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

She shook her head. “Not really.” She paused, and her mouth turned down in a frown. It was clear she was remembering something. “When he first came back, I think he thought things would be different and he would get out…or at least try to.” She took another drag and exhaled the smoke. It was like a fog around her face. “I watched him from the window, several times. He could never cross from the yard to the front sidewalk. I could see him trying, but it was like one of those invisible fences was there.”


“So it’s not the amount of time he’s been gone that has me so worried. It’s just the fact that he isgone.”


“How did you not see him leave?” I added, “I don’t mean that to sound accusatory.”


“I just went to the store. I needed to get some groceries.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I need to stay here to keep an eye on him. As you know, I leave all the time.”


Chapter 54