Hockey Holidays Read online

  Even so, Indigo had been asked to join a group of the guys after hours at a bar near the car barn where the cable cars were stored overnight. Indigo had three brothers and was well able to hold her own when outnumbered by men. She’d told Bailey all she had to do was stand up to them, but so far Bailey had been too intimidated to do more than suffer in silence.

  Not today though.

  This Monday morning, Bailey was assigned to California Street Cable Car 54. All the cars were still festooned with garland and ornaments for Christmas and would be until the end of the year.

  Bernard, a six foot-three, one hundred eighty five pound African-American grip man, pretended to sing discordant Chinese music under his breath. In addition to the jabs about her gender, she also endured teasing about her race. She had hoped she’d left behind this kind of behavior in grade school, but apparently not. She was routinely called Peng Pong and asked questions like how much rice she ate in a year.

  “You’re not funny,” she said over her shoulder.

  “I’m just singing,” Bernard said.

  There was some low male laughter.

  She usually just ignored the bullies, thinking that the best course of action, but she was still feeling out of sorts. Despite her intention to stay pragmatic about the Gideon situation, she’d harbored a secret, impossible hope that he would, like the prince in the fairy tale, show up having looked high and low for her. But since it was more than a week since the party, that hope had finally died and she was left feeling angry at herself for even thinking things might turn out otherwise. As a result, she was in no mood to deal with Bernard’s childish bullshit.

  “My ass, you’re just singing,” she said, turning to face him. “What song is that?”

  Bernard laughed. “It’s the I Can Barely See Out of My Tiny Little Eyes Song.”

  More male laughter echoed in the large warehouse. Indigo was walking toward her, looking like she was ready for battle.

  “You know what’s a better song?” Bailey asked, her heart pounding. “The Hey, Mufasa, Suck My Dick Song.”

  Except for the ceaseless rumble of the underground moving cables, a shocked silence swept through the barn. Bailey could barely breathe. She knew Bernard wouldn’t resort to violence, but she was scheduled to work with the man for the next eight hours and he had years of seniority over her. Would the Good Old Boys band together to shun her even more than she was already being shunned?

  She heard Indigo’s amused chortle first followed quickly after by some applause and a much louder burst of laughter from what seemed like everyone in the barn.

  Everyone but Bernard.

  “Did you call me Mufasa?” Bernard asked.

  Bailey stood her ground and had to look up to meet Bernard’s gaze. “Yes, I did.”

  “That is fucking hilarious,” he said, letting some belly-deep guffaws out as he clapped Bailey on the shoulder. “That is fucking hilarious. Wasn’t that the daddy in The Lion King?”

  “Sure was,” someone said.

  “I like that. He was a good guy, that Mufasa.”

  Bernard got onto the car and began his safety check while Indigo gave her a quick hug.

  “That was awesome, sister,” Indigo said. “I’m so proud of you. Now that you showed him you weren’t going to take his shit anymore, just watch. They’re all going to let up on you because they respect you now.”

  “God, I hope so. I’m shaking so hard, Indi.”

  “Just take deep breaths and stand here for a sec. It’ll pass.”

  When Bailey felt calmer, she hugged Indigo one more time and boarded the car. Bernard glanced over and gave her a nod, and for the first time since she started her job two months ago, she felt eager to begin her shift.

  The very next day, Bailey was paired up with Bernard again, this time for a night shift. Indigo had been right; the entire crew was treating her differently and they even asked her to join them at happy hour.

  She was giving a German man his change when a deep voice called out, “Will this car take me to Aspen and Willow?”

  Gasping, Bailey spun around to see Gideon on the street. She blinked hard, not trusting her own eyes. The sight of him in a knit cap, a thick sweater and jeans took her breath away.

  “What the…?” she stammered. “What are you doing here?”

  Smiling, Gideon hopped onto the car and made his way to where she was standing on the back of the car, outside of the cabin.

  “I’m riding the cable car. I hear it’s the thing to do here in San Francisco.”

  He stood so close to her that she had to look up to see his face. There wasn’t much light, but the warmth in his deep-set brown eyes wrapped itself around her. Too bad she was wearing what had to be the world’s most unflattering outfit—baggy brown pants, a long-sleeved brown shirt, utilitarian black shoes and a neon green reflective safety vest.

  “Um, you need to buy a ticket.”

  He pulled out a ten and handed it to her. She tried to give him his change, but he refused it.

  “Do you have any idea how hard you are to find?” he asked, giving her a quick hug. “Why did you leave that night without saying goodbye?”

  Still reeling from his surprise appearance, she tried to organize her scattered thoughts. Thankfully, Bernard stood in the front of the car where he had to keep his eyes on the traffic.

  Gideon was here. On her cable car. He seemed happy to see her, but did that really mean anything? He was still the unattainable, uber-sexy NHL player, and she was just a lowly public transportation worker. To entertain the possibility that she could be more to him than a one-night stand was unrealistic, not to mention stupid.

  She lifted her chin. “I was just avoiding an awkward goodbye. I mean, you got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

  Gideon scowled. “What are you talking about?” he asked in a low, almost angry voice. “You think all I wanted was sex?”

  She frowned. “Of course I do. I’m not some naïve kid. I knew going in it was a one time thing and I’m honestly fine with that.”

  “Well, I’m not,” he said. “I thought we had something going, Bailey. I thought we made a connection.”

  “We did and then I went my way and you went yours.”

  Clang clang!

  The car stopped and four passengers boarded. As Bailey took their tickets, Gideon stood there, obviously impatient for them to start moving again so they could continue their conversation.

  “Well just so you know, when I couldn’t find you, I thought something had happened to you or that you had some kind of family emergency. So thanks for that.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I honestly didn’t think of that. I thought you’d just be, well, relieved.”

  “Bailey, I was anything but. I was worried and sadder than I’ve been in a long time.” He cupped her cheeks and his hands were warm from his pockets. “I didn’t know your last name or your phone number or anything that would help me find you. It wasn’t until Dakota told me that you were a cable car conductor that I had the slightest clue. I thought I was never going to see you again.”

  As the cable pulled the car up Hyde Street, he took her into his arms. His strong embrace felt so good, so right. The chill of the night air had her leaning into his warmth, inhaling the smell of his skin, and even though she was working and some of the passengers were looking at her, she pressed her cheek against his chest. The steady thud of his heartbeat smoothed over the thorny defenses she’d hastily erected.

  Maybe he wasn’t one of those clichéd pro athletes who played hard and partied harder. Maybe those few precious hours they’d spent together had affected him as much as they’d affected her. Could that be possible? Could it?

  Anything’s possible, said a voice in her head. Especially for the girl who stood up to Bernard. Open your eyes, woman. The man of your dreams is right here. Are you really going to push him away?

  Concern creased his forehead as he gazed down at her. What if she took him at his word? What was she ri