Game of Love (45 page)

Andre stepped out of Gemma’s room then leaned against the door, his eyes sealed tight.

“What’s wrong?” someone asked.

His eyes popped open. It was Tish. “I have to leave.”

“Wait a bit and we’ll all go together.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m leaving. Going home.”

“What? Why? What happened?” She searched his eyes.

“Before I leave, I have to ask you for a favor.”

“Sure. What?”

He held her shoulders and peered into her eyes for a few moments. She flinched.

“Don’t tell Wesley what Gemma does all the time. Where she’s going, who she’s with. Don’t listen to him when he tells you to kiss me. Your instinct was right when you said no to him initially. I want to believe you thought you were just doing your job. But your job is to protect her. Don’t let anyone get to her.”

Her large eyes turned glassy

“I won’t be around to help her. She’ll only have you. You! Don’t misuse her trust.”

She blinked.

“Do you understand?”

Tish nodded, tears streaking her cheeks.

The weather opened up on Friday, and the semifinal match between Gemma and Sonia was set to continue. Gemma searched for Andre, scanning her reserved seats, then glanced over at the PM’s. But he was nowhere to be found. Had he given up on her? Why wouldn’t he? She had given up on their relationship after all.

She’d broken up with him to end the madness, but how was she to deal with the overwhelming sadness she felt? She had been impulsive. How could she clean it up now? Her life was still a mess.

Cleaning up the chaos in her life had to start somewhere. It would start on the tennis court. Gemma redirected her focus to the third and tiebreaker set.

She’d have to generate the same electric energy as the day before. Sonia was shaken. Gemma could see that, but Sonia had the opening serve. Gemma understood the psychology of the game, the brutal truth. All athletes at this level were talented, technically equivalent. But the champions understood the mind games. Once doubt penetrated the mind, nothing could save someone from sinking. She had to remind Sonia of the momentum shift of the day before. Gemma had to break Sonia’s first serve.

Sonia launched the first serve. Gemma’s return was decisive, forcing Sonia to sprint to the other side of the court. In that instant, Gemma risked it and rushed the net. When Sonia returned the ball, Gemma was there to spike it away.

Love-15.

Gemma set the tone. She’d be aggressive and take chances. On the second serve, Sonia compensated and lobbed the return, forcing Gemma to sprint away from the net toward the baseline. With her back against the net, Gemma realized the ball was above and behind her. Like a basketball player performing a fade away jump shot, Gemma leapt and spun in mid-air, her racquet behind her head. She dropped the hammer and cut through the ball’s trajectory. The ball tore across the court, just barely missing the net.

Love-30.

On the next serve, Gemma crept up on the baseline, daring Sonia to attack her body. Sonia bit, and when the serve came, Gemma adjusted her grip and returned the ball straight down the line.

Love-40.

Gemma never looked back, breaking Sonia’s serves twice, and never faltering on her own.

Match to Gemma: 6-3.

The standing ovation and cheers would not end. She saluted the crowd, the Prime Minister, and the Prince. When Gemma extended her hand to Sonia, the graceful champion embraced her opponent instead.

“I always knew it was just a matter of time,” Sonia said. “Good luck. This one’s yours.”

After another hug, Gemma marched off the court, waving to her fans. Mixed with the perspiration, tears dripped from her face. Tears of joy, tears of loss.

She sat in the locker room and remembered Andre’s words.
What are you afraid of?
She closed her eyes and recalled his honest eyes and lovely smile. Then she remembered something else.
With love, magic is possible
.

Gemma nursed a glass of red wine in her living room while Tish sat silently.

“What happened with Andre?” Tish asked, breaking Gemma from her thoughts.

She turned slowly to Tish. “I fucked up. Badly.”

“Yes, it appears that way. And now what?”

Gemma shrugged. “I need him. But I can’t have both a career in tennis and a relationship. You saw what happened; they can’t coexist. Paparazzi following us, taking videos of us, private details showing up in the papers. I can’t live that way. My life can’t be a soap opera. But… I don’t know. Without him, I’m lost.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I need to find a way—”

Tish leaned forward then rose. She tugged on her braids, not making eye contact with Gemma.

“What’s wrong?” Gemma asked.

Tish dropped back into the seat, took a deep breath, and spoke. “I should have known. It’s so obvious now, but I didn’t see it. I thought all of it was being done for good reason, never bothering to ask why the bloody hell we did what we did.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

Tish covered her face for a few moments then peered at Gemma. “I think you can have it all.”

Gemma gazed at her friend. “Is that so?” She wiped her cheek.

“This may be the worst time to say this, but you need to know the truth. Or at least what I believe is the truth.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What happened to the two of you was not his fault or yours. Someone else orchestrated the drama.”

Gemma set her glass down. “Explain. Very. Slowly.”

“Okay,” Tish said, “but first, I have to resign as your assistant. And ask that I speak to you as a friend who loves you and wants to see you happy.”

“Gemma, what brings you–?”

The hard, fast slap threw Wesley’s glasses off his face.

“What the hell, Gemma? Have you lost your mind?” His eyes were wide, his mouth askew.

“After all these years how could you betray me?”

He leaned down, searching for his glasses. “What are you talking about?”

“It was you all along. You’ve been doing this. You were the one who was meant to protect me. Instead, you tried to ruin my life.”

He laughed as he rose, glasses in hand. “Is that what you think? You think I was trying to ruin your life?”

“It’s not what I think. It’s what I know.”

“You don’t know shit, Gemma. Nothing. You act all innocent and confused now. That’s rich. Look at your homes, your bank accounts. You think those came for free? Years ago I promised you’d be bigger and more powerful than anyone. I asked you to let me do my job and you do yours. I made you famous. I made you filthy rich. Now you’re shocked you had to give up something in the process? Another five, maybe six years, you’ll be gone from tennis. No one will remember you. I made sure you can live the remainder of your life in comfort, at the level only a handful of people have ever had the privilege of experiencing.”

“Did you bother asking what I wanted?”

“You wanted to be famous. You wanted to be rich. You wanted everyone to love and respect you. You wanted to matter. From your birth parents, to Georg, to any of the countless people in your life who had doubted you or hurt you. You got what you wanted. I put everything on the line to get you there. I did it out of love for you.”

She dropped her eyes.

“When I saw you that day with Georg, I swore I’d do everything I could to rebuild your confidence. Look at you now. You’ve become the most loved person on the planet. You are a presence, a force. You’re practically royalty, and royalty needs someone extraordinary next to her. You need a prince, not Andre. He’s a nice enough guy, I’m sure. But we need to keep you in the limelight. Single, available, always with celebrities, the equally rich and powerful. Years from now, you can think about settling down. Now’s not the time. You need to ride this train.” He slid his glasses back. “I understand what you’re feeling. You’re in shock. Not able to think clearly. But take an objective look at where you are today. You’re one match away from having what you wanted professionally. Financially, you are better off than most professional athletes combined. You already have it all. I don’t expect this to be obvious to you now, but you will thank me later. You will understand.”

Something dawned on her. A reality she would have never considered before. “Wesley, five years ago, you were Georg’s agent, weren’t you? That’s why he was at my party.”

His face froze for an instant, then recovered. “But I dumped him immediately after what he did.”

“But you asked me to not press charges. Why? What would I have learned if I had?”

He just stared, not moving, not reacting.

“An ideal pairing that went terribly wrong… Christ, Wesley.”

“Listen, you’re–”

“Wesley,” she interrupted, stepping up in his face. “Don’t ever come near me or speak to me again. We are done.”

“You’re being irrational. You’re not thinking clearly. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. You have everything you ever wanted because of me.”

“Wrong. I lost the only person I needed because of you.”

“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball.”
~Bjorn Borg

n game day, when Gemma awoke, she stumbled into her bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The sun’s rays flooded the room and specks of dust floated in air. Specks; nothing more.