Claire Murphy lives in Atlanta with her ten year old son Grey. She gets out of the house every minute she can and works with her laptop from a nearby coffee shop. This is less reasonable than it appears because Claire is also getting breakfast on the move, making Grey do his homework in parks, going to soccer and rock climbing with him. Poor Claire is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a legacy of a break-in and rape by a neighbour.

The man serving ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING is Lucas, a former Marine EMT, who recognises that the young women is more nervous than she should be and lacks sleep. He gradually gets to know her and helps Grey buy an espresso machine gradually, though he does consider that this is not a wise choice for Claire. But Grey just wants a normal life again.

The struggle for Claire to get over her flashbacks and help Grey have friends, maybe through a Big Brother program, is seriously portrayed. Without counseling her life becomes steadily less manageable and Lucas, starting a relationship with her, tries to help her but is aware that he might be the one getting hurt. Grey meanwhile feels rejected and prefers to spend time with the families of relatives, rather than with a mother having panic attacks if the house is too quiet. Through patient love and care Lucas helps set Claire on the road to recovery.

This would interest anyone taking courses as a counselor or who has had someone in their lives with a mental health issue such as PTSD. While only one person is ill the whole family is affected and an unfair burden is placed on a growing child. ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING is well written but not the most cheerful.