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Chapter Four

'Maddie honey could you go get some more beers? Sig has drunk most of them already!' June shouted across the garden as she heard her Uncle Sig break out into laughter again, he was in his element at times like this.

A Hansen family BBQ was definitely not a short, sweet and quiet affair, it was noisy, loud and someone was guaranteed to throw a few punches before the day was done.

Her entire family were fucking crazy and far too over protective but she counted her blessings every day. If she was ever in trouble or if she just needed a hug after a tough day at work she knew that she could rely on her family to give her all the love she needed. Her dad and her uncles were pretty fierce most of the time but they had soft and gentle sides too, there would be no soft and gentle Hansen behaviour tonight though. Sig was already pretty wasted even though he was in charge of the BBQ, her dad was looking worn out as Logan and Stephanie ran rings around him and Norman was nowhere to be seen, big family get togethers weren't really his style, he was probably inside the house watching TV on his own.

'Maddie!' June calling her name again snapped her out of her daydreams as she went inside the house to collect more beers. Walking into the kitchen she found her cousins Nina and Mandy sitting at the kitchen table whispering to one another.

'And what are you two plotting this time?' Maddie had already guessed that they were talking about boys, the two of them all but jumping out of their seats when they heard her speak just seemed to confirm to her what their hushed conversation was about.

'Why does everyone in this family creep up on people in the middle of a conversation?' Nina sighed ever so dramatically.

'Might I suggest that if you want a conversation to remain private in this family that you do it behind a locked door? Talking in the middle of a kitchen that everyone has access to isn't really the brightest idea, especially if the said conversation is likely to be about boys,' Maddie grinned before opening the fridge door to pull out another case of beer.

'How much did you hear?' Nina looked guilty as she decided to take a seat next to them and try to find out what her younger cousins were discussing, if anyone in the family could help them when it came to dating, boys and the rest of the drama's that teenage girls went through, it was her.

'I heard nothing I swear! I'm just wondering if maybe you could use my help? I was a teenager once you know, hard to believe but it's true,' Mandy and Nina both looked at each other before Mandy elbowed Nina and widened her eyes.

'If I tell you have to promise not to say anything to anyone, not even Auntie Louise,' Nina said as she nodded before promising not to breathe a word of anything to anyone. 'Well there's this boy in school, Todd,' Nina smiled and started to blush at the mention of this boy's name, 'and like, out of nowhere, he's asked me out on a date this Friday!'

'And let me guess, you don't want your dad to find out about this date in case he brings out his rifle and chases this Todd guy away?' The Hansen men were entirely predictable when it came to situations like this, none of them wanted their little girls to grow up.

'I was going to tell you about this because I kinda need your help….'

'How about I tell your dad you're coming over to my place this Friday for me to help you with some of your homework, you can tell this Todd kid to come and pick you up at my place and he can drop you off there to, that way Uncle Sig doesn't have to know anything about this date,' no sooner had she finished speaking Nina had got up from her seat and thrown her arms around her.

'You're the best Maddie! I knew you'd come up with something!'

'Uh huh just promise me one thing missy,' Nina pulled away and looked worried, 'don't be giving away any of the goods on the first date..'

'Ew Maddie! If he even tries to cop a feel I am kicking him in the balls!'

'You're definitely a Hansen woman, I'm so proud!' Maddie laughed as the three of them started to make their way back out into the garden, if she didn't deliver the beers soon Sig would blow a fuse.

'I wonder if Jake is gonna show up or not,' Maddie tried her best not to react as Mandy casually brought up the name of the man she'd been thinking about pretty much nonstop since she'd met him.

'I hope he does, he's kinda cute don't you think Maddie?' She felt her skin blush as both her cousins looked at her, damn being pale and ginger!

'I guess he is, I hadn't really noticed,' she shrugged as she tried to play it cool.

'Why are you blushing Maddie?' Nina smirked.

'I'm choosing to ignore that remark Nina Hansen,' Maddie said as she walked ahead of her two cousins to put the fresh case of beer out on the table that June had placed in the middle of the garden right next to the barbeque that a tipsy Sig was still in charge of.

'At last! I'm nearly dying of fucking thirst here!' Sig pointed to the case of beer to which Maddie folded her arms.

'What's the magic word Uncle Sig?' She responded to his not so polite request for another beer.

'Now.' Manners weren't exactly a Hansen strong point, she could give as good as she got though, on this occasion however she decided to play nice and give in to her Uncle's request without a fuss.

Hearing that Jake had been invited to the party had kind of knocked her off kilter. He had her phone number but he hadn't forewarned her about his appearance, that's if he was going to come. She assumed that he probably would turn up seeing as the job on her families boat meant so much to him but then if his sister had taken a turn for the worse she knew he wouldn't want to leave his family. A week had passed by since their meeting at her apartment and the last contact she'd had with him had been a couple of days ago when she'd sent him a message asking if he was okay, he'd replied saying that things were fine but she had a feeling that they weren't. Maybe he just didn't want to talk to her, perhaps he regretted telling her so many things and he was afraid that she would spill his secrets to his new employers. She hoped he didn't think that, she hadn't known him for very long and she didn't know everything about him but even she could sense just how much his new job meant to him and his family, she would never do anything to jeopardise that for him.

'Come on up everyone, burgers are done!'

Maddie decided to avoid anything Sig had cooked just in case it reappeared later on, she'd spent half the night on the toilet the last time she'd eaten some of his drunkenly cooked food. Now that most of her family were heading over to the barbeque for food she took the opportunity to steal one of the empty chairs positioned by the small pool Sig had recently had built into his backyard. Just as she sat down she felt her cell vibrate in the pocket of her jeans, removing it she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when she saw that she had a message from Jake.

'I've just pulled up outside Sig's place for this barbeque thing, are you gonna be there?'

'I'm already here sitting by the pool, don't be nervous, ring the bell and I'll come answer the door.'

Jake wasn't as loud or as brash as any of the men in her family, it wasn't a shock that he felt nervous and unsure around her crazy as fuck family. She knew he'd have to quickly learn to grow a much thicker skin to cope around the Hansen men or they'd eat him alive but she couldn't help but be drawn to his sensitive side, she found it alluring, too alluring.

After a few minutes had passed by she wondered whether Jake had changed his mind about coming to the party when she finally heard the doorbell ring. Her family were all still fighting over food as she yelled over to them that she was going to answer the door. Her legs were tempted to run but she knew better than to do that, whatever her feelings were for Jake, and she hadn't quite worked them out yet, she could not let her mask of steel slide.

Just before getting to the front door she stole a look at herself in one of the many mirrors placed around Sig's house, he was a vain bastard, not that most people would ever guess. She patted her hair in a futile attempt to try and tame the frizzy waves which she could never control and she wasn't particularly happy about the tiny red spot just under her nose but she had no way of trying to hide it, this was the best she was going to look. Taking a deep breathe she walked towards the front door and kept telling herself that she was being utterly ridiculous, she was acting like Nina or Mandy and she was too old to behave like a teenage girl experiencing her first crush, she had to control herself and snap out of whatever hold this man had upon her. She silently chastised herself right up until the moment she opened the front door and her eyes fell upon his face once again, his beautiful face.

'Maddie you're fucking drooling, stop drooling!' The voice inside her head corrected her as she stepped back from the doorway and plastered a goofy smile on her face.

'I'm so glad you could make it, you could have invited someone else along for some moral support you know,' Jake stepped inside the house and the smell of his cologne filled her senses.

'Well Uncle Nick's coming along later and you're here so I can cope,' he smiled at her, uch why did his smile have to look so fucking adorable? 'I um, didn't know what to bring with me so I brought a bunch of different things, I have wine, a case of beer, vodka, chocolates…'

'You didn't need to bring anything but yourself but the other's will be impressed, especially Sig, he'll probably drink all of that in under an hour,' she quipped after her cheesy comment.

'Guess I should stay away from any food he might have cooked then huh?' He smiled again, if only he knew what those smiles were doing to her.

Without replying she began to lead him through the house, if she were left alone with him any longer she feared what she might do, dry humping the poor guy would probably traumatise him for the rest of his life.

When they got outside her dad seemed to spot them immediately, it's like he could sense when a man was close to her and a warning sounded in his brain.

'Junior! You made it!' She decided it was best to take a backseat and let Jake find his own way, she couldn't follow him around looking all concerned and protective.

She went back to the seat that she'd left by the pool and got her phone out so she could distract herself, her eyes were tempted to remain on Jake but she couldn't risk staring at him the whole time, someone would notice if she did.

'Poor Jake, I don't think he knows what he's let himself in for,' she'd been so distracted by some stupid game on her phone that she hadn't heard or seen Louise sit down next to her.

'He'll be alright, dad thinks highly of him that counts for a lot,' she replied as Louise kept staring at her.

'He's a sweet boy, handsome too,' she commented, oh God had she made it that fucking obvious that she had a silly crush on him?

'Do I need to be worried about you having an affair with him?' She made a joke, something she always did when she felt a little uncomfortable.

'I don't think I'm his type honey, he might prefer redheads,' Maddie could feel her cheeks beginning to flush again, she could hide things from her dad easily enough but Louise, she could always read her like an open book.

'Okay, I am going to walk away and pretend I didn't just hear you say that,' this was another move she always made when backed into a corner, rather than make excuses or flat out lie about how she was feeling she just removed herself from the conversation.

It was hard for her because under normal circumstances she would be discussing her feelings with Louise, she wasn't her biological mother but she had been in her life since she was six years old so as far as she was concerned she WAS her mother, despite what any DNA would say. Any problems that she had regarding men she had always been able to go to her but not this time, she had to figure out this Jake thing on her own.

After grabbing herself a bottle of water from the table she looked around the garden to see where she could go. Logan and Stephanie were sat in the middle of the lawn playing some sort of game and she decided to go and join them, if anyone could distract her from the awkwardness it was her younger siblings.

Her brother and sister were the cure she needed to forget about what was going on around her. After playing a game of I Spy she then spent a great deal of time hunting them down in several games of Hide and Seek. When they'd finished the last game both of them were visibly tired and without bothering Louise or her father she took them up to one of Sig's guest bedrooms and read them a couple of stories before she tucked them in for the night.

By the time she got back downstairs the party had kicked up a notch, Matt, Nick and their wives had arrived as had a few of Sig and June's other friends. Normally she would be the life and soul of the party but tonight she just felt drained, work had been pretty stressful and seeing Jake had just confused her all over again.

She was debating on whether to leave the party quietly or not when the man that was making her feel all weird and stupid decided to come up to talk to her once again.

'You were right, I think Sig finished that bottle of vodka I brought in less than an hour,' he smiled as her insides started to feel like jelly once again.

'He's gonna have the hangover from hell in the morning,' she smiled back as she tried to gather herself.

'I kept away from the burgers and hot dogs too, I need the recipe of those bun things though, they were delicious.'

'I'm glad you liked my sticky buns!' Without thinking she blurted it out, what the fuck was wrong with her?

'Yeah, they were nice….Not too….sticky,' they glanced at each other and both started to laugh at the same time, it was a childish thing to laugh over but at least it broke the tension and made her feel a little more at ease.

'Sorry, this whole set up has been kind of awkward, I wanted to talk to you but being surrounded by family….'

'I know, the only reason I didn't tell you I was coming was because right up until the last minute I wasn't going to show but I thought I better had.'

'You should take the invite as a really good sign, Sig obviously thinks a lot of you,' I do too, she thought to herself.

'I hope so, the job means a lot…Sorry, you know that already, I don't wanna bore you all over again!' He smiled nervously.

'You didn't bore me, not at all,' the urge to hug him was almost becoming too much to bear, she couldn't understand why she was feeling so fucking much for someone she barely knew.

'That's good to know,' he smiled before looking around, 'I feel like people are staring at me while I'm talking to you.' He laughed a little as Maddie looked around too, no one seemed to be looking at them, not now anyway.

'If my dad thought that anything untoward was going on believe me, he'd already be here questioning us both. We're not doing anything wrong, just because you work for my family it doesn't mean we can't be friends,' her comment seemed to help as he visibly relaxed a little and stopped looking so guilty.

'You're right I guess most people assume that men and women can't just be friends. I'm just used to being around women, I know I need to toughen up my emotions a little if I wanna succeed as a crabber.'

'You don't have to change your whole personality to succeed though, you just need to find a healthy balance for your emotions, you don't need to turn into a different person or be like my dad and Sig to do well,' now she could feel eyes upon them. She looked over at her father who was now staring back at her, she should have known better than to think she would be able to talk to Jake for more than five minutes without her own security guard taking an interest. 'Don't look but my dad has spotted us, I think we'd better split up before he comes over to interrogate us.'

'Okay, um, are you busy tomorrow?'

'No I'm not, I'm free all day. You can come over for another coffee if you want,' she didn't smile at him, if she did her dad would assume she'd just had an orgasm or something.

'That'd be nice, I'll call you tomorrow,' Jake gave her a very quick smile before he turned around and headed over towards Nick. As soon as he had left her side her dad made a beeline for her, she knew that he would.

'You and Junior seemed to be getting along well,' he raised an eyebrow which was never a good sign.

'Yes dad he's a nice guy, no dad I am not planning on having sex with him,' she folded her arms across her chest and sent him a glare that he had seen a million times before.

'I remember you saying the same about another crabber….'

'Oh God dad please stop bringing up something that happened ten fucking years ago! I kissed Josh Harris to piss you off and it worked but no, I did not sleep with him!' She rolled her eyes at him, somehow she and Josh had ended up at the same house party years ago, she'd told her dad that she was staying at a friend's house to study and of course he'd found out about the stupid fucking party. She'd seen him arrive before he saw her, being a little drunk and pissed at her dad embarrassing her she'd grabbed Josh and started to make out with him knowing full well what kind of reaction her dad would have. It was pretty dumb and Josh was lucky not to have been punched in the face but nothing more had ever happened between them. She saw him from time to time, he'd slept with a few of her friends and if he could he would probably sleep with her too but that would never happen.

'I'm not arguing with you Maddie,' he put one of his hands on her cheek and moved closer to her, 'I just want the best for you.'

She sighed heavily, she'd heard this so many times before. She knew that he was only trying to protect her but at times it felt like she was being smothered, it was her life, not his.

'Everything okay here?' Before she could respond to her father's words Louise came over, she'd probably seen everything that had happened and before an argument could break out she'd decided to intervene.

'Everything's fine, we're just doing the whole father daughter bonding thing,' her dad shrugged as he tried to look innocent.

'Hmm I'm sure you were, come on Maddie, come have a drink with us,' Louise didn't buy what her dad was trying to sell, she knew him too well. She was grateful that she'd intervened before she'd had a chance to respond to her father's words, they would never see eye to eye on certain things and men were right at the top of the list.

She followed Louise and joined the rest of the women to chat about fuck knows what. She tried to listen and join in but she wasn't really interested in what they were saying, all she could think about was that Jake was going to visit her tomorrow and she couldn't wait to have some time alone with him again. If she were wise she would try to stay away from him and forget all about him but she couldn't do that, there was something pulling her towards him and she didn't want to back away even if that was the best thing for her to do. She'd never been in love before so she couldn't be sure that what she felt for him was love but she felt something, something different anyway.