First Comes Marriage

“I’m trying to show them how to enjoy their traditions in a better way.”

He threw up his hands.

He turned. “I’m not gonna waste my time arguing with you.”

She looked defiantly at him. “It’ll be fine, just wait and see.”

* * *

“WHAT THE HELL is this?” Rose spit out the first bite of hot dog. Others followed suit, seeming equally appalled.

“It’s a tofu dog,” Meera explained.

“Toe what now?”

Meera looked at the disgusted faces. About fifty people were here—a good turnout, according to Jake. What’s wrong? She’d tasted the first hot dog; it was delicious. Jake’s advice on the mix of wood chips for the grill had given it quite a flavor. So why were they spitting it out?

She watched in dismay as people used her thoughtfully placed trash cans to toss perfectly grilled tofu dogs and burgers.

“Where’s the meat? I didn’t sign up for this veggie crap.”

“Rose, remember how Dr. Harper has been talking about getting the town to eat healthier? Well, this is—”

Rose grabbed her arm and said in a low voice, “You don’t mess with a barbecue. A barbecue is about meat—juicy, fat, red meat. It’s not the time to introduce tofu. Dr. Harper meant to do some health seminars, hand out flyers, that kind of thing. You silly girl.”

“I’m leaving! Should’ve known she was gonna screw this up,” she overheard someone say.

“Why don’t you go back to wherever they actually like this stuff,” another local added.

“That’s enough!” Jake’s booming voice made Meera jump. “Meera’s gone to a lot of trouble, so why don’t we give her a chance?” There he was, tall and lean, cowboy hat and jeans and a T-shirt that showed off every flex of his sinewy muscles. He was towing a cooler behind him. “I’ve got some fresh meat here, and we’ll grill it right up. And she’s got some cold beer, so settle down.”

There were cheers from the crowd. Meera’s face burned. How dare he? “What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered angrily when he got near.

“I’m saving you from yourself—you’ll thank me later.”

“Oh, you are such a pompous—” She took a deep breath and turned to the crowd. She was wasting her energy on Jake. “Listen, everybody, can I just take a second to tell you about some of the health benefits of eating soy rather than red meat? Studies have shown that eating soy can lower your risk of heart disease by as much as...” She stopped. Her guests were crowding around Jake, choosing meat, chatting away. Jake started poking coal in the grill, taking off the tofu burgers and dogs and throwing them in the trash bin.

She crossed her arms. She noticed something on the ground, near the grill. The clipboard. Someone stepped on it, and she heard it snap.

“Well, if you’ll pardon me, I need to take care of something back at the cottage.” No one listened. No one cared. She turned on her heels and ran.

She flung herself on the bed.

The nerve of him! She wanted the town to get to know her as a person, not “the Queen of England,” as they’d all taken to calling her—a not-so-endearing name that Jake had no doubt perpetuated. Dr. Thurm and Dr. Harper had asked her to work on preventative medicine in Bellhaven as part of the community education component of her rotation. Teaching the townsfolk how to eat better was the perfect way to achieve that, and she’d been sure the party would convince them she wasn’t just some clueless foreigner. She’d planned every detail of the barbecue so they could see how simple lifestyle changes could make a difference in their health. It was the basis for her research, a way to prove to Dr. Thurm that the development of her blood pressure compound could work. People would be willing to make a change for their health. Jake had ruined it all.

She let her tears fall. She could have turned it around, explained the benefits of soy...if Jake hadn’t shown up with meat. How could she compete with that? Serving meat at her party! Her parents would be furious if they ever found out.

What am I doing here? she wondered. This will never work. Maybe I should have waited until after the wedding, taken some time to talk Dr. Thurm into letting me do this in New York. Why am I trying to get this awful town to like me? I’m so in over my head.

But she couldn’t go back to London, not after she’d fought so hard with her mum to come here now. This was her final shot at independence, to be free of the social obligations that came with being a socialite’s only daughter, before taking on the duties of marriage. She’d seen the opportunity and jumped on it.

Meera would never have this kind of freedom again. Raj hated traveling.

Her phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. As usual, his timing is great. Maybe talking to him will help.

“Hello, Raj.” She tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice; she didn’t want to worry him.

“Hello, love, glad I caught you. I tried ringing earlier...” She felt a twinge of guilt. She’d been so busy planning the barbecue, she’d forgotten to return his call.

“Yes, I’ve been quite busy settling in. How are you getting along?”

He began talking about patients and giving her an update on the practice. Everything was falling into place. She and Raj would run her father’s practice after they were married and eventually merge with the medical conglomerate Raj’s parents owned. Her father was looking forward to retiring after Meera and Raj took over the medical center. Their research project was progressing well, and once they secured permissions and funding for their own laboratory, the sky was the limit.

She listened to his familiar voice, letting it soothe her as she lay back on her bed. The tension eased out of her muscles. This was why she was marrying Raj: he always calmed her. Given what had happened tonight, should she go back early? She could come back later and complete the rotation or maybe even transfer somewhere else. But then she wouldn’t be able to apply for the funding she needed to start the lab. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Raj was talking about a new computer system her father wanted to invest in. Her thoughts went back to the barbecue. Jake had been right about it bringing the town together, and he’d been nice enough to let her host the party at his ranch. And even though she hadn’t wanted him to, he’d been generous to offer up all that meat. She would pay him for it, of course. Jake! Why did he infuriate her so much? And yet, she couldn’t hold on to her anger. No matter how wrong he was, Jake was well-intentioned. She thought back to a few nights ago when he’d made her a grilled cheese. Despite disagreeing with her about being a vegetarian, he respected her choice.

So why had he brought out the meat today? She thought about the way the town had reacted to her tofu dogs. Obviously, Jake knew the folks of Bellhaven better than she did. Maybe she had pushed too hard? She should go back; it was rude to leave her own party and perhaps a little grumpy. After all, the band would be there soon... Surely, there was a way to salvage the evening? The original purpose of the barbecue was to convince the townspeople she meant well; maybe she could still make that happen.

She interrupted Raj. “Listen, I’m rather in the middle of something right now—do you mind if I ring you later?”

He paused. “Well, I suppose that would be all right, although now is the best time for me.”

“Sorry, but I really need to go.”

“Meera...”

She stabbed the end button and immediately regretted it. Raj hadn’t done anything wrong. Oh, well, she’d explain it to him later.

She walked back to the barbecue and saw the band setting up. People were sitting down and eating, and loud conversations drifted to her ears. There was general merriment in the air. It was exactly as she planned it, except it wasn’t. Jake had done this.

She wrinkled her nose as she approached the grill. Jake was placing fat, bloody pieces of meat above the coals. Bile rose in her throat, and she clutched her stomach, resisting the urge to throw up.

He held out a plate to her and she stared at him in horror.

“Relax. I saved you a tofu burger before I put the meat on.”

She smiled gratefully and took the plate. There was the sweetness again, the way he thought about her needs. Not many men would be that considerate.

“Who are they?” Jake pointed at the band.

“Don’t worry, I thought the meatless meal would be enough of an experiment. The band is from Richmond—they do country music. The online reviews said they’re quite good.”

He smiled mischievously. “Well, then, you’ll have to save a dance for me.”

A shiver ran down her spine. She looked down shyly. “I don’t dance very well.”

He leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.” His breath warmed her ear.