Page 116 of Tell Me It’s Right

Chapter Thirty-Nine

GRACIE

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit before.”

I regret the words the second they’re out of my mouth because Ihaveactually. Once. Nearly ten years ago.

At his mother’s funeral.

Liam doesn’t seem to notice though. He presses his lips together in a bashful smile and readjusts his hair.

We’re some of the first to arrive, along with the rest of Liam’s family. I crane my neck back to take in the massive hotel before we step inside. A night here is probably worth a month’s rent. But the Brookses wanted to make asplashwith this launch for True Sweets, and apparently the Brooks mansion was far too small for that.

With most of the attendees coming down from New York, I’m surprised they kept it in Jersey at all. Liam’s dad said it was something about showing they’re proud of their roots or whatever.

I’m even more surprised Liam agreed to come. Of course I said yes when he asked me to go with him, and despite how uncomfortable I am as we walk through the doors, I do everything I can to appear at ease. I canfeelthe tension in Liam’sbody, wound tight like a spring, so one of us needs to keep it together.

The ballroom is an explosion of color when we step inside. Long, narrow tables with fancy gold place settings and name cards stretch through the vast space, and obnoxious backdrops for photos appear every few feet along three of the walls. A small stage sits at the far end of the room with the new True Sweets logo behind it in neon pink lights.

“Oh good, you’re here!” Christine smiles at us before finishing her conversation with a waiter in a black and white uniform. She points to the back corner, and the man disappears that way. “Wow, you two look great.” She hugs Liam, and he stiffens and awkwardly pats her on the back. “And Gracie! I’m so,soglad you could make it.” She throws her arms around me next, and when she pulls back, I brace myself for what I’ll find on her face.

But her smile seems…genuine.

Not that any of the Brookses have ever been outwardly hostile to me, but after getting those bits of information from Casey, I can’t help but wonderwhohe picked that up from. Who here secretly thinks I’m a downgrade from Liam’s previous girlfriend.

“We’re set up out back too,” says Christine. “That’s where your brothers and Makayla are, last I saw. The influencers and VIP guests are set to arrive first in about half an hour to get started on content, and we’re having a private cocktail party for them. Everyone else should start trickling in about an hour after that. We’ll be serving dinner in here later, but the drinks and snacks are already set up outside if you’re hungry!”

“Everything looks amazing, Christine,” says Liam.

Her shoulders detach from her ears with her exhale. “Really? Good. I have to hunt down the DJ, but I’ll see you two later!”

We wave as she hurries off through the same door the waiter used earlier.

“I thought this was Makayla’s event,” I mutter once she’s gone.

Liam presses his hand to my lower back to lead us outside. “Mak’s always been better at dreaming things up than carrying them out. And this.” He raises his eyebrows and glances around at the disco balls, human-sized pink feathers, and walls covered in flower arrangements. “Has Christine written all over it.”

The terrace has a similar look—giant pink flamingo floats in the pool, tables overflowing with decorative containers of candy, and backdrops designed around the True Sweets logo obviously intended for the influencers to post with.

“Look who showed up.” A tall, dark-haired man slaps Liam on the back. It takes me a moment to recognize him as Liam’s older brother. They look nothing alike aside from the color of their hair. I can’t tell if it’s the sharp cheekbones and jaw that give him that haughty air, or if it’s the way his nose seems permanently angled to the sky.

“Taylor,” Liam says unenthusiastically.

“Might as well grab one of these.” Taylor raises the beer in his hand. “Gonna be a long night.” With that, he heads over to a pretty blonde woman standing at the bar. A few others are scattered throughout the space—a woman in a pink floor-length gown who I think is Makayla, along with her husband, judging by the way she’s hanging off his arm, Asher, who’s currently flirting with the female bartender, and a woman with a clipboard and an earpiece who’s pacing around and inspecting every detail.

“Casey?” I ask.

Liam shakes his head. “No kids. He and Georgina—Makayla’s daughter—are sharing a babysitter tonight.”

The only other noticeably absent Brooks is the Candyman himself, and if Liam isn’t going to bring him up, I sure as hell won’t.

Hailey also isn’t here yet, but considering what Christine said about the influencers—and what Liam’s told me about her basically being the face of this new campaign—I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

“You want something to drink?” Liam offers.

“Sure.”

He kisses my temple before heading for the bar, and I pace along the outskirts of the pool, taking it all in. The terrace has a gorgeous view of the ocean, and with all the sparkly decorations and disco balls around here, I’m sure it’ll be quite the sight to see come sunset.

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