Page 45
Story: The Inquisitor
She sighed. “That’s why Grandma loves you.”
“And you don’t?” I teased.
“I’m offended you had to ask.”
A chuckle spilled out of me. “Gotta go finish up some work if I’m to make it there in two hours.”
After reviewing the herbs that Patricia Gallivan used, I concluded there was nothing wrong with my grandma’s herbal remedy. Jasmine leaves, dandelion, rose, and ginseng could be found easily online or any grocery store. Ms. Gallivan was probably allergic to one of the herbs. But to be certain, I’d send it to the lab for verification. They could break down the properties and see the chemical reactions for each herb and pair them up for various effects. They could use that data and analyze it further with the global database on people who were allergic to them.
When I got to Full Circle Apothecary, the parking lot was packed with cars. It must have been the herbs class night. I entered, and the noise from the herb room confirmed it.
Yolanda saw me and gestured for me to follow her to the back room. She wore a dress with a low neckline and high heels that would probably hurt her feet by the time the shop closed.
“Are you going on a date tonight?” I asked.
We ducked into the back room filled with inventory neatly organized. Baskets of dried herbs sat waiting to be separated.
Yolanda twirled, and the skirt flowed around her. “Do I look pretty enough for a date?”
“Always.” I leaned against the table. “So what’s the deal with the new complaint?”
She stood beside me, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. “Some woman said the herbal prescription made her nauseous. She wanted her money back.”
“Did you give it to her?”
“I didn’t want to, but Grandma said we should.”
“She’s right,” I said. “We want to defuse the situation, not make it worse. Did Grandma pull the product off the shelves?”
Yolanda nodded, staring at the ground. “I don’t know what’s going on, Forrest. No one has ever had a problem with any of our herbal prescriptions until now. I hope the complaints stop because it’s stressing out Grandma.” She nudged me with her elbow. “Do you want to stay longer in Texas until the lawsuit is over?”
“I can’t. I’ve sent out the herbs left by Patricia Gallivan to the lab. They’ll confirm if the recipe was safe, which I know it is. But having an official document is extra ammunition in court. My lawyer is working on the case.” Pushing off from the table, I took out my phone from my pocket, scrolling for Henry’s number. “I’m going to get an update from him. Where’s Grandma, by the way?”
“She went to the market down the street. It’s her daily exercise when we have enough coverage here,” she said, and I heard a hint of sadness in her voice.
“You okay?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Just relationship issues. Nothing big.”
“Is your boyfriend treating you well? If not, you let me know, okay?” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I mean it. You deserve a man who loves you.”
She smiled at me. “Thanks. I’m going to head out front to help Cara.”
When Yolanda left, I called Henry for an update.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
KIERA
Wearing my new Ba7M5Bu88T-shirt in soft yellow and some comfy shorts, I took an Uber to downtown Austin, wanting to explore.Though anxiety still stirred around me, I pushed it aside. Thinking about Forrest helped keep the worries far away. He’d become the perfect distraction.
It had been a while since I felt this kind of inspiration. Forest saidI made his day with a fantastic orgasm. But he was the one who shifted my mood completely. I’d never experienced such bliss from a text message, but it seemed Forrest had opened up new adventures for me to explore.
Tingles tickled my spine as I remembered our chat, yearning for his touch again. Delight skipped inside me like a child full of wonder and invincibility.I was going to put this positive attitude to good use.
I walked up to The Southern Belle boutique, stopped, and stared at the window display. The sage maxi dress on the dress form caught my eye. It reminded me of the color of Forrest’s eyes. I didn’t bring a lot of dresses on this trip, because I didn’t think I’d be going on a date or wanting to feel feminine and attractive. I had packed my luggage with mostly T-shirts, tank tops, and shorts. The lost luggage had finally arrived, but it was more casual clothing.
I could still wear a T-shirt and shorts on my date, but the simplicity of the dress with the thin straps called me.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45 (Reading here)
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153