Page 58 of Forbidden to Fall

“I’m serious.”

He sounded serious.

“I’m fine.” I met his eye, willing him to believe me.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Have to? I want to. Am I busy? Sure. Could I use a spa day? Maybe. I may take one after the festival’s over.” Lies. I could afford about thirty seconds of a massage. “I need this project, James.”

He grimaced.

“Besides, I have some time off this weekend. Morgan is getting the hang of things, and Mrs. Keller wants her to handle more on her own, so I won’t even be at the bakery after I finish on Saturday.”

“And will you be using that time off to work here?”

I didn’t answer.

“I can’t let you run yourself into the ground.”

He was being so considerate, which was why the flash of annoyance I felt made no sense.

He held my gaze. “Promise me you’ll take at least eighteen hours off of anything to do with the bakery or the farm.”

Eighteen hours?! Did this man have any idea what I could do with eighteen hours?

I could burn a dozen batches of maple bars.

His gaze was unrelenting. “I can force you to take the eighteen hours off if you want to do this the hard way.”

I scoffed. “What are you going to do? Kidnap me?”

His gaze held mine.

I retreated slightly. “You wouldn’t.”

He still didn’t respond, but his expression said try me.

Would he really do that, just to get me to rest? I kind of thought he might. May would probably act as an accomplice too. James would carry me into their house and lay me down on the bed while May forced sweet tea and biscuits on me.

“Twelve hours,” I said.

He shook his head. “Sixteen. Final offer.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You really are a bully.”

He was unfazed. “Do we have a deal?”

I let out a resigned sigh. “Fine. But I really am okay. Those, however”—I looked at the maple bars—“are not.”

“You never know until you try.”

I snorted. “Until you try. Or hey, maybe a nice layer of charring is just what we need to set these things apart. They need something. Right?”

“They’re very good—not these, I mean. The normal ones. But yes, I think they need a Sadie signature.”

I agreed. They needed to stand out somehow. But first, I needed to get the foundation right—decide which maple worked best. Which meant redoing all the work I’d just done.

Just the thought made me feel like maybe James carrying me inside and laying me down on the bed wasn’t such a bad idea after all.