A Medallion

Chapter 9

Tessa's POV:  

I read Vanessa's reply and then set my phone down on the nightstand.  All throughout feeding I'd been texting her.  Her replies had been shot back, while mine had been more sporadic in between giving out grain and hay.  

I still couldn't believe that I might be going to Vantage Point with Challenger.  Never in my life had I thought I'd visit there, unless it was for one of three prestigious events they held every year.  Challenger and I weren't ready for that level yet.  

I left my phone on the nightstand and padded down the stairs.  It was dinner time, and mom had just finished placing red bean soup on the table.  

She looked up as I came in.  "Are you done texting Vanessa?"  

"Yes and no."  I slid into my chair and inhaled the delicious aroma.  "She pressed for reasons, and I gave them."  I sighed.  "I think I really offended her."  

She shrugged.  "She can get over it."  

"That's just it, she won't let it go."  I leaned forward.  "Mom, she invited Challenger and I to come for a visit to Vantage Point.  She wants to show me the stables and prove that she can ride him."  

Mom paused from dipping up the soup, the ladle dripping in air.  "She did?"  

"Yeah.  I told her I'd ask you guys and give her a reply tomorrow."  

She poured the soup into a bowl.  "That's a bit quick for us to make a decision."  

"I could tell her you need more time."  

"Time for what?"  Dad came walking in.

Mom outlined the situation for him.  

He shrugged as he picked up his spoon.  "I don't see why we couldn't go.  It's a bit far from here though, about a three hour drive, but nothing we can't handle.  Is it alright with you hun?"  

"It's fine with me," mother said.

Vanessa's POV: 

I stabbed a pancake as I read Tessa's latest text.  

Tessa:  My parents say it's a go.  Can I bring my friend Lacy, her mom, and her horse along?  And can my mother bring her horse?  Sorry, it's not everyday we get to see a place like Vantage Point.    

Vanessa:  Of course.  What time and day works for you?  

Tessa:  A weekend would be best, either this one or the next, but the one two weeks from now won't work because we have an event on that weekend.  So this Saturday? 

Vanessa:  This Saturday will work perfectly.  What time?

Tessa:  Hmm...  We'll finish feeding by 8, we can be on the road by 8:45 or 9.  It's a three hour drive, so we'll probably be there by noon.  We'll have to leave by at least 3:30, so we can be back in time for evening feed.

Vanessa:  Oh that's right, you guys run a stable.  Don't you have staff to do the feeding?   

I set the phone down and ate a bite of pancake as my mom walked in.  "Guess what?  Tessa says she can come to Vantage Point this weekend."  

"That's great sweetie.  Oh, by the way, Medallion has been listed for sale," she replied as she sat down at the table.  She was dressed in a business suit, with her hair in a professional looking bun at the back.

I felt a pang of an emotion I couldn't identify, a mix of frustration, anger, and longing.  "Good.  The sooner she's gone, the better."  

"You really don't like her, do you?"