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

“Yeah.” He swallowed. “Something about it just made me feel a little sick to my stomach.” He shrugged and attempted a smile. I say attempted, because he didn’t quite succeed. “Who knows why.”


Dad and Maisie exchanged worried looks.


I wasn’t sure what to say. It was, to say the least, an odd moment, loaded with meaning that none of us, I reasoned, knew quite how to decipher. “Okay,” I finally said. “I’ll see you next week, Jack. Any requests?”


And with that, he stepped out into the night.


My father then did something unexpected. And it brought tears to my eyes that I struggled to hide. He walked over to me and hugged me. He planted a quick kiss on my cheek.


“Thanks for everything, son,” he said softly in my ear. “You’ve come a long way from burning pancakes.”


Do I need to mention here that hugs were a rare commodity from my father? No, I didn’t think so.


Chapter 70