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

I checked the pantry, found a can of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes—they were even fire-roasted!—and a jar of pesto sauce. There was also the ubiquitous green can of “grated cheese” that again I would have normally shuddered at, but hey, desperate times…


I found a few other things I would need among the stuff in the fridge, freezer, and pantry and pulled them out. I looked at the ingredients on the counter and knew what I would make with them, titled on the fly, Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Minestrone.


I found a cutting board and lined my ingredients up in front of it. The knives my sister owned were dull and cheap but would have to do, at least until I could unpack. I unearthed a Dutch oven from a cupboard near the floor and set it on the stove, then drizzled a little canola oil in it, and added a pat of butter. I’d need to buy sis some olive oil if we were to get along.


Chapter 11