A Pearl Bargain

Marcella tipped her chin up at Zane, breezing past his exasperated look as if it didn't exist. "Come on. Continue crying."

Zane blinked, momentarily speechless, then asked in a pitiful little voice, "If I cry, can I stay?"

Her eyes glinted with mischief. "I want pearls in every color. Whether you stay depends on your performance."

He cried as if his life depended on it.

The problem was that with a