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

In spite of the metaphor being a little labored (a little?), the ad made me laugh. And the best part was they were asking only $300 a month, including cable and electric. I had enough in the bank that I could live for quite a while without working, if I chose not to.


More on that, and more on Craigslist, later.


The ad had been posted six days prior to my seeing it, so I figured it would probably be gone. But I called the number anyway and was surprised when a woman with a southern accent answered on the second ring. Her voice fairly dripped with honey, and I wondered if I had been magically transported to Alabama rather than northwest Ohio.


“I’m calling about your FROG,” I said, expecting her to laugh.


“Well, thank goodness! I was beginning to think no one would ever kiss my FROG.”


“I don’t know about kissing it, but I would like to take a look at it.”


Chapter 15