It took James a few moments to realize that she was stiff, and she forced herself to relax back against him.
"Just tell her that there was a family emergency that's going to require to be out for a while, and ask if you can get the work for the next couple of weeks to keep him up to speed with everyone else. If things last longer than that, you can just go back and talk to her again." She turned in his arms, nuzzling a bit against his jaw. "Then you won't have to worry about him being behind."