Page 18 of Mountain Shadow
Don’t look down at her breasts.
Don’t look down at her breasts.
Jens did not know where one would go about finding feminine undergarments, but Sarah found a store that looked promising. He didn’t follow her into that store.
“There are so many people walking around,” she said when she came back out.
Jens laughed. “Over thirty thousand people will try to climb Mont Blanc this year, and most of them will do so over the next five months. There are a lot of tourists in Chamonix right now.”
Understanding filled her face. “I take it they won’t all make it to the top?”
He shrugged. “Some people don’t realize the level of training and preparation required to climb Mont Blanc. Others think they can climb the mountain in sneakers. Speaking of which, we should get you some boots,” he said, eyeing her ballet flats.
“Uh, that’s really not necessary. I promise I will not be climbing Mont Blanc,” she laughed.
“Humor me, Sarah. Please. I’m not sure those things you’re wearing should even count as shoes.”
Half an hour later, they finally had everything. Sarah wore her new pair of walking boots out of the store. “These really are very comfortable,” she said. “Maybe we should go for a walk in the mountains to try them out.”
“I want to show you something,” Jens said, leading her to La Maison de la Presse, his favorite bookstore in town. He opened the door for her, and she walked inside.
“A bookstore! I love bookstores.”
“Wait till you see this place,” Jens said, striding quickly past the toys and tourist knick-knacks. Jens knew those items were the only thing that kept the store profitable, but he had no use for mugs with funny sayings on them or tote bags with pictures of Mont Blanc printed on the sides.
The back of the store, however, was amazing, with a mix of new and second-hand books lining every wall and every surface.
Sarah stopped at a section aptly named Montagne, eyeing books by famous expeditioners.
“I saw some of these in your place last night,” she said, running her hand along the spine of a book by Mike Horn, a South African born explorer famous for traveling to the North Pole alone during winter. “Maybe you’ll let me borrow it?” she asked shyly.
Jens nodded. “You can borrow any of my books. I need little sleep, so I read a lot at night. This place has a great selection of mountaineering books, as well as all the classics.”
Sarah nodded excitedly. “I don’t get much down time in my job, but when I do, I like to read. Mainly novels. I think I could stay here all day,” she added, instants before her stomach started a loud rumbling.
“Maybe we should feed you first,” Jens laughed. “We can come back here anytime and browse.” He waved at the older man behind the cash register, who waved back. “The owners know me. They won’t mind.”
He took her to a nearby brasserie. The lunch crowd was already gone, so there was plenty of space to sit outside. Sarah looked around, a worried look in her eye.
“Relax, Sarah, you’re safe here. But if you’d prefer, we can sit inside?” he asked.
“No. The sun is nice. And the view of Mont Blanc in the distance is something else. I’m sorry, it’s just been a few weeks of looking over my shoulder. It’s going to take me some time to relax.”
“I understand.”
“So. What’s good here?” she asked, a bit too brightly.
“The Savoyard Burger is great. That’s what I usually have. It comes with bacon, reblochon cheese, pickles, and mayonnaise.” He hesitated, realizing he didn’t know her all that well yet. She’d eaten the pasta he’d cooked the night before, but she’d also been starving at the time. “But maybe you’d like something lighter?”
“Does it come with fries?”
He nodded.
“Good. I’ll have that,” she said. “The last few weeks have made me realize I’ve eaten too many salads in my life.”
“You look like you can eat pretty much anything you like,” he remarked, before he could stop himself.
She blushed prettily. “That’s kind, though that probably has something to do with the number of times I’ve chosen a salad over other things. But today I … I don’t want to do that.”
