Keeping Her Love by Tiger Hill Page A

mentioned.
    “Yes, it is.”
    Not wanting to interrupt the nice reverie that Tula and Layla had created, the men decided to unpack all of the supplies they would need and found a campsite next to some driftwood. While slightly chilly because of the spring season, they couldn’t have picked a more pleasant day to visit the shore. Rhett found Max to be agreeable enough when it came to carrying heavy objects and dropping them off where directed. He just wasn’t very sociable.
    Maybe he doesn’t have anything against me, thought Rhett. It might just be the way he is. He’s quiet. If that’s the case, then I suppose I don’t have a huge problem with him. In the beginning, he was picking on me a little. At this point it’s just a few words passed between us. I can deal with that. I mean, I am banging his sister. I suppose it’s not a comforting thought to have in the back of a brother’s mind. I’m an only child, so I don’t really have to deal with any of that.
    Rhett took is upon himself to set up a campfire in order to begin cooking the food for lunch and dinner. Having never started an outdoor fire before, his first attempts were comically bad. He could never seem to start lighting up the tinder well enough to grab onto the progressively larger sticks. He was glad that Max had decided to go for a light jaunt while he made an ass out of himself trying to get a fire going. It seemed like one of the most basic things a man should be able to do, lighting a fire in the wilderness… If one could consider the beach a wilderness area. In the end, he was lucky enough to have a sliver of reception on his phone in order to look up a basic guide on how to start a campfire.  
    Building the basic structure needed in order to get the flame going, he had a roaring fire going in no time. Proud of his achievement, everyone came over just as he was placing a grate over the fire.
    “Nice,” said Tula. “Maybe this is how I’ll get my bakery going, huh? Think you can do that every morning at three AM?”
    He looked at her with a smirk, pushing his sunglasses down. “Anything for you, babe.”
    The cooler was filled to the brim with food, beer, and champagne—probably far more than they needed, though Layla took it upon herself to be extra prepared for the trip. Rhett didn’t mind, besides the fact that he had to lug the thing a quarter mile towards their temporary home.
    “Have you guys figured out the catering for the wedding?” Asked Layla.  
    Great, more wedding talk, thought Rhett as he prepped some chicken thighs.  
    “Mm, not quite,” responded Tula as she opened a bag of chips. “We’re thinking of doing a lot of the cooking ourselves, or even doing a potluck thing. We want to save money, so it just seems like the best option. Besides, Rhett makes some mighty good meat balls. Don’t you, Rhett?”
    Before he had time to respond, Layla interjected, “You can’t do that! Everyone will call you hicks. No, you must find some kind of caterer. I don’t care if it’s the cheapest in town, but you can’t ask people do bring their own food.”
    Tula and Rhett shared a look.  
    “I’m sure whatever they decide to do will be lovely,” said Max with a ready sneer for Layla.
    Layla appeared to have some loaded ammunition to fire back at the comment, but fully realizing it was Max who had said it, decided to hold her tongue. Rhett placed the last of the chicken thighs on the grate and decided to turn the conversation towards more amiable topics.
    “How is school going for you, Max?”  
    “Just fine,” he responded, a complacent expression on his face. “I should be finished soon enough. Then I’ll be able to move out and start a new life.”
    Rhett nodded, checking what else they had in terms of food while he made conversation. “Good to hear. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard for an engineer to find work.”
    His eyes flicked over to Tula, then back to Rhett. “No, I imagine not. I’ve already received