Page 7 of Twisted Beauty

“Get up and I’ll leave.”

Liv let out a long sigh. She wasn’t getting out of this, was she?

“Ugh. Fine.” She shoved the covers off and dragged herself straight into the shower, hoping to wash away some of the pain lancing through her temples.

As the water rinsed over her and calmed her mind, she wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Her perfect first day in paradise would have included a blanket on the sand, an umbrella, and a large pitcher of iced tea. And, with the way she was feeling this morning, maybe a very dark pair of sunglasses.

Definitely not a party. Or men. Or more tequila. She’d probably be kicked out of Mexico if anyone found out she’d added tequila to that list.

But how many times before she boarded that plane had she made Katie promise not to play matchmaker? And yet, at least half the conversation last night had been about the gorgeous men showing up today. No matter how hard Liv focused, she couldn’t remember any specifics. Maybe this would be some one-on-one setup she’d be forced to endure, or maybe she’d be meeting twenty-five eligible bachelors and have to give out a rose.

All she knew was that she had a special gift for falling in love with self-absorbed jerks, and for contorting her life into whatever they wanted her to be. So zero was the only safe number.

She rubbed a hand across the window in the shower to clear away the steam, and stared out at the ocean. Would anyone really miss her if she slipped out and spent the afternoon sleeping off her hangover on the deserted beach below? No doubt Katie would. And then she’d drag the party out onto the beach, forcing Liv to meet people in nothing but her skimpy pink bikini and the dark circles under her eyes. Not a good option.

She shut off the water and buried her pounding head in a fluffy white towel to stifle a moan. Fine. She’d stick around and endure it, but only for a couple of hours, and then she was heading straight for the beach no matter what anyone said.

Until then…she could at least have a little fun with it.

A smile tugged at her lips as she hurried to pull on her bikini and apply some lotion. She wasn’t a big makeup person, or at least she hadn’t been before Grant started complaining she was too pale without it. So she went with the bare minimum—eyeliner, mascara and a touch of lip gloss. It wasn’t much, not like ditching your life and running off to Mexico or anything, but any small step toward being herself again felt like a victory.

With her hair still dripping wet, Liv cracked the bedroom door open and peeked out into the empty hallway. She tiptoed into the master bedroom and shuffled through Katie’s closet, marveling at how many cute sundresses there were. Katie was ever the fashionista.

Back in grad school, whenever Katie offered to share her clothes, Liv would somehow choose the one and only outfit that Katie wanted to wear that day. She never planned it that way, it was just another of her special gifts. Like dating assholes.

God, she was so done with that. But this?

Her eyes went straight to a flowy turquoise dress with spaghetti straps and she smiled. She pulled it out of the closet and held it up. Perfect for today.

Slipping the dress on over her swimsuit, she twirled in front of Katie’s full-length mirror. What were the chances she was wearing Katie’s dress du jour right now? She should probably call it dress del dia instead, since she was practicing her Spanish and all. She crossed her fingers, hoping this was it. Mostly for old time’s sake, but partly for the tiniest hint of revenge for this whole party thing.

She wandered out to the living room and winced when the blender turned on. The grinding whir sent a slice of pain searing through her skull. Her hands flew to her head, and she pressed her palms into her temples. “Argh, turn that thing off!”

Katie switched it off and turned to face her, wearing a pair of flamingo pajama pants and a skimpy pink tank. She’d obviously done her hair and makeup already.

“Darn it, Liv! How do you do that? What am I supposed to wear now?”

Liv burst out laughing. “Ow.” She pressed her fingers to her temples again. “Tell me you’re kidding. You must have a hundred dresses in there.”

Katie held up her arm, showing off a thick band wrapped around her wrist. It was woven entirely of tiny turquoise beads with pink stitching along the edges. “See this bracelet? It matches that dress perfectly!”

“Ooh, cute. Can I borrow it?”

Katie gave her a death stare but then rolled her eyes. “Sure, why not. If it’ll stop you from whining about the barbecue, I’m all in.”

“I’m not whining. I’ve been a great sport.”

“Only after I told you there were hot guys coming.”

“No! Ugh.” Liv dropped her head and groaned. “That was when I got pissed.”

“So you admit to being a pain in the butt. Good. Now cover your ears. I want to finish the first batch of margaritas before my friends arrive.”

Liv rushed for the balcony and barely got the sliding door shut before the grinding started again. The heat outside took her by surprise, almost like she’d stepped into a convection oven. So much more humid than the previous day. She was already starting to sweat. And yet, her hair was close to dry. She twisted it up into a messy knot on the top of her head, leaving loose tendrils clinging to the back of her neck.

As she leaned out over the railing, Liv was imagining herself sprawled out on the peaceful, empty beach below when she heard the door slide open behind her.

“Something for your headache?”