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 stepped back and down the bank, closer to the river. There were shrubs there that would, he hoped, conceal him. Wordlessly, he watched as Beau leashed the little dog, and together the two of them navigated the stairs that must lead to a garage apartment.


Beau wore a dark blue rain slicker. Unlike Jack, he’d also donned a pair of gloves and a black knit stocking cap. Even from where Jack stood, he could see Beau’s face, ruddy from the wind and freezing rain.


He stayed as still as he could as he watched the man and the dog walk into the yard. The dog sniffed around and finally squatted, then looked up at her master as though to say “I’m done. Let’s get out of this rain.” The thought brought a smile to Jack’s face. The expression was so rare that he reached up to feel it with his fingers.


Chapter 53