Game of Love by Ara Grigorian Page A

I’ve–”
    The gang tackled him to the ground. In the pile-up, they punched him, poked him, and even kissed him.
    “Okay, enough!” he said, chortling through the persistent tickling. He sat up. “Really, guys?”
    “It’s your fault,” Chris said, and offered his hand to Andre. “You’re always with your uppity friends. How else are we supposed to keep you grounded?”
    “Yes, I feel grounded all right. My ass has a lot of ground in it.”
    “Too much information,” Sandy said.
    “Was that my outside voice?” Andre asked.

    Minutes after she had left Andre’s, Gemma had changed her mind. She would join him and his friends. She pulled into the parking lot and saw them–they were the only ones there. She stared in wonder as Andre’s friends helped him to his feet, then hugged and kissed him.
How beautiful
. She wondered if he realized how lucky he was to have so many friends. She had Tish, full stop.
    What are you doing here? You don’t know them. You don’t even know him.
But she wanted to know him better. And on some level, she felt she did know him and understood him.
    One of the women there wrapped her arm around his waist then leaned her head on his shoulder.
Who is she?
Gemma took a deep breath, drank her water bottle empty, then raised her chin. “Right. Let’s do this.”
    She stepped out of her car and with a jolt of adrenaline inadvertently slammed the door. One of the women, with medium-length, dirty-blonde hair, turned. Gemma’s chest tightened.
Just keep walking
…
left, right. Do. Not. Trip!
    The rest of the group turned.
    Andre swiveled slowly, then paused. She focused on him, his eyes.
Gemma,
she saw him mouth. His smile broadened as he let go of the woman he was holding and plowed through the sand toward her.
    His body pressed into hers when they hugged. “Thank you for coming,” he whispered. The wind ruffled his hair. “Glad you changed your mind.”
    She beamed. “Me too.” Her voice cracked.
    “You’re safe here. Just be you,” he said then paused. “The one I met on the plane–not the one at breakfast in Paris.” He winked then peered at his friends. “Family, I want you to meet my friend, Gemma. Please behave yourselves.”
    Gemma shook hands with the men, received a kiss on the cheek from the ladies, and was hugged by his cousin, Linda, the woman who had been holding Andre so tightly.
    Gemma felt torn, unsure how to act. Which Gemma? The reserved one who obsessed over everything that was said about her, or the Gemma who had let loose the day before? She had heard Andre, but it was hard to drop her guard.
    They sat under the canopy, and while the men studied the cliff, the ladies laid out snacks and drinks. Then she caught sight of the little girl–platinum blonde with hazel eyes and the cutest round belly.
    “How do you know Andre?” Sandy asked.
    “We met in Paris,” Gemma said.
    “As in, last week?” Linda asked.
    “That’s right.”
    Linda appeared to be studying Gemma. “You have such lovely eyes,” she finally said.
    “Thank you.” For an instant Gemma relaxed, but just as quickly she was worried again. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting the worst.
    “Don’t worry,” Linda whispered. “No one but surfers show up this early. You’ll be safe from wandering eyes.”
    “Do you climb?” Sandy asked. “My fiancé, Chris, may try to work you.”
    “Climb what? That?” Gemma asked. “Is he serious? That’s a flat wall.”
    “Dead serious,” Dan said as he slid under the canopy. “The good news is he also claims he’s a survival expert, so if you fall and break something, he’ll help you survive.”
    “As reassuring as that sounds, I’ll have to skip this go,” she said.
    She was nearly certain they recognized her, but beyond Linda, no one made reference to it. They treated her like a normal person. Gemma’s armor lowered.
    She watched Andre play with little Haley, who appeared to be taken by him as well. Haley giggled and snuck