“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s just…I wonder if we could delay them for a bit. I…forgot to bring my luggage.”
Kat thought back on the very specific instructions she’d been given regarding the timeline. Had he not read over them? “They were pretty adamant that we stick to the schedule,” she said. “A portion of the filming crew is coming along, remember? So I doubt they’ll be very flexible.”
“Right,” he mumbled, but his face stayed tense. “And how long is the honeymoon?”
Kat shot him another look. How did he not know this? “It’s an eight day trip. We come home next Saturday. They said to pack a swimsuit, so I’m hoping for someplace tropical.”
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Tropical would be nice.”
“Didn’t they tell you all of this?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Okay,” Randall hollered with the wave of his arm. “They’re ready to see off the new Mr. and Mrs. Benton, and we have a plane to catch, so let’s head on out.”
Kat steadied herself by holding onto her groom’s arm as they walked. It wasn’t that odd that he hadn’t paid mind to the details, was it? He was probably just used to having his secretary do those sorts of things for him.
But as they made their way down the stairs in front of the chapel, camera bulbs popping while confetti flew, Kat couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. It was the same feeling she’d had just days before discovering who Bradley really was. She only hoped that this time, she’d be wrong.
Chapter 10
Maybe this was all Zander’s fault. Maybe he’d done something to deserve this. Duke was the one always muttering the Bible’s “lead me not into temptation” prayer.
It felt a little too late for Zander to start reciting it now. He was playing the groom on wedding night with his supposed bride. And now—the entire honeymoon!
He had to get out of this.
The limo awaited them, and as Zander leaned down to help Kat in, he spotted the camerawoman seated inside. Good. Perhaps they wouldn’t be left alone. At least, not right away. If he could somehow sneak a text to…
“Mr. Benton,” a voice came from behind. Zander glanced back to see Marsha standing there with her hand out. “Your phone?”
His brow furrowed. “My phone?”
Marsha, effortlessly composed compared to her co-producer, nodded. “As per your contract. We already got Kat’s. Now we need yours.” When he paused, she elaborated. “No contact with the outside world during the honeymoon. This shouldn’t be a surprise.”
She was right—that tidbit shouldn’t have been a surprise. Still, Zander couldn’t get himself to move even a face muscle. His mind was too busy scrambling for a way out. Thank heavens he’d snatched his wallet out of the groom’s room at the same time; they couldn’t take that from him.
“It’s for your own safety,” the woman added. “Your wedding was live, remember? They know you’re headed somewhere, and people are dying to know where. Especially considering your status.”
“But what about my family? What if something goes wrong and they need to contact me?”
The woman puffed out a breath. “As stated in the contract you signed, family can contact us through the network, providing there’s an emergency.”
There was an emergency, all right.
Zander’s phone grew heavy and hot against his heart. He tucked a hand past his collar, snatched the phone from his inner breast pocket, and rested it in the producer’s palm. Yet just as the woman’s fingers curled around the small device, a beat of panic snuck in. What if a text came in from Duke? Or a call? Locked or not, it would show on the screen. And what about work?
“Oh,” he said, taking it back into his grip. He tapped out a quick text to James.
Please tell Linda that I won’t be in this week and to reschedule my appointments.
After hitting send, Zander pressed the power button and gave the producer a warning look. “I assume there’s a privacy policy regarding this?”
She nodded. “Of course. On your paperwork you asked that we give it to your brother, Zander, during your honeymoon. We’ll place it in his care as soon as he’s back from his trip.”
A chuckle sounded low in his throat. “Figures.”
“I am very sorry, again, that Zander wasn’t able to come.” Marsha held his gaze, an almost knowing look in her eye.
