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 shook my head…again. I dished out my stew and set it on the counter. Steam rose up.


Ruth appeared next to me, brown eyes cast upward, imploring. “You know, a good dog owner would share some of that. Us dogs, mostly, are carnivores.”


“That’s not true, Ruth. You know you’ll eat anything.”


I picked up Ruth’s bowl from the floor and pulled out a few pieces of the stew meat, which was so tender it nearly crumbled in my fingers. I set it before her. “Enjoy.”


“Thanks,” she grunted before tucking in.


I grabbed my own bowl and a spoon and went to the couch to sit down and eat. It had started snowing again outside, hard, and I tried to let the view soothe me as it had before.


It was a losing battle. 11: Glazed Pork Chops and Smashed Potatoes


Chapter 35