“He’s beautiful, Sophie. I can’t believe he got you a horse.” Catherine stepped over to the fence with the apple that Sophie had offered. She extended her hand and Tsar snorted at her before accepting the treat. Catherine had come to Arlington for the afternoon. After a lovely lunch at the bistro in town, Sophie had taken her to the stable to show off her new prize.
“He’s wonderful.”
“Who, the horse or Alex?” her friend snickered.
“Well, both, but I meant Tsar. Come ride with me. The stable has a couple of other horses that I’ve used before. Charlie won’t mind.”
“Okay, but just slow, not too much bouncing around.” Catherine’s ribs were still tender at times. Sophie discussed one of the horses with Charlie, the owner of the stable. He brought Copper out for Catherine to ride. Copper was a 7 yr old sorrel mare. She was very gentle and Charlie routinely used her for more inexperienced riders. Sophie saddled Tsar and she and her best friend took off down the path to the woods behind the far pasture.
“So, are you going to tell me?” Catherine asked after they’d been walking for a few minutes.
“What?”
“Sophie, you’ve had something on your mind all day. I’m tired of waiting. Tell me.”
Sophie smiled. She never could keep anything from Catherine. Her friend knew her like an old tattered book.
“Cat,” she sighed and smiled. “He asked me to move in with him.”
Catherine pulled Copper’s reins up short and looked at her friend in shock. Sophie’s smile faded just a bit.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m really surprised. Are you – I mean, do you want to?”
“Well, he wanted me to think about it,” she said quietly, perplexed by Catherine’s reaction. She thought sure that Catherine would be so excited that she could hardly keep from jumping up and down.
“And have you thought about it -- pros and cons?”
“Well, sure I have. I thought you’d be happy for me. I thought you liked Alex.”
“I do like Alex, Sophie, but moving in is a big step. Have you thought about what happens when he’s on the road or what you’re going do for a job? What are you going to do with your parent’s house?”
“It wouldn’t be any different than when he’s on the road now and I don’t have a job anymore in Baltimore. There are plenty of things I can do in Arlington. I don’t know what I’ll do about Mom and Dad’s house. I haven’t decided.”
“But, clearly, you’ve decided to move in with him.”
“Yes, I have. I’m moving in with him.”
A smile started at the corners of Catherine’s mouth and spread to a wide grin. “Then you better give me a hug.”
Sophie laughed and leaned over on the horse to hug her friend.
“I’m going to miss you.”
“It’s only an hour away. We’ll see each other all the time.”
“Hell, maybe I’ll get to see more of Mike this way. You might not be the only one who gets to live the dream.”
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