I’m going to go hang out with Colton for a bit before dinner, if that’s okay,” Meg said.

  Her dad just nodded, but her mom eyed her a little strangely.

  “Don’t you think you ought to be getting some rest tonight?” her mom said. “You look awfully worn out.”

  Meg grinned to cover her exhaustion. “I’m fine!” she said, cheerfully. “I won’t be gone too long, but I wanted to tell him about the ornaments—how that woman might want so many of them.”

  “Okay,” her mom said, straightening Meg’s ponytail. “But don’t be too late. We’re having hamburgers for dinner.”

  “I won’t, Mom. I promise.”

  Meg waited until they’d driven away, then ran toward the shed, bursting with excitement to see Chestnut again.

  When she opened the creaky door, an eager, hyper dog rushed toward her.

  “Hi, buddy!”

  Meg sat down to greet him, and he bathed her face in so many dog kisses she had to squeeze her eyes and mouth shut to dodge his tongue. Chestnut was so happy to see her that he only stopped long enough to run laps around the shed, zooming in circles before coming back for more kisses.

  Meg laughed out loud as she watched him go, amazed that she already loved him so much. After a few minutes, Chestnut finally slowed down and plopped onto the ground at her knee. He rolled over, panting hard, and she stroked his belly while he laid his head on her lap. He seemed so content—just as Meg was.

  As she scratched him, Meg scanned the shed, and what she saw made her suck in her breath. It was clear that Chestnut had not been happy to be left alone for the day. There were scratch marks all over the wood walls and doorframe. One of the horse blankets had been chewed nearly in half, its edges frayed and full of holes. The rest were scattered around the space like they’d been dragged and stomped on.

  Her heart broke a little bit. She looked down at the sweet creature who was clearly so content now, just being with her. It was hard to believe he’d been so miserable that he did all that damage, but he had. If only she’d been there, he wouldn’t have had to feel like that.

  “Did you miss me, buddy?” she asked. Chestnut cocked his head and locked eyes with her in response, his eyebrows bunched together and his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. He pawed her hand to remind her to keep scratching his belly.

  Meg giggled.

  But before she could pet him again, Chestnut rolled over, hopped to his feet, and perked his head toward the door. In the same instant, Meg heard the door creak behind her. Someone else was there. Meg’s heart pounded as she turned around slowly to see who it was.

  It was Colton. And he didn’t look happy.


  “I thought I might find you here,” Colton said.

  “I’m so sorry, Colton,” Meg blurted out. “I wanted to tell you. I really did.”

  Colton’s expression remained stony as he slowly leaned his bike against the wall of the shed.

  “I went over to your house to hang out,” he said evenly. “But they said you were at my house . . . so then I figured out what was up. Guess you didn’t take Chestnut to the shelter after all.”

  “Well, I was going to. And then I came up with a plan to sell ornaments at the farm so that we could afford to keep him, and then I was afraid that you’d be mad at me, so I didn’t tell you the truth earlier. I felt awful about it and wanted to tell you everything.” Meg was talking a mile a minute, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “I never want to lie to you ever again, Colton. I mean it.”

  Meg searched Colton’s eyes, hoping that he believed her. Instead, he just looked around the shed. “Oh boy, Chestnut doesn’t like being alone, huh?” Meg waited for him to say something else, which felt like it took forever. “Hmm,” was all he said after a few moments.

  “Could you, um, maybe share what you’re hmming about?” Meg asked anxiously.

  Several more seconds passed.

  “It’s pretty common for a dog like Chestnut to have some separation anxiety.” He looked at the chewed horse blanket and something flickered in his eyes. “And from this . . . situation . . . it seems pretty likely.”

  Meg bristled at Colton’s tone. He made it sound like Chestnut had some sort of problem. She looked away and poured the dog some more kibble. “Well, I don’t plan on being separated from him for long,” she said. “That will go away when he can live with me and we can be together all the time.”

  Colton eyed her skeptically. “It’s not always that easy,” he said, his tone softening. “Sometimes you have to work really hard to train a dog out of being afraid.”