Starting Again and Falling For Him

Pearl's first few weeks in her new place were a bit frantic. She had to notify Paul of her leaving and that went better than she had imagined it would. He was angry but seemed to be less bothered about her leaving than concerned with what she took. When she told him she left everything, he seemed to take the rest of it better. She told him she needed time and didn't plan on filing for divorce right away. He agreed to that and she knew his kindness had motive. He had a hefty 401k and they had money in the bank. She had printed their bank statement and grabbed his latest 401k summary the day she left, so if he tried to put the money elsewhere, there was proof. He didn't know that but she assumed his being nice was him hoping he could get her to agree to letting him keep that. So with having to deal with Paul, ordering things for the house and trying to stay focused on her job, things were a bit chaotic. She also had to get a vehicle. She was tired of borrowing Ja

Pearl woke up Saturday morning feeling refreshed. She fell asleep at 9 the previous night and had a full 12 hours of sleep. Needed. Meetings with her divorce lawyers, court, settling into her new place and juggling work and her band had really taken a toll. She was thankful she had finalized the divorce and was able to finally begin picking up the pieces. She had lost nearly everything. Her house, her furniture, her car. She could have fought for more but she wanted it over. She let him have everything. He was a controlling, awful man. He was her first love and all she had known, meeting him when she was only 20 and getting married at 23. It had been such a waste of her younger years. Living in that hell where everything was her fault. She was questioned constantly and isolated from friends and family. Nothing felt safe, always on edge. Not that her family was that great to begin with. She never had a real relationship with her mom and her dad was a tyrant, just like her husband was

Pearl walked back to Rhys and said, "Shall we?" "After you" Rhys said and motioned her forward. Pearl looked back and saw Dylan glaring at them until they were out the door. "I'm parked in this garage here. The brewery only has one spot out back for the entertainment and John always parks there with our gear, so I'm stuck parking what feels like a mile away" Pearl explained. She was calmer than she'd think herself to be in a situation like this. He didn't seem like a famous person. He seemed beautiful but normal. She'd never met anyone famous before so she really had no comparison, and she didn't feel weird about it at all. He was a little quiet on the walk. She sensed something was odd on his part maybe? "Here we are! It's not a Rolls Royce, I know, but it runs well." Pearl said as they arrived at her less than attractive Jeep Wrangler that was 12 years old. "I love these old Jeeps." Rhys said, running his hand

After a long bath and a dinner of champions, Pearl settled down with a book for the night. She was more than ready to sleep and hopefully dream about her night with a movie star. She finished the chapter and turned off the light when her her phone dinged. It was a text. She opened the phone and saw it was from Dylan. "You're right. I don't know why I cared. Glad you're safe. Have a good night." Ugh. He was a dick and confusing as hell. She turned out the light and slept like a baby. "Good morning, Pearl." David, her boss, greeted her in her office. Why was he was always so put together? He looked like he should be on the cover of GQ. His cologne smelled clean and his green eyes were always so inquisitive. He looked like money and purpose. He really was handsome. "Have a nice weekend?" He asked. "I did." Pearl replied trying to stifle a giggle. Even she couldn't believe what had happened. Her body still felt Rhys' presence and she was actually thankful for the

She slept like crap. David had insisted she take the bedroom and the guilt and awkwardness caused her to have a fitful sleep. She got herself together and came out to the little kitchen after she got out of bed and was ready. David was already awake and had coffee going. He looked pristine as ever and she was starting to think maybe he wasn't human. "Good morning Pearl, how did you sleep?" David asked with a smile. "Ok I guess. So what's in the agenda today. I know our big meeting is Friday morning at 9. That's the most I got from Ashley before we left." Pearl wasn't sure what was planned but she preferred to know ahead of time. "Today we head to the corporate office and meet the team. I have scheduled a tour for you and then we will have dinner tonight with the head of marketing here. Sound good?" David asked."Yes sir. Sounds great." She said  The tour went well. It was a huge, 12 story building with three times the staff their company had. Pearl met seve