Hello dear! I have written Row 1 and Row 2 of Layer 1 for reference below.
Layer 1:
Row 1: (RS) Beg-V-st (see Stitches) in first sc, work loop (see Stitches),*sk next 2 sc, V-st (see Stitches) in next sc, work loop, rep from * across, turn––23 (25, 25, 27, 29) || (29, 31, 33) V-st, 23 (25, 25, 27, 29) || (29, 31, 33) loops.
Rows 2: Ch 2, sl st in ch-2 sp of first V-st, beg-V-st in same sp, *pulling loop toward you and leaving it unworked, V-st in ch-2 sp of next V-st, rep from * across, turn––23 (25, 25, 27, 29) || (29, 31, 33) V-st.
At the end of Layer 1, you should have 1 loop for every V-st.
So when you go back looking at your Row 1 from Layer 1, there should be a loop after every V-st. And you should end that row with a loop. Like you said, it may look a little bit weird, sticking out some, but when all the layers are put on, everything will look nice and cohesive. Now, in Row 2, I am thinking if I added a "skip first loop", that may alleviate some confusion. For example, below (in blue) is how I am thinking of adjusting that round:
Row 2: Ch 2, sk first loop, pulling skipped loop toward you leaving it unworked, sl st in ch-2 sp of first V-st, beg-V-st in same sp, *pulling loop toward you and leaving it unworked, V-st in ch-2 sp of next V-st, rep from * across, turn––23 (25, 25, 27, 29) || (29, 31, 33) V-st.
I think because Row 2 starts off working in a V-st, one may think they end the previous row with a V-st, when really, that row needs to end with a loop. Let me know what you think?