The Ties That Bind

Fiat? I'd hate it! Garth, listen to me; my car is just fine. I own it free and clear and I love it. I don't want a new car."
    "If you want something foreign we can think about getting you a Mercedes. They're good, solid cars with a lot of steel in them."
    Shannon wanted to scream in frustration. It took all her willpower to maintain some semblance of civility. She would not ruin these last couple of hours with her lover. "I couldn't possibly afford a Mercedes," she pointed out stiffly.
    He squeezed her hand. "You don't have to worry about that end of things. I'll take care of it."
    "No." It was her turn to sound rigid. "You aren't going to buy a car for me, Garth."
    "Why not?"
    She finally lost her temper. "Because I say so, that's why! I will not have you spending that kind of money on me, Garth Sheridan. We're not married, we're just weekend lovers. Don't you understand?"
    He halted again, his hands going to her shoulders. "You're the one who doesn't understand yet, Shannon. But you will. Soon." He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but he glanced impatiently at his watch instead. "I've got to leave now. It's almost noon. I'll try to get away early on the Friday after next."
    "Garth, wait, we need to talk...."
    "I'll call you this evening." He turned and led her back down the beach, and Shannon could see he was already starting to plan ahead again. "Don't forget what I said about any contracts that buyer asks you to sign. Hold on to them until I've had a chance to go over them."
    "Garth, I really think I can deal with the matter. I've been supporting myself with my silk-screen products for two years." Frantically Shannon tried to make herself sound reasonable and prudent, but she was aware of an abnormal edge in her voice.
    "Just don't sign anything. Oh, and I'll let you know about the locksmith sometime this week."
    Shannon gave up for the moment. There was no sense arguing now. Time had run out and the weekend was over. A few minutes later she stood in the driveway watching the Porsche leave once more for San Jose. She felt as if Garth were leaving for another world, not just another town. The gulf between herself and her weekend lover suddenly seemed very wide.
    Frustrated and uncertain, Shannon went back inside the cottage. It was difficult to remember that she was the one who had first approached Garth. She was no longer certain of what she had started by her impulsiveness that day on the beach when she had followed him into the fog and invited him to dinner. The busy, settled routine of her life had been turned upside down, and she wasn't at all sure how to right it.
    The dark, brooding quality that had compelled her to push until she learned more about him was still a part of Garth. She still didn't know what secrets it shrouded, although she was beginning to get an intuitive feel for some of them. She could hazard a guess, for instance, that once he had decided to plunge into an affair, Garth's first instincts were to keep his private life and his business life carefully separated. She wondered where he'd learned to be so wary of mixing the two.
    His tendency to start making some of the major decisions in her life seemed to stem from a sense of over-protectiveness. It might just as easily be a function of his normal take-charge attitude, however. Shannon thought about that as she wandered back into her studio. The man was accustomed to running his own company. Taking charge came naturally to him. But it was more than that. The things he was concerning himself with in her life were directly related to what he saw as being important to her safety and welfare. He wanted better locks on her cottage, a safer car for her to drive and he was convinced she couldn't handle the business side of her own life.
    Shannon sat down at the worktable and examined the sketches she had been making for a stencil pattern for Annie O'Connor's baby crib. She had promised Annie she'd have some of the alphabet stencils cut by Monday. She had better get busy. Shannon picked up her sketching pen and went to work. She tried not to think about the future. She would take the weekends one at a time. There wasn't much else she could do, because she knew for certain she was in love with her weekend lover.

* * *
    THE BUYER from Lost and Found arrived as promised on Wednesday morning. Shannon nervously watched her get out of the car. The woman looked very San Francisco. Short, stylish hair, narrow skirt, padded-shouldered silk