Page 24 of Twisted Beauty

Liv had to admit that, as business names went, Destination Divas was kind of fun. But two more people who wanted to plan out her life without bothering to include her in the decision? Not so much.

And a wedding business? Great idea. Because what could be better than immersing herself in weddings every day when she’d just walked away from her own?

Liv covered her left hand with her right, feeling for the ring that was no longer there. It was zipped into the pocket of her carry-on suitcase, sitting on the floor of Katie’s guest room. Why did she even bring it to Mexico? She’d felt the weight of it when she lifted her bag to the overhead bin before takeoff. And now, just the thought of it seemed heavy. Unfinished.

Liv grabbed a chip, dipped it into the green salsa, and took a bite that cleared her head instantly. “Holy shit,” she said as her mouth caught fire. She reached for her water.

“Sorry, I should have said something.” Nate had the nerve to sound amused. “The green is terribly spicy. You all right?”

“Yeah, thanks for the warning.” Liv guzzled the water and wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. “Well, that was special. My lips are still burning.”

Nate looked at her mouth for an extended moment, long enough to make her feel self-conscious, before he reached for a chip. He poured a heap of salt onto it and held it out. “Give this a go. Salt calms the burn.”

She shoved the chip into her mouth all at once, making both men laugh. It helped.

The waiter set the fresh bowl of guacamole in the center of the table. “For you, señorita. Not spicy.”

“Gracias,” Liv said, even though the waiter seemed to be laughing at her too.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to tell Zach about Destination Divas.” Katie dipped a chip into the guacamole and popped it in her mouth. “Mmmm.”

Liv cleared her throat dramatically, knowing if she didn’t put a stop to it now, Katie would spin herself into full-on fantasy mode. “Earth to Katie. I’m only on vacation.”

Nate smiled. “She has a point though. Puerto Vallarta is the perfect place for a wedding business if that interests you. You’d never be short of work.”

Liv ran a hand across her forehead. What she really wanted was to not talk about this anymore. “So you guys have your own shop here?”

“It’s Nate’s baby,” Garrett said. “I just take care of the books, anything finance.”

That explained a few things, Liv thought. A bean counter. No wonder he seemed so straitlaced.

“Their shop’s called Vallarta Surf and Sun,” Katie said. “Really cute bikinis. I need to take you there.”

Nate chuckled. “We carry surf and bodyboards, as well. Not much in the way of big waves around here, but it is an excellent place to learn. You surf, Liv?”

She shook her head. “I’ve paddleboarded. Does that count?”

Liv scooped up guacamole with a chip and stared at it for a moment, finally taking a tiny nibble off the corner. Not spicy at all, and so delicious. Now she wished she’d watched the waiter more carefully so she could try to make it at home.

“I give surf lessons. I’d be happy to teach you, if you’re interested.” Nate’s gaze was intense. He waited for her to speak, as if she were the most interesting woman he’d ever met, and the rhythm of her heart didn’t change a bit. Not the way it did when Matt looked at her.

Why was that?

She wondered if she’d ever be lucky enough to fall for a guy like Nate. So far he seemed nice and considerate. And he was definitely not hard on the eyes. The way he was sitting, with his forearms resting on the table and his t-shirt stretched tight across his shoulders, showed off his lean, muscular physique. His shoulders tapered to a thin waist that looked toned even through the cotton fabric of his shirt, and the dusting of blond hair on his arms stood out against the golden brown of his skin.

Nate caught her eye and she felt her cheeks heat. Crap. She looked down at her beer, and pretended she hadn’t just been staring. “So what did you do before you moved to Mexico? Did you own a surf shop in the US?”

“No, I was a DJ years ago. Started back in college working for the Rock Bottom Lounge, a bar on campus, and then moved on to DJing parties and events as an adult. Now that we have the surf shop, the music gig is more of a hobby.”

“Wow, you had a bar on campus? I went to the wrong school.” Liv shifted in her chair. She wasn’t sure why she felt so uncomfortable. Maybe it was the way he was staring at her.

“No kidding,” Katie chimed in. “We had to cab it to bars from our school.”

Garrett picked up his beer and downed what was left in one gulp. “Speaking of music, you two should come to Nate’s party this weekend.”

“Ooh,” Katie squealed. “I totally forgot about that! Friday night, Livvy. These guys throw awesome parties. Best music ever.”

Perfect. A party with a bunch of people Liv barely knew. Why had she ever thought this would be a relaxing trip? She knew Katie better than that.