Courtney looked up from her sweeping to Rachel, who was wiping the counter at the grill. The usual lunch crew had finally left, their busiest part of the day was over, and now they were alone in the store.“You know you can ask me anything, sweetie,” Courtney said, smiling at her.“Are you in love with my dad?”Hmm, except maybe that. “Why?”“Still hoping, I guess,” Rachel said with a sigh. “And Dad does have coffee with you when we don’t have guests. I was hoping that meant you both had finally figured out that you’re perfect for each other.”Rachel went back to wiping the counter.Courtney continued sweeping.Graham had been stopping by for coffee whenever he could, and though Courtney looked forward to those small slices of time she had with him, he hadn’t offered her anything more. Nor had he shown up at the Friday night gatherings, even though they were a huge success.It was the middle of July, and time was running out fast. Each day that passed led Courtney steadily toward accepting the fact that Graham never would change his mind about letting himself love anyone again.That meant she had to get serious about what she wanted to do.
