Alpha Daddy Bear

by Samantha Leal

  Gwen wiggled her eyebrows and Amanda felt a knot of excitement build in the pit of her stomach. Gwen had always been the wild child and was known in their friendship circle as being the one to organize spontaneous adventures. Amanda saw the glint in her eye and could sense the feisty fire that she loved so much about Gwen bubbling towards the surface.

  “Uh oh…” Amanda bit her bottom lip. “Why do I have the feeling this is going to get us into all sorts of trouble?”

  “All I need to know is,” Gwen said ominously. “Are you in, or are you out…?”

  Amanda swallowed and looked around the diner nervously. She didn’t know what she was looking for, it wasn’t as if she had anyone to answer to, but she was almost afraid that someone may be listening. Someone who could disapprove or change her mind.

  “Before you answer, let me guess…” Gwen continued. “When I text you this morning you were sat at home twiddling your thumbs, wondering what the hell you are going to do with yourself for the next six weeks…” she smiled knowingly and Amanda started to speak but couldn’t find the words.

  Gwen laughed.

  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that,” she leaned in over the table. “But why don’t we live a little? You work so hard at that school and basically get no recognition for it. I’m officially going to be unemployed again in roughly sixty minutes, and we are at the age where half of our friends have settled down and half are just sitting stagnant in this town. Why don’t we get out and have ourselves a good summer?”

  Amanda felt the nervousness start to go, and she was starting to crest on a wave of adrenaline. She felt careless and willing. Gwen was right, she certainly didn’t want to sit around town all summer wishing she had had the nerve to go out into the world and explore.

  “Okay,” she whispered, a slight falter in her voice. “I’m in.”

  “Yes!” Gwen shrieked as she jumped and grabbed hold of Amanda’s hands. “You are going to love this, believe me.”

  “What do you even have in mind…?” Amanda asked ominously. “Where can we even go?”

  Gwen nodded to the wall next to them and Amanda cast her eyes to the battered old map of the United States. It had been on the diner wall for years as décor, left behind by someone passing through town, no doubt from a flyer they picked up at a gas station when they were off looking for their own adventure. Gwen eased it off the wall slowly and spun it around on the table.

  “Close your eyes,” she said as she took hold of Amanda’s hand. She gripped their index fingers together closely and brought them into a point. She hovered them around over the map, and then in a split second she slammed them down whilst they both still had their eyes firmly closed. Both girls held their breath.

  “Okay,” Gwen whispered. “Open them.”

  The girls slowly opened their eyes at the same time and stared down at their fingers. They were both pointing at the same part of the map and Amanda squinted to try and see what it said.

  When she saw the name of the place, a small town in the middle of the Rockies, she couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  Gwen raised her eyebrows and started to laugh.

  “Man, you couldn’t make this up,” she grinned.

  Amanda’s eyes adjusted to the word and she read it, over and over. She certainly knew the name, and she was sure she had heard plenty about that particular town. Gwen bit her lip and grinned whilst Amanda racked her brains and tried to piece it all together, when suddenly it all came flowing back to her and she knew where she had heard of it before.

  “Bridge Hollow…” she said with a drawl. “Isn’t that the place with all the legends attached to it? We watched some weird independent documentary about it last year…?”

  Gwen clapped her hands together with excitement and the girls locked eyes.

  “It sure is,” Gwen beamed. “And that my friend, is how it’s done. That town is where we are going to spend our summer.”

  “Bridge Hollow,” Amanda whispered ominously.

  She remembered the stories and the mania that surrounded the town. The history and the fact that it was a tourist hotspot. She had never felt the urge to go, but beneath her finger, the spot on the map was burning brightly, and now Gwen had got her to agree, she knew there was no way out of it. “Well, it looks like we are in for quite the ride.”

  “We sure are,” Gwen laughed. “Screw lunch! Let’s get out of here and pack our bags!” She jumped to her feet and slapped ten dollars on the table.

  “Are you sure this is the right thing to…” Amanda began, but before she could finish Gwen had already grabbed hold of her arm and was pulling her towards the door.

  “Amanda,” she said. “This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. Two friends hitting the road and going to places unknown. This is our summer, you’ve got to embrace it.”

  As they left the diner and she began to walk back to her apartment to pack, Amanda knew that Gwen was right. It was time for her to step out of her comfort zone and just roll with it. If she didn’t, life was going to pass her by, and she was going to wake up at eighty years old having never truly lived.

  The summer was still stretching out ahead of her, but now her inspiration had come. She was heading to the Rockies with Gwen. And who knew what the future had in store for either of them.

  3.

  The music blared out of the speakers around them as they flew down the mountain roads, fast and free. The trees were lush and green, and the scent of pine was heavy in the air as they curved around the winding lane leading up to Bridge Hollow.

  “Have you ever seen anything like this?” Amanda gasped as she gripped the wheel and let her eyes take in the amazing views around them. “It’s incredible.”

  The mountains and the forests, the crystal blue sky, all of it looked like a painting, it was such a far cry from their hometown full of industry and smog.

  Gwen was resting back with her feet on the dashboard scrolling through her cellphone. She looked up at the view and sat forward, aiming the phone towards the window and snapping some pictures before resting back down.

  “It sure is,” she smiled. “And to think you were nervous about coming here.”

  They passed the sign announcing that they had officially arrived in town. When she looked, she realized it was new, gaudy and heavily painted. The colors on it popped out of the haze of green, and Amanda was sure she saw depictions of bears, wolves and dragons winding around the lettering.

  WELCOME TO BRIDGE HOLLOW

  THE HOME OF THE UNKNOWN

  “Did you see that?” Amanda laughed with an eyeroll. “They really capitalized on that documentary then huh?”

  “According to this search I did online there was tons of stuff that went on around these parts even before that documentary came out. I think it’s always been a pretty popular spot for tourists and paranormal hunters.”

  “Paranormal what?” Amanda said with a raised brow.

  “You know, like people interested in that kind of thing. The people who go looking for phenomenon and try and document it to show the world. Searching for the abominable snowman and Nessie or what have you.”

  “I literally have no idea what you just said,” Amanda laughed. “In fact, I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear it. Keep your crazy talk to yourself.”

  Gwen smirked and shrugged.

  “I’ve got the feeling we’re not going to be able to avoid that kind of thing here, my dear Amanda.”

  The girls passed by houses, run down cabins on the outskirts of town gave way to gorgeous looking lodges scattered throughout the woods. As the residential areas began to merge into retail, Amanda felt a warm swell in her heart.

  Unfolding before her was like something out of a picture book. The town was perfect. It had everything she had hoped for and more. After she had looked up Bridge Hollow online, she had seen pictures of the quaint little Main Street, but she hadn’t truly believed it could actually be like this. She had assumed it would be edited
to lure tourists towards the curiosities that the towns folk could exploit.

  She slowed the car and they crawled along Main Street. Either side of them were little stores, all unique and individual, without a chain store in sight. Amanda’s eyes drank it all in. She saw old ladies working outside of a grocery store, locals carrying wicker baskets to transport their shopping, children playing with hoola hoops and skipping ropes in the park, and a genuine old looking sheriff’s department right in the center next to what looked to be an old bronzed statue that had long turned green.

  “What is that?” Gwen said as they crawled along and passed by the statue.

  Amanda squinted to make out the details, but as soon as she saw it face-on she could tell that it was an unnaturally large bear on its hind legs, with what appeared to be one arm and one leg of a man. She shuddered as she looked at it. Its jaws were opened wide and cranked back bearing huge, sharp teeth and its eyes were wild.

  “What the hell is that supposed to be?” Amanda said under her breath. Her eyes were still completely caught on the huge hulking statue, half man and half beast. It was the strangest thing she had ever seen, it was as if the town had decided to display in the middle of their perfect little town a big ugly statue of a man trying to claw his way free from a bear. She was in a trance looking at it, at the intensity of the eyes, at the violence behind it.

  “Look out!” Gwen screamed as she slammed her hands down on the dashboard and Amanda hit the breaks so hard they both lurched forward.

  Gwen gasped and Amanda sat there stunned. The engine was still running but it quickly stalled, and the girls looked at each other before turning back to the front of the car.

  Walking out ahead of them, stopped and staring as if they were the worst thing in the world, was a man.

  A very handsome man.

  Amanda’s breath caught in her throat and she panted as she tried to calm herself down. He stood there in front of them, barely even flinching after the car had come careering towards him. His brows were heavy on his head, his nose long and prominent, he clasped his fists together and kept his eyes fixed on Amanda, sternly and menacingly.

  She felt a shiver of terror that momentarily gave over to excitement.

  His eyes bored into hers and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck tingled. His mouth was clamped shut and she noticed the swell of his lips. They looked strong, just like his jaw, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “You nearly hit him!” Gwen squeaked as she undid her seatbelt and opened the car door.

  “Hey!” she called to the man who was still locking eyes with Amanda, shooting her down and berating her without uttering a single word. “Are you okay?”

  His gaze lingered on Amanda for a moment longer and her heart still beat hard in her chest. He was so tall and brawny, she felt like if he wanted to, he could crush them both. She swallowed, and when he finally looked away she felt like she could breathe again.

  “Watch where you’re going,” he said gruffly. “This is a small town and there’s a lot of kids around here.”

  He looked back to Amanda and his eyes glinted as they caught on hers. They looked so dark and engulfing, and she found herself taken in by them all over again. When he lay them on her, her skin burned red hot and she felt herself panic.

  “Sorry,” Gwen said with a cringe as she climbed back into the passenger seat. She slammed the door behind her, and he began to move away, onto the sidewalk to the right, but he still kept his eyes fixed firmly on Amanda.

  “Jeez,” Gwen whispered as Amanda started the engine and put the car in drive. “He seems a bit serious, doesn’t he?”

  He stood and watched them pull away, and it wasn’t until they had reached the end of Main Street that Amanda could finally snap out of her trance and process what had just happened.

  “Earth to Amanda?” Gwen said. “Are we still in there? Or have you completely checked out?”

  “I’m still here,” she whispered as she parked.

  But the truth was, she had never felt so shaken to her core in all her life.

  They found a little hotel on the end of Main Street, just as quaint and idyllic as the rest of the town itself. The Hollow Hotel was just what they were hoping for, and when they checked in at the reception area, Amanda looked around the place and at all the nods to the history of Bridge Hollow. She saw old photographs framed along the walls, a lot in black and white and of Native American Indians, of workers close to what looked like mines, and of the sprawling mountains and forests. She focused on them intently and felt herself drift off again. There was something about this place that was relaxing and dreamlike. It had begun when she had pulled onto Main Street and that dreamlike part only intensified when she had almost hit the man with her car.

  She shook her head as if she was physically trying to banish the thought.

  That man looked like trouble.

  Hell, all men were trouble, she knew that better than anyone. And that was exactly why she had sworn off them and decided to focus on her career instead.

  “You can have the main room on the top floor,” the old lady behind the desk said. She shuffled back towards the wall where a rack of keys were hanging, and reached up to grasp number twenty. “It’s the biggest in the hotel, but we are quiet at the moment, so you girls are welcome to it at no extra charge.”

  “Thank you so much,” Amanda smiled as she joined Gwen back at the desk. “So this is quiet for around town?”

  She thought back to the joy of Main Street, how perfect it had felt. How the children had been playing in the park, how everyone seemed so free and easy.

  “Extremely,” the old lady half laughed. “Normally we are pretty rammed all year round, but some strange weather has kept the tourists at bay the past few weeks. Plus, we have the annual convention coming up in a couple of months. That’s when things usually really take off around here.”

  Amanda felt Gwen giving her eyes, but she tried not to catch her gaze. She knew it would only make her laugh.

  “Well, thank you,” Amanda smiled as she took the key.

  “No problem girls, if you need anything don’t be afraid to ask.”

  They picked up their bags and headed out of reception towards the big oak staircase that seemed to intersect the entire building. It was old and Victorian in style, but it had clearly been changed over the years to reflect the vibe of the town, much more rustic and easygoing.

  When they reached room number twenty, Amanda slid the key into the door and undid the latch. The light hit them as they eased the door open and the room came into view, it was a beautiful space, and the lady had been right about its size.

  “Wow,” Gwen grinned as she slung her bag down on the floor and closed the door behind them. “This is stunning.”

  Amanda looked up at the high, vaulted ceiling, and at the beams that ran all along it. There was a chandelier in the center, right above the huge king-sized bed, and a set of French doors that opened out onto a terrace and balcony that overlooked the forest and the mountains.

  “We’ve hit the jackpot,” Amanda laughed as she jumped down on the bed and stretched. Her whole body was still trembling from the shock of almost crashing into someone, and her mind was still fixated on him and those dark, intense eyes.

  Gwen opened the doors to the terrace and went out onto the balcony. Amanda closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She was so glad to be away from home and out doing something new, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of apprehension that was swirling away in her belly.

  “You’re quiet,” Gwen said over her shoulder as she kept watching the vista in front of her. From the outside and down below, Amanda could hear the chatter of people, locals and skiers, maybe even some tourists, and she finally felt like she understood why people would go crazy for this kind of place.

  It had a certain magic to it. It was like a vacation spot, but on steroids, and she was falling more and more in love with it by the second.

  “I’m just thoughtful,�
�� Amanda finally answered.

  “Are you going to divulge any details?” Gwen turned and leaned into the doorway, her hair was slightly roughed up from the breeze and she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “It’s just strange that’s all,” she sighed. “Before the end of this semester I thought I had it all figured out. I was doing okay in my job and I had worked hard for it. Now I don’t even know what the hell I’m going back to.”

  Gwen gave her a sympathetic smile and stepped into the room.

  “You’re going to be fine,” she said. “Honestly, I’m sure once we get back home at the end of the summer, you’ll have forgotten about these worries and will be raring to go again.”

  Amanda nodded slowly, agreeing in her own way, even though she knew deep down that she couldn’t disagree more.

  “Anyway, this is our adventure, our Summer of Love,” Gwen winked.

  “Urgh,” Amanda rolled her eyes and flopped back down on the bed. “Don’t start that one, that is the last thing I’m going to be focusing on whilst we’re here.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Gwen chirped. “These mountain men are hawwwwt! Did you not see the muscles on the guy you almost mowed down back on Main Street!?” Gwen’s eyes were wide and excited, and Amanda felt herself blush slightly.

  She reached up and smoothed her hair behind her ears, just so she had something to do, and then she shrugged.

  “He was okay, I guess,” she said quietly.

  “Okay?” Gwen laughed. “He was smoking hot, like seriously.”

  Amanda shrugged again and felt the tingles creep up the back of her neck. Of course, she had thought he was hot, but she was never going to admit that to Gwen. Not after the last time they had been out in a bar together and Gwen had practically taken it upon herself to interview each guy that walked through the door in case he could be a potential match for Amanda.