BEFORE THE TIMBALAND and Nelly Furtado party that weekend, Ivan’s brother Derrick arrived back in San Diego and jumped right into the mix of things.

Ivan was hesitant to have him there, but as usual, Derrick didn’t give him a warning that he was coming. So Ivan met him at a downtown hotel with a room key in hand.

As soon as Derrick saw him, he said, “You got an earring now, too? What your job say about that?” He had already gotten used to Ivan’s low haircut from the New Year’s event the last time he had visited.

Ivan grinned at him. “They said, ‘Keep bringing us money, Ivan, and you can look any way you wanna look.’”

Derrick smiled and asked him, “Can you look like me?”

His hair was still long on top, with a week-old stubble around his face, but he still looked healthy, attractive, and approachable. However, Derrick was forever in street clothes.

Ivan told him, “You just need a trim, a shave, and a suit, and you’re good.”

Derrick shook it off and said, “Anyway, man, thanks for the hotel room this time around. You must have read my mind.”

Actually, Ivan didn’t want his brother to see his new apartment and start getting too many ideas about his finances. He’d already decided to hide his Rolex watch in his pants pocket. But with Derrick staying for the party, Ivan wouldn’t be able to hide anything much longer. So he went ahead and handed his brother a flyer.

Derrick looked at it and said, “So I came into town on the right night, then.”

“Evidently so,” Ivan told him.

Derrick studied the flyer. “Nelly Furtado’s looking good on here. She a little skinny for my taste, but I’ll find a way to work with her.”

Ivan shook it off. He said, “Yeah, I gotta go get ready for this party now. And you can ask anybody at the hotel where it is. The club’s in walking distance from here. Your name’ll be on the VIP list at the door.”

“So where’s your new place?” Derrick asked his brother before he walked off. He knew Ivan had moved, he just hadn’t been there yet.

Ivan told him, “I’m down here, too,” and left it at that.

Derrick said, “Well, thanks for looking out last month with that little extra,” and he reached to shake his brother’s hand.

Ivan was hesitant about that as well. He shook his brother’s hand and said, “Okay.” He didn’t want to say anything more than that. He assumed he would have to wire his brother extra money soon again.