Page 33 of Ember Meadow
I pick out a skinny red beaded band and twirl it around in my hands as Codie applies the brand to my new hat. The beaver pelt smokes a bit as the poppy design etches itself into the hat. It’s such a cool process to watch. I can see why Codie loves to work here.
Codie places the hat on my head once it’s all done, and my stomach flips a bit with excitement. It’s perfect.
“That hat is the Amelia, by the way,” Codie says as she checks me out at the front of the store.
That catches my attention, bringing me back down to earth. “Did you say Amelia?”
“Yep, the Amelia,” she repeats with a smile. “We have pretty limited quantities of that one, it’s lucky we had your size right off the bat.”
“Amelia is my Aunt’s name,” I explain. “She raised me. What a coincidence.”
“My mom always says nothing is a coincidence,” Codie shrugs. “It must have been meant to be.”
My heart warms as I reach up and touch the hat on my head. This whole place feels meant to be.
“So, listen,” Codie starts. “If you ever feel like going on a hike in the park with a couple of us local gals, we’d love to have you out sometime. We go once a week, usually around Jenny Lake. Kind of a girls day out.”
“I’d love to.” My heart speeds up. I haven’t been so excited to go on a hike in a while.
“We are heading up to Hidden Falls next week if you want to come. It’s a super easy hike, but really gorgeous. Big waterfall, great view of the valley. Just text me and I’ll tell you what time.” Codie says as we head towards the door.
“Sounds great! I’ll be there.”
“Alright,” Codie claps her hands together. “Are you ready to head out? I thought we’d do lunch at the barbeque place next door. Their pulled pork is the best in town.”
I grab my brand new hat box off of the counter with a smile. “Sounds perfect.”
Codie moans so loudly after her first bite of food, two other tables look our way. I don’t blame her. She was right, this place is amazing. Sunlight shines in through the windows, giving the wood floors a glowing red hue. We settled on a sandwich each and a basket of garlic parmesan fries to share.
“Yeah, I’m going to have to come back here just for these fries,” I say.
Codie nods, grabbing a fry and popping it into her mouth. “I eat here way too much on the days I work at Sage. It’s far too convenient. Plus, my parents hate barbeque, so I’m making up for never having it as a kid.”
I laugh, “That’s blasphemy!”
“They’re both immigrants,” Codie shrugs. “They just couldn’t get into it I guess. I can’t relate.”
“Where are they from?”
“My dad is originally from Finland, and my mom is originally from Vietnam. She’s lived in America since she was a kid, my dad came over a little later,” she explains.
“That’s cool! How did they meet?”
Codie smiles, as if she can see it playing out in her head. “When my dad first came to Jackson Hole, he had only lived in America for a few years. My mom owns an apothecary shop called Elevated Earth downtown, things like crystals, essential oils, herbal treatments. One day, he broke his arm skiing. Instead of driving himself to the hospital, he went right to my mother’s shop thinking it was a doctor’s office.” Codie laughs. “She freaked out. She explained to him all she had in her shop was holistic remedies for colds and such, and drove him straight to the ER. They were inseparable after that day.”
“That’s so sweet,” I say dreamily.
Codie nods. “That’s what I want one day. Instant attraction. They were married four months later and never looked back.”
I finish off my brisket sandwich. “Wow, that’s pretty quick.”
“When you know, you know.” Codie and I pay the tab, taking a last swig of our lemonades before leaving. “They’re the most compatible people I’ve ever seen. They were made for each other. When I was a teenager, they’d constantly be embarrassing me with PDA.”
“I literally cannot imagine that,” I say. “My parents barely interact.”
“That’s so sad.”
I shrug, “It’s all I’ve ever known with them.”
