After wandering aimlessly for years through the South Seas, tanned, athletic, and wealthy Kate Brighton returns home on a sailboat bound for Seattle. When The Lavender Loafer docks briefly in Sequim, Washington, Kate recalls that she has an old friend living there. Deciding to explore, she strides across the small Olympic Peninsula town, pausing for breakfast at a rustic coffee shop called The Little Red Barn. Angie, her curvaceous server, sports a long auburn braid and shining, dark brown eyes. Feeling a familiar tingle of desire, Kate considers checking out this stunning young barista, hoping she is a lesbian. First Kate must look up her friend, Marianne, a Cornell University grad student when undergrad Kate was swimming competitively. Soon Kate discovers that things have changed radically: while she has been wandering the globe having fun, Marianne has survived an auto-accident and is confined to a wheelchair. Her caring partner, Jake Summers, crafts furniture and art objects while watching out for Marianne. Impulsively, Kate decides to stay in Sequim for a while. She returns to the coffee bar; Angie seems very happy to see her. Kate shortly learns that the barista is a lesbian but has two young children. Having limited experience with kids, Kate wonders how to woo this charming woman. And despite their admittedly mutual attraction, the two are very different: Angie has dreams but can barely feed her family, and Kate, while having deep pockets, has avoided responsibilities and commitments.