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

And there, standing in a shaft of light, was Beau. Snow fell softly all around him.


What the hell? Jack walked, numb, back to his bed and crawled into it, then pulled the covers up to his neck.


He grabbed the remote from the nightstand and switched the TV on, turning the volume down to just barely audible. An infomercial about some sort of slow-cooker contraption was playing. Jack sighed and settled in to watch. 15: Daisy Reveals a Hidden Asset


I was lugging in groceries with Ruth dancing around my ankles, trying her best to trip me, when Daisy emerged from what I had started to call the “big house.”


“You want some help with those?” She bounded off the porch, black hair flying behind her, wearing only a pair of jeans, a black sweater, and a pashmina.


“That would be great.” Both arms laden down with reusable shopping bags, I gestured toward the open hatch of the car. “If you’d just get the paper towels and that one bag, you’d save Ruth and me here a trip.”


Chapter 50