Iris Grant stared at her mother, Millie, from across the small kitchen table. Millie had been sitting there for hours, nursing a cup of coffee and staring off into space. Iris knew what was on her mother's mind, even though they hadn't spoken a word all morning.

Millie had been unlucky in love. Her father had walked out on her when she was young, and every relationship she'd had since then had ended in heartbreak. Iris was tired of seeing her mother suffer, and she wanted to do something about it.

"Mom," Iris said tentatively, breaking the silence. "Is everything okay?"

Millie blinked, her focus shifting to her daughter. "Yeah, honey. Everything's fine."