Page 56 of Embrace
His lips settled into a coy grin. “The cute blonde.”
I wrinkled an eyebrow. “Were you flirting with her?”
“No.”
I didn’t believe him. From personal experience, I knew how strong he could come on to a woman he was attracted to. He probably made her feel flustered, which was why she got through the test as fast as she could. But there was no need to point fingers. Finally, we had a lead on a possible cause.
“When was your last dosage?” I asked.
“This morning. You’re barking up the wrong tree, Doc. Those vitamins make me feel great.”
I tilted my head. “They do?”
He grimaced, appearing annoyed by my questioning the viability of his supplements.
“How can I get my hands on these vitamins?”
“I have some. I take them three times a day.”
“Would you mind giving me your next dosage?”
He stiffened. His brow wrinkled then evened out.
“It’s not a popper, right? It’s just a vitamin. Unless you’re addicted to these vitamins.” My tone sounded suggestive.
Finally, Greg dug into his pocket and took out a small pill box. After he gave me his next dose, I explained how most people heard the word “vitamin” and thought what they were taking was good for them. However, not all vitamins were healthful, and most were made of synthetic substances.
“Dr. Ross,” he said as my hand gripped the doorknob.
I turned around to look at him.
“Thank you. I owe you dinner. How about tonight?”
Chastising him for flirting, I wiggled my finger at him as I walked out of the room. “Stay put.”
* * *
Dr. Beals confirmedthat Greg had been flirtatious. She also confessed that his hunkiness may have been distracting. Regardless, she rallied her troops and got to work on his case.
Since we were certain no surgery was warranted, my services wouldn’t be needed. However, curiosity made me stick close to the team. The lab had everything they needed to separate the substances and learn which active ingredients were contained in the vitamin.
An hour later, we were back in the SUV, and Greg drove because we were certain he wouldn’t have another episode of memory loss. During the team’s post-diagnostic follow-up, I learned each memory lapse occurred up to half an hour after he took a vitamin. The time of reaction depended on how fast his body metabolized the supplement. At one point, he’d added an extra dosage to his routine, simply because it gave him an extra boost of energy.
“Did they say the supplement contained six statins?” he asked.
He was driving too fast, and it was getting to me.
“Could you please slow down?” I asked while listening to the third and final message from Asher.
In each, he asked that I return his call as soon as possible. He sounded worried, and I didn’t think it was because I was with Greg. That sucky feeling that came over me when he’d walked off with Julia was back in spades. But he had left me three messages since then, which meant he hadn’t fallen into her clutches. So I relaxed a bit, deciding to put my conversation with Greg regarding informing his team about the harmful supplements on ice while I called Asher to let him know I was okay. But before I could make the call, my phone rang. I gasped when I saw who it was. After forcing myself to breathe, I answered.
“Hi, Christine.”
“Your mother’s been found.” The fact that she got straight to her point worried me.
I looked at Greg with wide eyes as I pressed my hand on my chest.
“Is she alive?” I whispered past my tight throat.
