Page 20 of Twisted Beauty

There was a rare break in the traffic, and Katie grabbed Liv’s hand to drag her across the street. About a dozen other people joined them, all taking advantage of the same lull.

“He is kind of a hunk,” Katie said as they stepped up onto the curb.

“I said Hulk. H-U-L-K.” Leave it to Katie to turn a monster into a prince.

They climbed the uneven steps toward the open doors, stepping around a number of people sitting on the stairway. A local woman tying a ribbon in her daughter’s long, dark braids, a couple sitting shoulder to shoulder and drinking Starbucks from to-go cups, an elderly woman in a threadbare muumuu who held out a box of Chiclets and looked at them with pleading eyes.

Liv felt a pang of guilt. Despite all the unfortunate choices she’d made over the years, she led a very comfortable life. On her brief taxi ride through Puerto Vallarta, she’d seen plenty of crumbling apartment buildings with bars on the windows and laundry hung outside. Many of the locals here lived very different lives than the expats and tourists.

She dug around in her bag for some coins and walked back down a couple of steps to hand them to the woman, taking a tiny pack of gum squares in exchange. Now all she had to do was find someone who chewed gum.

“That was sweet,” Katie said, with a hopeful grin on her face. Liv joined her at the entrance and handed over the gum. Katie shoved it in her pocket.

They stood in the doorway for a minute to admire the view. Liv loved historic buildings of all types. The history, the artistry, the reverence she felt when she walked inside. Churches and libraries seemed to be the most ornate.

This one didn’t disappoint. From what Liv could see, the entire place was a palette of crisp whites and golds, with columns and archways and fancy crown moldings. Sunlight streamed in through stained glass windows, lighting the walls with abstract patterns.

“Wow,” Liv whispered. “It’s so beautiful.”

She stepped inside, but barely made it past the donation box at the entrance when the church bell chimed in a low, vibrating bellow.

“That means there’s a service starting soon,” Katie said, looking relieved.

Liv smiled. Katie knew her too well. She’d spend the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening photographing every little detail and flourish if she could. When it came to photography, Liv was kind of obsessed. She knew how much that irritated other people, even other photographers, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

“Then let’s go.” She wanted to come back on her own anyway, when she could experience it through her camera lens without interruption, and without being hurried. There was nothing like the rush of satisfaction she got from capturing the perfect image. She’d missed that.

Better yet, she could spend an entire day by herself, photographing the downtown area at her own pace. The more she saw of PV, the more she wanted to start that travel blog they’d talked about at the barbecue. So she needed some serious alone time.

Maybe she’d sneak away next time Katie had to work, and it seemed Katie did a lot of that. After graduating, she’d switched from photography into wedding and party planning, and now she was doing well enough to support herself with it. In Mexico, no less. She’d even managed to buy herself that gorgeous condo. What would it be like to drop everything and follow your dreams like that?

Liv wrapped her hand around the lens of her camera, relieving some of the weight from the strap around her neck as she exited the church. She followed Katie down the steps and back into the blazing sun.

“I have an idea,” Katie said. She ran a hand across her brow, her face already flushed from the heat.

“Does it have anything to do with air conditioning?”

“Sort of. Come on.”

They wound their way through town, passing cafes, clothing shops, taco stands, and crowds of people out enjoying their day.

Liv watched a couple pass by in the opposite direction. The man carried a little girl on his shoulders. He held her steady with one hand, and had the fingers of the other intertwined with his wife’s.

Obviously they weren’t all cads. Liv just had terrible judgment.

Isn’t that what her mother had always said? Then again, her mother was Grant’s biggest fan, so maybe her bad judgment was inherited. Liv had no doubt that some of those texts she’d deleted the other night were from her mother, urging her to reconsider. If she wanted a marriage as miserable as her parents’, maybe she would.

Katie was quiet for once, leading them down various streets and turning corners to avoid construction. Liv saw a couple of shops she wanted to explore, one in particular called Señor Talavera with stunning hand-painted plates in the windows.

“Katie, wait.” Liv reached for her arm when she didn’t stop walking.

“Next time.” Katie shook her off. “I’m cooked. It’s five hundred degrees out here and I need some shade and a cold drink.”

All Liv could think was not tequila. “Does anyone have good beer around here?”

“Definitely. I know the perfect place.”

Liv followed her down one last block to the ocean. They passed a sign that read, Daiquiri Dick’s. Happy hour all day. And then another, Canto del Mar. Half-price Margaritas.