Ciara Jenkins has been disappointed in love many times. At forty-five, she is preoccupied with the rearing of her grandson, Cody, and when she least expects it, handsome Ray Brenna enters her life. Ciara once worked in a downtown office building, where she walked past several plainclothes cops having breakfast each morning in the first-floor restaurant. She exchanged friendly glances with one of the policemen, but they never met.Six years later, when Ciara takes refuge from a rainstorm in a coffee shop, the same policeman happens to be there with another group of officers. He approaches Ciara and, following a reminder of where they'd seen each other and with an obvious mutual attraction, they make a date for breakfast the following morning. From there, they begin a spring romance that extends into summer and, Ciara hopes, forever. Ray, at forty-nine, is a bachelor and, feeling that marriages never work, has spent his adult life avoiding serious involvements and playing the field. His dilemma is that, while he prefers to remain emotionally detached, he finds himself falling in love with Ciara, becoming attached to Cody and, “even the damn cat,” he laments to his African American partner and best friend, Chuck Dempsey. Chuck can see that Ray’s love for Ciara is growing and suggests that he stop kidding himself and follow his heart. Ciara is aware of Ray’s aversion to commitments. While she basks in the attention she receives from him, she worries that each encounter will be their last and that he, like so many others, is interested in just a passing fling. She, too, has a supportive confidante, her neighbor and best friend, Meryl Rogers. While possibly mistaken for a floozy with her small stature, big hair, and brassy demeanor, Meryl is perceptive and caring. Between puffs of an ever-present cigarette, she delivers advice, humorous but sage, as Ciara shares every nuance of her relationship with Ray. It is Meryl who insists that Ciara get things settled with him. Ciara fears that an ultimatum will send Ray packing, while Ray fears that a commitment to forever will result in heartache for them both. In order to find happiness, they must put their fears aside.
