Personal chef Beau St. Clair, recently divorced from his cheating husband, returns to the small Ohio River town where he grew up to lick his wounds. Jack Rogers lives with his mother, Maisie, in that same small town, angry at and frightened by the world. Jack has a gap in his memory that hides something he dares not face, and he’s probably suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Maisie, seeking relief from her housebound and often surly son, hires Beau to cook for Jack, hoping the change might help bring Jack, once a handsome and vibrant attorney, back to his former self. But can a new face and comfort food compensate for the terror lurking in Jack’s past? Slowly the two men begin a dance of revelation and healing. Food and compassion build a bridge between Beau and Jack, a bridge that might lead to love. But will Jack’s demons allow it? His history could just as easily tear them apart as bring them together.

Dinner at Jack's

Anyway—I’m getting there! I’m getting there!—I pasted the following onto Ana’s page:


Saw your ad and liked what I saw! Handsome, in-shape, masculine guy. Need to be on the down low, and encounters must be discreet! Already have a husband, so this would be strictly a sexual arrangement: FWB. Get back to me and let’s make this happen!


Well, the first thing I was glad about was that I did not post this on Ana’s page in lieu of a birthday greeting. The poor dear, a sixtysomething living in the northern Seattle suburb of Everett and whom I knew through my volunteer work at a local soup kitchen, might have had a coronary on the spot, and her Facebook friends, seeing the greeting, would have had something to talk about for weeks to come.


The reason the first thing I thought about was Ana and this snafu was because I was in shock. I think my brain knew immediately what had happened, but my heart wasn’t ready to accept it.


Chapter 3