Chapter 68

"Hey. Speaking of us being partners now, I want to give you this." Rhys said, walking to his jacket. He grabbed an envelope and handed it to her. She had already assumed he would want to prenup and that's what she expected when she opened the envelope. Inside, she found two cards and some paperwork for her to sign. One card was an American Express card and the other was a bank debit card. There was also a business card "Mark Graham, CPA Entertainment Accountant"

She looked at Rhys. He smiled and said, "You never have to worry about money again. These are yours. Any large purchases, over a thousand dollars, just let Mark know about ahead of time. He likes to run a tight ship."

"Rhys, I don't feel comfortable with this. I don't feel right." She said, handing him back the cards.

"This is non-negotiable. Plus, you have a house to help decorate. I'm sure you will be getting to know Mark very well. I'm not worried about you mesmerizing him with your goddess juju, though. He's very happily married to his husband." Rhys chuckled and handed the envelope back to her. "Plus you're about to be a famous rock star. You better give me your bank card when THAT starts piling up."

"Rhys, how much money do you have? Like what do you make on your show a year? A hundred thousand? Two?" Pearl felt bad asking but she didn't want to be ignorant to what was going on in her life and with her fiancé.

"I make about 500,000." He said.

"Ok, that's a little higher than I thought." She said, nodding and understanding.

"Per episode." He smiled and jumped back onto the counter.

"What??" Pearl was having trouble breathing. "Rhys, how much money do you have?"

"See Pearl, this is why I know you're the one. You don't watch tv, you didn't recognize me in the bookshop and when I told you I was an actor, you thought it was like any other profession. And you think I make a hundred grand a year. I know you're not using me. In fact, I'm certain you're embarrassed even having this conversation with me." He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "What I'm about to tell you isn't bragging. I want you to know what you're getting into here. I've been acting since I was 5. I have two golden globes, an Emmy, a Saturn award, was nominated for a Tony award when I was 19 years old and several critics choice awards I won't bore you with. I've been in movies, television, theater all of my life. You've lived kind of under a rock in a way, and it's ok. I appreciate that about you. But I'm a celebrity, darlin'. This is going to be all over the news, you and I. You saw that in the gossip rag last month. And there will be more. There will be red carpets. Events. Interviews. You're going to be famous now, too. Pearl, I'm worth about 25 million dollars."

She felt her body go limp and then next thing she knew, Rhys was standing over her, splashing water on her face.

"Goddammit Pearl, you fainted and scared the shit out of me." Rhys was clearly frazzled.

"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't even think about all of that. I just love you for you. I don't see any of that, it's not part of my thought process about you." She said, holding a cool rag to her forehead.

"Does it change anything?" Rhys seemed nervous about the question

"No. I mean yes. Only because it's a big deal. But no. Not about how I feel about you."

"Thank god. Most women pass out when they meet me because I'm a celebrity. You pass out when find out I'm not a regular guy." He laughed.

Pearl couldn't believe her naïveté. She was so caught up in everything she didn't realize just how famous he was. She had googled his show the night they met but not after that. She knew he was an actor. She knew he had some money. But this...this was a lot. And she felt stupid she hadn't really realized the extent of it until now. He gave her a hug and told her was getting in the shower. She picked up her phone and googled his name. She knew she shouldn't, but she had to. He had an IMDb and a Wikipedia. Oh my god he was in 82 things as an actor! She saw a pic of him when he looked about 16 or 17 and remembered watching him in a show when she was in her 20s and he was a teenager. There were photos of him with James Franco at a bar and other celebrities, him at awards shows, him speaking at the comic con panel and several of him walking down the street. There was the one with the both of them at the brewery that was in the magazine. He had dated a lingerie model and three actresses. Holy crap they were gorgeous!

She put down her phone. There was so much she needed to learn about him. So much she didn't know. And so much she didn't want to know. She put the rag back to her head and laid down on the counter.