Chapter Text
Bradley Bradshaw hates Christmas and he hates small towns. He especially hates that this year, he’s going to have to spend Christmas in a small town.
A cutesy one, with all sorts of annoyingly festive Christmas traditions.
Bradley is a man almost entirely devoid of family - an only child, and orphaned by the time he was sixteen. But if there’s one person who comes the closest, that’s Sarah Kazansky.
Sarah had been their neighbor when he was a kid. When his mother was diagnosed with leukemia, Sarah had pitched in where she could, driving his mother to her medical appointments, dropping off weekly casseroles, planting flowers in their backyard along with her own so that Carole Bradshaw would have something pretty to look at in the spring.
When his mother died, she helped Bradley petition the court to become an emancipated minor, and she continued looking after him in her quiet, unobtrusive way. She took him shopping when he outgrew his clothes, made sure he always had a cake on his birthday. She cheered him on at his high school graduation, his college graduation, and his law school graduation.
Which is all to say, when Sarah Kazansky calls him for a favor, Bradley moves heaven and earth to do it.
So here he is, at a tiny regional airport in the middle of nowhere Colorado, a corporate finance lawyer about to spend a month doing his real job entirely remotely, while helping Sarah run her secondhand bookstore.
Bradley’s waiting for a ride from some guy named Jake.
“Oh, we don’t have Uber here, dear,” Sarah said when helping him make travel arrangements. “But Jake will come pick you up.”
What sort of town doesn’t have Uber? Not one Bradley wants to live in.
And who the hell is Jake? Probably some old timer with a rusty pickup, who gouges any tourists dumb enough to want to come to their town. What a racket.
A hot blond guy walks into the airport. He’s wearing a bright red parka and a green knitted hat with a pompom on it. Bradley rolls his eyes. He himself is wearing an exquisitely tailored three-quarter length black cashmere coat and black and grey Burberry scarf.
Blond Guy says hi to the woman manning the information desk, then ambles over to him. “You must be Bradley. I’m Jake. Sarah sent me.”
This is Jake? Bradley offers his hand but Jake ignores it to give him a quick hug. He smells like cinnamon and pine.
“How much is the fare?” Bradley asks suspiciously.
“No charge,” Jake replies. “Just being neighborly.” He hefts up Bradley’s suitcase before Bradley can tell him not to.
Bradley was right about the truck but it’s red and shiny and new, with big thick snow tires.
Jazzy carols are playing softly on the radio. Jake makes small talk about the town, tells Bradley about some of the upcoming events. Bradley makes a mental note to try to avoid as many of them as possible.
“No offense,” Bradley says. “But I’m not really big on celebrating Christmas.”
“Well, then, you’re spending December in the wrong town.”
“It’s not exactly my first choice but Sarah called and said she needed me here,” Bradley says.
“She does,” Jake says. “It’s the busy season for her and I’m worried she’ll break the other ankle trying to keep up with everything. I’m glad you’re here to look out for her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“And I guess every classic Christmas does need a Scrooge,” Jake says with a grin. He pulls up in front of a gabled yellow and white house with a large wraparound porch. “Here we are, the Firefly Inn, best bed-and-breakfast in Colorado. Lauren’ll take good care of you.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Welcome to Alta Pistola,” Jake says. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”