Page 112 of Against the Clock

“Five minutes,” he says, and his voice breaks.

Her expression softens, the tightness in her mouth turning into sadness. “Fine.”

“You sure?” Kelsey asks, putting her hand on Cameron’s arm.

“Yeah. He won’t leave me alone until I do.” She looses an exasperated sigh, then nods to Jacob like she’s expecting the worst.

We both watch them walk off in silence to a corner of the huge room, opposite where we stand.

“Do you want a drink?” I ask Kelsey.

“What are you having?”

“Sparkling water.” I hold up the glass.

“I’ll have that, then,” she says. “You sure you don’t want something stiffer for your speech?”

I cock an eyebrow at her. “I’m pretty damn nervous about this speech.”

A devilish grin lights up her face. “You should be.”

I signal to the bartender for two more waters, and she opens her tiny sparkly purse with a laugh, pulling out a folded-up square of paper.

“Don’t worry, I’m texting it to you, too. You’ll have no excuses not to be able to give this beautiful little speech.”

“Am I allowed to read it before I have to say it in front of the whole room?”

She narrows her perfect brown eyes at me, then her features soften into a smile. “You don’t really have to read it, Daniel. As the speech, I mean. It’s ridiculous.”

I give her a speculative look, unfolding the paper and smoothing it out along the bar top. The bartender sets two glasses of sparkling water in front of us.

“Thank you,” Kelsey tells him, tugging hers close to her and leaning against the marble counter.

“It is an honor to be asked to speak tonight on behalf of Beavers everywhere. I always have a ball around beavers, so being fingered to give a speech about the importance of preserving the untamed wilds is a true pleasure,” I read.

I look up, and Kelsey’s shoulders are shaking with laughter, one hand over her mouth.

“Is this whole speech a long beaver pun?”

“Keep reading,” she instructs.

Shaking my head, I do as she commands.

“The Beaver Ball has a long history, but it’s nothing to be blue about—” I pause. “Is that a blue balls joke? You can do better.”

A laugh tears out of her, and she does that adorable snort that means she’s really amused.

I rub my jaw, freshly shaved, and take a swig of the water.

“I am always hard… pressed to find a bad thing to say about the nature of the beaver. The soft pelt, the way it loves wood and water. The beaver is truly a noble animal, and being able to care for these creatures and their homes is something everyone should get off on.”

I level a look at her. “Get off on?” I repeat.

“It’s one long vulva joke,” she finally says, then takes the paper from me, folding it back into a square and sticking it in her tiny purse. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to make you read it. I just don’t understand how no one else finds the name of the team and the mascot ridiculous.”

“The Beavers are a time-honored institution,” I tell her seriously. “To mock the beaver is to mock Wilmington, no, the world itself.”

“Did you like the speech?” she asks. Kelsey’s still biting her lip and holding back laughter, and it’s so fucking cute that I pull her close to me.

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