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

If he dove in, I knew I’d be forced to do the same. The result would be that neither of us came out of the river’s frigid embrace alive. But I couldn’t leave him here.


I said softly, “Jack. Jackson. Can we start again?” They were simple words, but the message they carried conveyed more. Missed opportunities. A willingness to be there.


For a moment I thought the words I spoke didn’t matter. I was terrified he’d continue on his relentless march toward suicide. And I felt helpless.


But he turned back to me. His expression, once confused and vacant, now had some life. I swear there was new light in his eyes. Hope? Or just the slant of the sun? He said, “Why would you want to?”


I didn’t have to think about it. I opened my heart, and the word came. “Potential.”


He cocked his head. I felt my teeth begin to chatter, joining in perfectly with my shivers.


Chapter 76