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

“Jack seems to hate everything I make. He has no problem letting me know that too. I have cleaned more messes off his bedroom wall than I care to count. I’m thinking maybe I’m just a bad cook.”


She let out a little snort that sounded to me like a cross between a hiccup of laughter and a sob.


“My husband didn’t stick around for it, that’s for damn sure.” Again with the laugh that sounded like a sob…


“Anyway, now that I’ve good and properly scared you away, I’ll give you the chance to make a graceful exit, Beau. You go ahead and just say ‘Thanks but no thanks’ and be on your way. I’ll bear no grudge. No hard feelings.”


Chapter 20