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

He stepped inside, and Ruth, toenails clattering on the hardwood, rushed over to greet him. She jumped up, and I was shocked to see the little dog, weighing only about twenty pounds, nearly knocked him over.


“Ruth! Get down!” I shouted, and she complied. She went over to the couch and hopped up on it, where she glared at me. I didn’t yell at her often.


“Ruth? What kind of a name is that for a dog?”


Dad chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth? If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was the ugliest cat I’d ever laid eyes on.” He laughed at his own joke and then thrust the bag into my hands. “Here. I brought beer.”


I moved toward the kitchen area. “Glass?”


“When did I ever use a glass? Just pop the can open, for Christ’s sake.”


Chapter 36