Life Coach

I don't know how he does it. It has to be illegal or something. I just can't believe my mom fell for his little charm. After picking up my pool, I introduced my mom to Pat who decided to bring up Buffalo right away, "That would be great! She needs to get out some more." My mom said. So I packed my bags and joined Pat in his car.

With the holiday Monday, I thankfully had it off. But I needed to be back Tuesday afternoon for rehearsals, "That's fine. I'll have you back in time. This is going to be great Kara!" Pat said so enthused about this. He was like a kid with all of this. The whole 3 hour car ride he wouldn't stop talking about the party and the people that are going to be there, "The guys are excited to meet you. Jon will be there so you'll know someone else besides me."

"You're going to ditch me?"

"What? No of course not! What kind of a person would I be?" He continued with his rant, "My family get's a house out on the lake every year. We've got a boat and some ski-doos. There's going to be a lot of people there not just from the team. Most of them will be friends of mine and the team."

He never stopped talking. I don't know if I even got a sentence in. He didn't even stop when we arrived at a nice house in a small neighborhood, "I thought we were staying at a house on the lake?" I asked getting out of his car.

"Hey we are, but I need to make a pit stop here." I followed him carefully up to the front door which he just casually walk through, "Pat is that you?"

"Yeah mom!" Mom? Wait...what? A brown haired woman appeared around the corner wiping her hands with a kitchen towel, "Well hello there." She said when her eyes went from Patrick to me.

"Mom, this is Kara."

"It's nice to meet you Kara."

"You too Mrs. Kane."

"I just needed to stop by and pick up some stuff before we head to the house." Patrick said to us before he ran off leaving me alone...with his mother, "So how do you know Patrick?" She asked.

"Um, we met in Vegas...at the awards."

"Oh," She gave me an up and down look like she was trying to figure me out. I probably just sounded like a puck slut....good going.

"Mom have you seen my...oh...hello." A blonde that looked like Patrick joined me and his mother.

"Erika, this is Kara, Patrick's, er, friend." Erika gave me the same look her mother did. It must run in the family.

"It's nice to meet you." I said hoping to break the silence.

"Pat didn't say anything about having a friend over." Erika said. Fucking Patrick Kane. My face has got to be 5 different shades of red.

"He didn't exactly give me a heads up either. He kind of just showed up at my house." I told them.

"Where do you live?" Erika asked,

"Syracuse."

"And you met in Vegas? That's a coincident." He mother said.

"Alright Kara, you ready to go?" Patrick asked walking into the hallway we were standing in. He was carrying a gym bag in one hand and a cooler in the other.

"Um, yeah. It was nice to meet you both." I said as Pat handed me the cooler.

"You'll be at the party tomorrow?" Erika asked. I nodded and she smiled, "Then I'll see you tomorrow." Pat said good bye to his family and we walked back to his car. Once safely inside I blurted out, "You're mom thinks I'm a puck slut." Pat just laughed.

"What? No she doesn't."

"She asked me how we met and I told her in Vegas. Now I'm staying with you at your family's house on the lake."

"What are you worrying about? We we're just friends."

"Yeah." I knew that. We're just friends. And that's it.

---

The house was beautiful. It must be nice to have things like this. "You like it?" Pat asked as he parked the car. The house was a dark blue shade, entrances on the ground level and stairs leading up to another.

"This is really nice Pat." He smiled and we got out. "Let me show you around."

The inside was just as nice as the outside. It was obvious Pat's mom decorated. The first floor was one big room. No walls separated the living and dining rooms and the kitchen, "Down the hall is the master bedroom, the bathroom, and the mud room to the outside. Upstairs are just two bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs is just a big game/TV room with a bar and a pool table. You'll stay in my sister's room upstairs, but you'll have to share a bathroom with me."

"Where's you're room?"

"Right next to yours." He answered with a smile. "You can go put your stuff upstairs. I need to get this in the fridge." I nodded and went up the stairs. It wasn't hard figuring out who's room was who's. I doubt Pat was one for pink doors. But his sister's sure had good taste. The room was painted a light yellow to go with the purple bedspreads. There was two beds and a futon which must be their third bed. Three dresses stood next to a bed. And a TV stayed in the corner. It was very down to earth with little posters and pictures hanging on the walls. The only window in the room had the perfect view of the sun resting on the lake.

"Do you like it?" I jumped a few feet in the air hearing Pat's voice from the doorway.

"Yeah, this is great."

"The bathroom is through that door, "He said pointing to a single white door, "Make yourself at home. Jon's coming in tonight and he should be here soon." He informed me. I nodded and put my bag on one of the beds. I changed out of my clothes into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, a zip up hoodie keeping me warm in the chilly evening air.

Downstairs it was quite. I guess Pat was still upstairs so I gave myself a little tour. I opened what I figured to be the basement door and walked down. I flipped the light switch and blinked at the plain room. The walls were wood, giving it that cabin feel. A long bar was up against the back wall across from the sliding glass doors leading to the driveway. A pool table was towards the right of the stairs and a poker table at the left. A giant couch sat in front of the plasma TV and speaker system. This was defiantly a man cave.

I was starting to get hungry since I hadn't eaten in hours. I searched the cabinets to find that there wasn't much food here. Pat seriously needed to go grocery shopping.

"Hungry?" a deep voice asked. I turned around to see Jonathon walking through the door with a duffel bag and a take out bag.

There was no denying that Jonathon Toews was one fine looking man. And that smirk he had on his face wasn't helping either. "It's nice to see you again Kara."

"You too Jon. How was your trip?" I asked taking the take out bag and putting it on the island.

"Long. It's good to be on solid ground again. Where's Kaner?"

"I actually have no idea. He was upstairs last time I knew." I answered.

"Jonathon Toews!" Pat's voice rang out.

"Speak of the devil." I mumbled earning a smile from Jon.

"You brought food. Good man." Pat said clapping his captain on the back.

"Yeah, and apparently you don't have any."

"We'll go to the store tomorrow before the party. Now let's eat. I'm starving!"

The three of us took our meals outside on the deck. Pat had started a fire in the pit giving us light as the sun set. "The team's excited to meet you tomorrow Kara." Jon said.

"So I've heard." The guys both laughed.

"Kaner has told them about you."

"That makes me feel better. He forgot to mention to his family that I was here."

"Kara believes my mom thinks she's a puck slut." Pat explained to Jon when his face was confused.

"I had to tell them we met in Vegas. What else are they going to think?" I stated.

"Seriously Kaner?"

"What? I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. Besides, my sisters will be stopping by the party. If they want to question her, they can there."

"He's such a nice friend." I said shaking my head. "He fed me to the sharks without a warning."

"That's awful Kaner. The poor girl probably won't be the same."

"I don't understand what the big deal is. Am I not allowed to have friends meet my family?"

"Kaner, the only girls that have met your parents were girlfriends. Your mom probably thought Kara was your girlfriend."

"Then I'll tell her she isn't. It's not a big deal. Kara and I are just friends. Right?" He looked at me a smile on his face. I nodded but kept my eyes on my plate. "Anyone need anything inside?" Pat asked standing up. Jon and I shook our heads. I didn't look up from food. Not with Jonathon starring at me like he was.

This was all just a misunderstanding. Obviously Pat has never had a regular friend that was a girl. I don't blame his mom for acting the way she did. She wants what is best for her son. So once she finds out that I've been the one trying to get Pat to clean up his act everything will be okay. I'm his life coach. I'm just his friend.