“Yeah, we could use more drinks.”

“Aw’ight, one minute.”

Christina watched the whole scene from a distance as Derrick walked up to Ivan in the VIP section and whispered into his left ear.

“Looks like you stepped up your game now, Ivan. These girls are all in here buzzing for you. You got a drink tab?”

Ivan turned and looked at his brother. He asked him, “A drink tab for what?”

“For more damn drinks, man, I’m thirsty.”

“Well, spend your money, then,” Ivan told him.

“Look, man, I wasn’t gon’ spend my money if I didn’t have to.”

Ivan looked in the direction his brother had approached him from and spotted the two girls, watching and waiting. They even smiled and waved to him.

Ivan asked his brother, “Did you promise somebody something?”

“They just wanna take pictures with you. You’re more of a star to them than Timbaland. I just happened to hear them talking about you as I walked up.”

Ivan said, “They always wanna take pictures, but I can’t bother with that too much. I got other things on my mind to take care of.”

Just as he said that, he saw Christina walk right past the two girls who were still waiting for a response from him.

Aw, shit, here we go, he thought. Ashley was off to his right and heading back in his direction at the same time as Christina.

Then he spotted his coworker, Chip Garrett, searching through the party.

Ivan shook his head and thought, Too many things are about to go on at once. So he moved to counteraction.

He told his brother, “Aw’ight, get your drinks and handle them two. Tell them I’ll take pictures with them in a minute.”

He moved straight toward Christina.

“Hey, you came out,” he said to her with a smile.

“So did your brother,” she told him.

Ivan mumbled, “Yeah.” Then he addressed the two girls standing nearby. “How are you ladies doing? I’ll take those pictures with you in a minute.”

They both looked shocked by the suddenness of it all.

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“No problem,” he told them. “Come on,” he told Chris. He headed in Chip’s direction before his fellow accountant could find him.

“Hey, Chip, you made it out in the eleventh hour. I thought you had changed your mind,” Ivan addressed him.

Chip smiled and said, “Yeah, I got tied up in a prior engagement and had to rush over here to make it.” He wore a light-colored sports jacket, casual blue jeans, and a button-up shirt.

Ivan said, “Okay, that happens sometimes.” Then he turned to Chris. “Christina, can you do me a favor and find, um…”

“Gretchen,” Chip reminded him.

“Yeah, he wants to meet Gretchen. Have you seen her in here?”

“No,” Chris told him. “I wasn’t looking for her.”

“Well, can you be a sweetheart and find her for me?”