Page 4 of One Weekend in Perth

The doors slid open, and she shoved her feelings for Ben to the back of her mind, where they belonged. He needed her to be a friend to him and that’s what she’d be.

“Here we are,” she said, as she opened the door to her room. There was nothing special about it. It looked like every other hotel room, but she was conscious of the big king bed in themiddle of the room and the way her clothes were scattered all over the white bedspread.

If it was anyone other than Ben coming into her room, she’d rush to put everything away, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do. If she did, he’d know something was up because he’d been to her place plenty of times when she had things everywhere. Neatness wasn’t her go-to quality, but she wasn’t a hoarder or living in a constant state of mess, either.

God, what was she doing thinking about how she lived her life and how clean her house was when Ben needed her to be the friend she’d always been to him.

“You want a drink?” she asked, placing her clutch carefully on the unit the television sat on.

“You wanted to toss that on the bed, didn’t you?” Ben said with a wry smile.

“Maybe,” she shrugged, but secretly she was thrilled he knew her so well, he knew what her default habits were. “About that drink? We’ve got beer, wine, sparkling wine, and of course, the usual array of spirits, all in tiny bottles.”

“God, Clarabelle, everything is fucked.” Ben sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.

Any thoughts of drinks were forgotten. Ben’s despair reached out to her, making her heart clench. Something horrible must have happened, and it involved Fern, and he was heartbroken.

She sat on the bed next to him, hesitating for a moment, before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry, Bento. What happened? Who do I have to bury for you?”

Ben snort laughed. “No bodies need to be buried, except maybe mine, considering I walked away an hour before I was supposed to be married.”

“I’m sure you had a good reason. You love Fern.” Saying those three words almost had Clara vomiting. Fern neverdeserved the adoration Ben showed her. The fact that Ben still talked to her was amazing considering the campaign Fern had embarked on to erase her from Ben’s life.

“That’s the thing, I don’t think I do.”

Clara leaned back and stared at Ben, his gaze met hers. There was no wavering in his eyes. No hint that he didn’t mean the words he’d uttered. None of the numbness she’d seen in them only a few minutes ago remained. He looked like he always did. Sure and in control.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

Ben hadn’t given her any indication his feelings for Fern were changing. Admittedly, she’d been away off and on for the last couple of months because her job as a Safety Professional had her visiting a few of the mines in the north of the state that her company owned. Clara was grateful for those trips as, once she’d realized the depth of her feelings for Ben, she needed some space to process them all.

Ben got up from the bed and walked over to the window. She felt his loss deep in her soul, but she pushed it down. The last thing he needed was for her to get all clingy. He needed her to be his friend.

Nothing more.

Yet, she wanted to get up and wrap her arms around him and lean her cheek against his back. Provide him comfort because it was clear he was hurting and saying things he didn’t really mean.

“Fern’s cheating on me.” The words were said so matter-of-factly. No emotion. No anger.

Why wasn’t he angry? Or was this calmness a front and his anger was simmering below the surface waiting to erupt?

Rage swirled inside of her. How could Fern do that to Ben? He was the most loyal person she knew and, as much as it had hurt seeing them together, Ben always seemed smitten, so she’d been happy for him.

Heck, he’d asked Fern to marry him even though they only knew each other a short time.

Sitting still was impossible now. He needed her. He had to know it wasn’t his fault no matter what he may be thinking. He didn’t force Fern to cheat on him. Clara may have been away, and when she was back tried not to be close to them, but she and Ben had talked. Not once had he said they were having issues. Or that they had a fight, which could lead Fern to lashing out by seeking comfort with someone other than Ben.

What she’d been wanting to do a few seconds ago, she did. She rested her cheek against Ben’s back and hugged him hard. “I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve that.” Now the reason for him being in the lobby of the hotel made more sense. “I’m guessing you just found out and that’s why you wanted to get away from it all.”

Ben’s warm hands closed over hers where they rested against his trim, taught belly. “Yes, and no.”

Never once in all the time she knew Ben had she known him to be cryptic. “Okay, you need to start from the beginning. And I think we need alcohol to deal with this.”

“Not sure booze is the best thing for this situation.”

Ben may not need anything, but she had a feeling she was going to need some. “Better to have it on standby.” Clara gave him one last squeeze before she let him go and went back to the small fridge and pulled out the small bottle of white wine. Unscrewing the cap, she swallowed some down, grimacing at the tartness of it. Hotel wine wasn’t the best quality but it did the trick in a pinch. “Right, explain everything.”

The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence as she waited for Ben to tell his story. The longer he remained quiet the more worried she got. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to her, to tell her what Fern did. Had their friendship changed and she hadn’t noticed?

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