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.
The last thing Claire Murphy wants is a man in her life. Things work best with just her and her son, Grey, a solid team of two. Yes, some days are chaotic, but she's confident Grey doesn't know why she needs that chaos—until he brings home the local café owner, Lucas Williams, to help. How could Grey? Having someone as good-looking as Lucas around doesn't feel right. Or does it? It turns out there's more to Lucas than the ability to brew a great cup of coffee. And sure, she knows she's benefiting from his knowledge about recovering from trauma. But she also knows that she's falling for Lucas and she's not sure she's ready for that!
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