“Thank you.” And now on to the rest of it. “Not to be crass, but I know you’re not doing this for free, nor would I expect you to. What is this going to cost?”
“There will be the cost of the materials, the diamond—assuming you want a diamond?”
He nodded. “Something large but not ostentatious. As perfect a stone as you can find.”
“Two carats?”
“Three.” He wanted Delaney to know he meant business. This was forever.
Her pen rolled across the page as she made a note. “Hmm. I have an idea. Give me a sec.”
She opened her laptop, angling it so he could see the screen but she could reach the keyboard. With a few key strokes, she called up a program and started designing a ring right in front of him. “I’m thinking cushion cut. I have a great supplier who will overnight me anything I want and he’s got beautiful goods.”
“Excellent.”
She tapped away. “I’ll set it with a halo of smaller diamonds, round brilliants, then do a split shank paved with round sapphires.” She looked at him. “Great stone for protection and strength.”
“Perfect.” He studied the design she’d produced. “It’s beautiful. Classic but different.”
“I’m going to set a few stones on the inside of the band. Moonstones, peridot, a little turquoise, maybe. They won’t be felt when the ring is on, but for our purposes, they’ll add another layer of protection.”
“Absolutely. Whatever you think it’ll take.”
“All right then.” She pulled out a calculator and did a few sums that resulted in her making a little noise in her throat. “It’s going to be a very nice ring.”
“I understand. How much does very nice cost?”
“Based on the quality of the stones and the amount I’ll need…about fifty to sixty thousand.”
“That’s fine.” He would have paid twice that. Triple, even. “And that’s all you need from me?”
She put the calculator down. “No. In order for me to charge the magic and make it directly relatable to you, I need something very dear to you.”
“Which is?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. That’s up to you. It doesn’t need to have actual value, but it must be valuable to you. Giving it to me should feel like a sacrifice.”
“Will I get this thing back?”
“No, I’m sorry. The creation of the magic will use it up. Whatever you give me will be gone for good.”
An odd sensation trickled through him. A sense of inevitability. Stanhill had said there would be a cost beyond dollars, but it wasn’t just that. It was as if Hugh had lived his whole life knowing a moment like this would come one day.
“I understand.” Without hesitation, he knew what he would give her. “I’ll have a package delivered to you this afternoon. How long after you get that can you have the ring ready?”
“Two weeks, maybe three.”
“No. Too long. You said you could have the stones overnight.”
“I can, but I have other projects sitting on my bench—”
“I’ll pay you an extra ten thousand to ignore them. How long then?”
She thought for a moment. “If I put all my other projects aside, a week.”
“Still too long.”
She made a face. “I can work while I’m here, but I still have to wait on customers and run the shop. I only have two other employees besides myself.”
“I’ll find you a third. I’ll even pay their wages if that’s what it takes.”
She stared at him hard. “You’re desperate to turn her, huh?”
“Not at all.” He’d rather ignore that part altogether. “What I am desperate for is to give her that ring. To make this engagement official. To show her how serious I am.”
Willa smiled. “For love, I can have the ring in three, maybe four days.”
He nodded. “Done. I assume you accept cash?”
“I do. Prefer it, actually.”
“Then I’ll send the money along with the item you requested.”
“Half is fine upfront.”
“I’ll send it all. I don’t want that to be an issue.”
“All righty then.” She grinned as she stood. “My very next task will be ordering the stones.”
“Call if you have any issues. I’ll arrange for the temporary help to start tomorrow then.”
She held out her hand. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Ellingham.”
“Call me Hugh, please.” He shook her hand.
“I’ll be in touch, Hugh.”
“Very good.” He left the shop and walked back to where he’d parked. He tipped his face into the sun, enjoying the warmth one last time. Stanhill had been right about the cost, but an eternity with Delaney was priceless.