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

It seemed important to Jack to remember Beau. There was something they’d shared. Once upon a time.


And his memory did begin to cooperate. In a way.


Jack allowed his mind to drift a bit, to free associate.


And he saw himself in his old apartment in Belltown. He’d been so proud of that place when he first signed the lease! It was tiny, little more than a studio really, but brand new with quartz counters, cork flooring, subway tile in the bathroom, and—best of all—a view of the Space Needle from his floor-to-ceiling windows. He smiled a little as he recalled the view at night and how the towers of the city lit up, sparkling, magical.


It had been his first home as an adult.


He could see himself there now, in the bathroom, lathering up as he stood under a hot spray from the rain showerhead. He’d been getting ready for a date, but not just any date. This would be with someone special.


Chapter 59