Quiet and imaginative, Derek O'Reilly spends a lot of time watching a movie in his head. His fiancé Nathan wonders why Derek hasn't taken any interest in their wedding planning, and Aunt Fran -- his spiritual guru -- would like to know when her guilt-tripping nephew became a kept boy. When she drops Derek's childhood journal on his lap, he's forced to remember the name he's been trying to forget since he was twelve years old. Nicolai Lund. Nick was Derek's neighbor ... and first love. Weeks before Derek's engagement party, a chance meeting with Nick catapults Derek into the past. But Nick isn't that seventeen-year-old rebel anymore. He's a man hardened by invisible scars. A man struggling with grief. As Derek reads through his childhood diary, he realizes what Nick was to him, still is today, and yet might be ... NOTE: This edition has been expanded and substantially edited.

Split

Soups: Porcini Consommé. Svalbard Beet Soup. Scandinavian pea soup.


Salads: Fresh Asparagus and Cucumber Salad. Beet and orange salad. Danish potato salad.


Main dishes: Vodka-Marinated Sirloin served with Potato Gratin with Parsnip and Rutabaga. Gravlaks andMustard sauce. Creamy rice with parsnip puree and root vegetables. Orange chicken served with Pasta, green vegetables and herbs.


Desserts: Veiled Farm Girls. Apple Ice Cream with Rosemary and Honey. Cream Cake with Berries.


After we’d ordered, I fiddled with the cutlery and Boone laughed, shaking his head at me. “You’re dying to go in there and have a look-see, aren’t you?”


“Go head, Red. But I bet it’s pretty intense in there right now.”


I slipped out of my seat and wiped my hands down my thighs. “Be right back…”


But as I came up to the kitchen door, a waiter intercepted me. “Can’t go in there.”


Chapter 80