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

Maybe June knew something Maisie didn’t? She quickly admonished herself for even having the thought. She sighed. “Actually, I was thinking it would be nice to have someone come in a few nights a week and cook supper for Jack. He seems to hate everything I know how to make. Plus the fact that a cook would be a little company for him. I hate leaving him alone to come here.”


“So why don’t you do it?” June asked with the air of someone who lived alone and didn’t think twice about leasing a new car every year.


“Oh, right,” Maisie laughed. “Like I could ever afford something like that.”


“Hey, hon, everything’s negotiable. And it doesn’t cost a cent to place a Craigslist ad.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “How do you think I get half my men?”


Chapter 14