Chapter 11
The Amelia
Saturday morning is toosunny, too beautiful outside to sit around working in the cabin. I’ve been waiting for a good time to take Codie up on her offer to visit the custom hat shop she works at in town, and there’s just no better day than this.
I’m in desperate need of a break.
My boots clunk on the boardwalk in downtown Jackson Hole as I get closer to Sage and Felt. The town is bustling now that summer is in full swing. As I push the wooden doors of the shop open, three other groups are picking out hats. Not too bad for a Saturday.
Soft country music plays over the speakers. Rows and rows of hats of every style, color and size line the four walls of the small shop, leather couches and cowhide rugs sprawled out in the middle. It’s a bit overwhelming.
“Hey, new girl!” Codie says from behind the small counter at the front of the store.
“Hi,” I smile, walking over to her. “It’s so beautiful in here.”
“Thanks! We try to keep it high end and all that.” She clicks her tongue, pointing a finger at me. “I have a book for you.”
Codie reaches into a cabinet on her side of the wooden pedestal, taking out the Willa Gray book she had when I first met her at the Alpine Rose. She hands it over to me, with a leather bookmark on top.
“Enjoy! I put my number on a little paper inside the cover, youhaveto text me when you finish it. I need someone to talk to about it with and all of my friends are slow readers. It’s killing me. And, the bookmark is yours to keep. I make them in my spare time with the extra materials we have laying around here,” she says.
“Thanks so much!” I beam, running my hand along the cover of the book. “I’m so excited. I’ll definitely text you when I’m done.”
“Alright,” she claps. “Let’s get you a hat, shall we?”
Codie leads me around the store to a wall towards the back. Hats of all shapes and colors decorate the wood slats, bronze hooks about a foot apart holding them up.
“These are our best selling women’s hats, the Olivia and the Sadie. The Olivia has a teardrop crown, while the Sadie has a round crown.” She hands me the hat she called the Olivia. It’s the bent brim hat, with the teardrop shaped top. It’s gorgeous, but I’m not sure about the brim.
I place the hat on my head, looking into the mirror on the wall. Codie tells me a little bit more about the beaver fur the hats are made of, and the different weights for different purposes. A heavier hat for working outdoors, a lighter weight for dressier occasions and casual wear.
“I think I like the teardrop, but I like a flat brim better.” I hand the hats back to Codie. “Do you have any others like that?”
“Of course! I’ll go grab some real quick. Feel free to have a seat.”
She points to a bench behind me, made out of a wool blanket with a turquoise pattern. I’d love to use a lot of the furniture they have here for the rental cabin, but I have a feeling it’s probably quite a bit out of my price range.
Codie grabs a metal pole to get some hats down from the top rows closest to the ceiling, hooking each one under the brim. She pulls down three more hats, one a lavender color, one black, and one light tan. Her fringe jacket sways behind her as she walks over to where I’m still perched on the bench.
“So are you staying out on Lone Pine while you work?” Codie asks as I try on the hats, one by one.
“Yes, I’m staying in their guest cabin, actually. The cabin I’m renovating isn’t exactly live-in ready yet.”
“Is Miles still out there? I haven’t talked to him in so long. Probably since him and Alex came river rafting with us last. That had to be at least a few years ago.” Alex? Must have been a ranch hand at Lone Pine. I can hardly imagine New Miles river rafting. Must have been Old Miles.
“Yep, he’s there alright,” I laugh. Placing the tan hat on my head, I turn to look back in the mirror. That’s it, I’ve fallen in love with a hat. Didn’t think it was possible.
“Oh wow,” Codie says so softly it’s almost a whisper. “Tan is totally your color.”
My fingers run along the firm, flat brim of the hat. The top is shaped like a teardrop, pinched in at the front. It stands out against my coppery auburn hair, fitting on my head like a glove. The brim isn’t too short or too long. The top doesn’t stand up too far off of my head.
“I think this is the one,” I beam, doing a little twirl with one hand on my hat.
Codie leads me over to a table towards the back where dozens of hat bands and accessories are laid out. My eyes are immediately drawn to the examples of burned in designs and brands.
“I personally love the floral designs if you are wanting it branded. We have a few flowers we can do on the brim.” Codie points to a binder full of photos of burn designs.
I look through the book carefully until I find myself attached to one of the photos. It’s a large poppy design that takes up the front right side of the brim. Poppies have always been one of my favorite flowers.
