Page 89 of Bride Under Contract

He smiled, and then he was gone, and she realised she could lie in bed for an eternity and still be no closer to working him out.

She should get up and shower and then go to a pharmacy...buy a pregnancy test and find out once and for all.

Unless it was too soon.

Or there was nothing to find out.

Grace bought her first pregnancy test kit and then came back to the hotel, but she had to wait for room service to finish before she dared used it.

She came out of the bathroom and willed herself to wait the requisite minutes.

Of course she paced.

And then she glanced at the open-plan shelving near the entrance.

Carter had forgotten his plans.

She took her phone out to text him, wondering if he’d boarded yet, or was about to dash back through the door, or send someone more likely.

But then she stood stock-still.

He surely wouldn’t forget the blueprints.

Even on the boat, deep in kisses, he’d made sure to drag them to and from the house. Even the first time they’d met he’d been holding them.

She called him and got sent straight to Ms Hill. ‘I’d like to speak with Carter.’

‘Mr Bennett’s unavailable. I can pass on a message.’

‘He’s left his blueprints.’

‘I’ll let him know.’

She sounded utterly unperturbed, and as Grace took a breath it dawned on her that possibly he hadn’t forgotten his plans...

For someone who’d been caught red-handed before, Grace didn’t hesitate to punch the numbers into the safe.

Yes, his passport was gone. But what made her swallow was the fact that the black pouch was missing too.

Her heart was fluttering in her throat, panic building, and she wasn’t quite sure why. It was just that it was the anniversary in two days, and she knew he wanted that teething ring back where he thought it belonged.

Carter had been lying to her.

He wasn’t heading to Janana. He was going into the jungle...

Her hands were shaking as she went through the folder, took out the card and called Arif. But his number kept ringing out.

In the end she called Felicity.

‘Arif’s at a conference,’ she said, all efficient and cheery. ‘He should be back at the weekend.’

‘You’re sure he’s at a conference?’

‘He’s the guest speaker.’ Felicity gave a jolly laugh. ‘So I really hope so.’

Grace shook her head. ‘I thought Carter was meeting with him?’

‘Not that I’ve heard.’

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