This Is How It Happened by Jo Barrett Page A

beaming.
    I playfully punch her in the arm. A light little tap. “There, I’m hitting you.”
    “You’re a goof,” she says.
    “I’m Martha Stewart,” I reply.

Chapter 20
    “How do I look?” I ask Carlton. I do a comical supermodel strut across the bedroom, swing around with my hand on my hip, strike a pose, and pout my lips.
    He chuckles and straightens his tie. “Like a champ,” he says.
    I watch him walk into the bathroom and lean in toward the mirror.
    “Jesus, I need a cigarette,” he says. He finishes fumbling with his tie and admires himself in the mirror. I see a hint of a smile streak across his lips.
    I sashay up to him, in my best suit, my interview suit, and wrap my arms around his waist.
    “We’re going to get this money today, don’t you worry,” I say.
    He turns around and pecks me quickly on the lips. I smell his cologne, the faint smell of burning wood, like a fire out in a log cabin, and my knees go momentarily weak. God, he’s gorgeous. This man I love. I stare up into Carlton’s beautiful eyes.
    “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” he says. “To present a phenomenal business idea in front of my father. In his boardroom.”
    “That’s why you should make the presentation,” I protest.
    Carlton puts his hand to my lips. “Shhh. We’ve already been over this,” he says.
    I notice he’s sweating slightly. A few tiny droplets forming above his upper lip.
    “You’re nervous,” I say, pointing to his face.
    He peers into the mirror and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, self-consciously.
    “It’s hot as a bitch in this house,” he says. “Why don’t you ever turn on the AC?”
    “It’s your house, too, you know,” I say.
    “Please, Maddy. You own this place. It’s your name on the title, not mine.”
    “If you want me to add your name to the title, why don’t you just say so?”
    Carlton rolls his eyes. “Because you know I can’t help with the mortgage payments. Not on this goddamn hourly wage my dad is paying me. You’d think the son of the CEO would make more than your average day laborer! But he’s paying me the same as all the other Mexicans working the shit-shift!”
    “He’s giving you a great hands-on experience, babe. I mean, it makes sense for you to experience every aspect of running a company, from the ground up. And how would it look if you made more money than those other guys? They’d hate you.”
    “I don’t care. After today, I hope I’ll never have to set foot in that shit-hole of a warehouse again,” Carlton muses. He swings back around to the mirror. I watch him as he adds gel to his hair and combs it back in a crisp, formal style.
    “After today, you’re going to be CEO of Organics 4 Kids,” I say. I put my arms around his waist and hug him from behind.
    He cups his hands over mine. I feel him fingering the Juliet ring on my left hand.
    “You better take this off,” he says, holding my hand up. “I don’t want my dad thinking we got engaged overnight.”
    I stare down at the bathroom floor. “Don’t you think it’s about time we told him? I mean, I’ve had the ring for months, Carlton. He knows we live together. We’re in our thirties. Jesus! We’re adults,” I say. And I realize my voice sounds whiney. Child-like.
    “Maddy,” he says, softly. He slips the ring off my finger and places it gently on the bathroom counter. “Today is not the day. You know that, sweetie. We want my dad’s mind to be strictly on our business plan. I swear if he sees this ring, all he’ll be thinking about is pre-nups.”
    “I already told you I’d sign one,” I say. “Especially if it makes Daddy Dollar-Sign feel better.”
    Carlton loosens my arms from around his waist. “Don’t call him that,” he warns.
    “Sorry,” I murmur. I walk into the bedroom and slip on my heels. I’d prefer to wear a conservative pair of loafers since I’m going to be standing up during my presentation, but heels make me