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

At last I stood. We both collapsed on the bed. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight, and was relieved when he curled up against my side and allowed his head to rest on my chest.


“Don’t ever say that,” I whispered, stroking his hair.


“What do you mean?” His words tickled the side of my neck. I pulled the blankets up over us.


“That you’re ugly or somehow not worthy. That’s bullshit. You’re a beautiful man. You were when I met you. You are now.” I bit my lip, wanting to heap more praise on him, wanting to go overboard in letting him know he was valued. That there was the great potential for love here. But it all seemed too much. Too soon.


There would be time for us to grow, I prayed silently. So I simply said, “Let’s sleep now.”


Chapter 83