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

“Where will Ruth sleep?” I asked my sister. “Is it okay if she’s in here with me?”


Mary Beth let loose a short titter and then shook her head. She scratched at an eyebrow. “Ruth, huh. Does this mean you’ve turned? Playing for the other team now, are we?”


I glanced down sheepishly at the thick-pile beige carpeting and then looked back up at my sister. “What can I say? Sometimes you fall in love and gender just doesn’t matter.”


“Really?” Mary Beth, for once, was speechless.


I headed back outside, thinking I really should have kept in better touch with my family.


Mary Beth stood at the front door, arms crossed, waiting. I opened the car door, and Ruth immediately hopped out. She took a quick look around, circled, then deposited a large pile on my sister’s front lawn.


Chapter 10