He made it to the skybox about fifteen minutes before the game started. He didn�t know who�s box he was in but he saw a few people he knew.
�Hi man, didn�t know you were going to be here bro.� It was James Blake. He was on the professional tennis circuit.
�You cut the hair. Looks good man.�
He laughed, �The ladies love it man, you wouldn�t believe.�
He sat down next to him and looked around the room. There were a couple of guys who looked like athletes but he didn�t know them, they were probably hockey players. He felt bad for them, he still remembered the baseball work stoppage in �94 and it was a horrible thing.
**
They were being trounced. What the hell happened to the Bucs in two years? They went from dominating World Champs to chumps. The Yankees might have been going through a lot with the Game 7 loss in the World Series to the Diamondbacks in 2001, the first round exit courtesy of the Angels in 2002, watching the Florida Marlins celebrate a World Series win in Yankee Stadium in 2003 and again, that horrible horrible night when they became the biggest choke artists in the history of sports against the Red Sox this year but their downfall wasn�t so quick like the Bucs and they have still been successful for the most part.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Jack,
�This is not pretty man.�
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, �You telling me. Hey, listen. Tom and Kim are taking the boat out tonight. You want to come? You're invited.�
He wouldn�t mind being out on the water. �Sure, is Tara going to be there?�
He shook his head, �No, so keep it down.� He looked over in her direction to make sure she hadn�t heard anything, �Fresh faces.�
He couldn�t be upset by that. �I�m in. Call me after the game and let me know what I need to do.�
He looked down just as he heard the entire stadium erupt into a loud single moan; the Falcons had just scored�again.
�Damn, they suck.� He whispered under his breath.
**
Jack came by and picked Derek up to head to the marina.
�So, who�s going to be at this thing?�
�Well, besides Kim, Tom, you and me they invited another couple, their neighbors, I don�t know them and Kim�s sister and her friend is in town.�
�Ah, two single women. That�s why the two single men are invited.� He wasn�t going to fight it; as long as they were cute.
�Look, the only time I can do the trip this year is in December. Is that ok with you?�
�When in December are you talking about? I have the Christmas parties for Turn 2 here, in Kalamazoo and New York.� Derek said.
�Our bye week is December 18th. So I was thinking of flying out on the 12th, which is a Monday and coming back Sunday the 18th. That way I�m back at work on Monday.�
�That�s cool. The parties are all that week anyway, the week before Christmas.�
He flipped open his phone and looked through the calendar. �Yeah, the parties are on the 19th, 21st and 22nd.�
�I�ll call my brother and see if he�ll be on Christmas vacation by then since you took it upon yourself to invite him.�
Derek laughed. He knew Jack was going to feel somewhat obligated to be a good role model for his little brother while he was around.
**
�Derek, Jack, how are you guys? Its been a long time.�
He hugged Kelly, Kim�s little sister, then passed her over to Jack. �How you been?�
�Great.� She had her arm around Jack�s waist and introduced her friend,
�This is my best friend Eleanor. We work together at the hospital.�
Kelly was a nurse at a hospital in Kansas City. She was petite and blonde, not to mention Kim had been trying to hook her and Jack up for the past three years. Kim doesn�t know it, but Kelly and Jack have been hooking up just not in the formal way she would have wanted.
�Hi, nice to meet you Eleanor.� Eleanor was also blonde, but it wasn�t an in your face bright blonde. It was a bit darker than that Malibu beach blonde look so many women were going for. He didn�t know why women were all about that. He figured it was just in the U.S. Just about every Miss Universe came from a country where the women had dark hair and dark skin.
�Hello.�
His eyes shifted to Jack and he was given the thumbs up sign. He smiled; it was no wonder he was all about the company of women. Jack was always encouraging him.
�So once we ditch my sister and brother-in-law what is happening tonight?�
�Don�t you have a curfew? Kim isn�t going to let you stay out too late.�
Kelly smiled at Jack, �That�s why we�re at a hotel. So we won�t have to bother with all of that.�
�You�re going to stay in a hotel for a week?�
She shrugged, �Its vacation.�
He couldn�t help but smile. Kelly had every intention before she even got here of having as much fun with Jack as possible.
�So, why did you guys choose now to come on vacation? Why not Thanksgiving or Christmas?� Derek looked at Eleanor as he asked the question, trying to get her involved in the conversation. She was the only one who didn�t know anyone.
�We�re the newest on the staff so we�ll be working during the holidays.�
Kim and Tom came up with three bottles of champagne and the food. Kelly and Jack put a little distance between themselves and they settled in for a night of good food and a great time.
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