Page 87 of Mountain Shadow

The rest of the move had been surprisingly easy. Jens had cleared up space in the master bedroom’s closet, so by the time she came back there was never any question as to where she would stay. This was her home too, now.

“Sarah? We’re here.”

She’d daydreamed herself all the way into Chamonix.

Maybe it’s a good thing he’s driving me.

“Good luck on your first day. I know you’re going to be amazing.”

“You don’t think Cédric needs it more than me?”

“Cédric is a lucky man to have you here,” he said. “And so am I.” He turned his large body over and pressed his lips to hers. Softly, at first, like he only meant the kiss to last a couple of seconds. Needing more, her lips parted for his. Her tongue caressed his soft, firm lips. His strangled groan fueled her desire. They deepened the kiss, neither of them stepping back until they had to come up for air.

Sarah’s knees were shaking as she got out of the car. Her fingers went up to her lips.

Will it always be like this?

“Thanks for the ride. I know you have a big day today as well.”

While she’d been sorting things out in London, Jens had figured out what the mafia men were after.

“I still have no idea how you figured it out,” she said.

“It was all thanks to Kat, actually. She’s the one who gave me the stones. I found myself wondering why there were rocks in my pocket, and suddenly remembered the words the man uttered when I found him. He spoke about rocks, but that was just a bad translation. He meant stones. Precious stones—not an uncommon currency for the mafia. And that’s when I thought that maybe he’d swallowed them, and that’s why we didn’t find anything near the crash site.”

Sarah felt ill just thinking about it. “I guess he never expected to die of a heart attack in the hospital.”

“Exactly. It’s lucky his body was still in the morgue when we figured it out. And today, an Italian gemologist is coming to put a value to them.”

“I wonder how much they’re worth.”

“I can’t say I care that much, but I’m looking forward to closing this case. Have a great day, I’ll see you tonight, Schatz,” he said, planting a firm kiss on her lips.

She knew he wouldn’t leave until she was inside, so she turned away and walked into the radio station. There was a spring to her step that hadn’t been here last time she’d been here—today, it felt like home.

Before closing the door, she looked back at Jens and waved, watching as he drove off.

She took a deep breath—everything was going to be okay.

Inside the studio, Cédric was a whirlwind of activity. “You’re here!”

What is he doing?

“What are you doing? Are you tidying?”

He had the grace to blush. “Just wanted everything to look right.”

Sarah nodded in understanding. Today marked the start of something. She and Cédric had agreed to become partners. Together, they were going to develop Oui Vallée, making it the most exciting, most listened to radio in the Three Valleys region.

She sat down in Cédric’s recording studio—her recording studio as of today, as well. Her heat hammered in her breast, but it was the good kind of hammering. The kind of hammering that reminded her she was alive.

Cédric introduced her to her listeners eagerly. She relaxed as he spoke, recognizing in him a man who wasn’t worried about sharing the spotlight, who knew that they would both shine brighter because they were together.

When it was her turn to speak, she began in English. She’d already started taking French classes, but it would take time until she was confident enough to be able to do this in French, and in any case, the Chamonix valley was a melting pot. It made sense to include non-French speakers in their offering.

When they were done, Cédric put on some music, and made her a coffee from the tiny Nespresso machine in the corner. It was a beautiful summer day, so they went outside to drink it, sitting on the small stone bench. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face.

“So, how did that feel?” he asked.