How to reply when she says she'd like to get coffee sometime but nothing firm

The part of her message that matters most is probably 'things are kind of crazy this month', not the coffee line. People who are overloaded still say yes to things. What they cannot manage is open-ended scheduling. So the honest read is that she wants to meet but cannot see her calendar clearly right now. She is handing you the planning because she has no room to do it herself.

That means a vague reply, however warm, does not help her. Her message already says she is short on time. Answering with more openness just gives her more to think about. The useful reading is that she needs you to narrow the field. A specific offer with two options and a short window fits that need. It also tells you something useful: if she still will not pick anything after you make it easy, the interest was lighter than it sounded.

Reply that shows you heard the offer and then does the planning for her. One kind names a short window, like a weekday morning or an early evening next week, and gives her two concrete times to choose from. This works because she only has to reply with a word. Another kind keeps the tone light and mentions the busy month directly, saying you know it is hectic and offering something short and easy. This fits when you want to lower the stakes for her.

What both kinds leave out is any heavy request, any reference to how you feel about her, and any question that asks her to design the plan. A draft is the right kind when it contains a choice, a short time frame, and a low-effort venue. If it asks her to decide what the week looks like, it has gone wrong. Keep the venue close to where you both are, and keep the duration short enough that it feels like a small thing.

Send your reply in the same part of the day she messaged, not at midnight, and not so fast that it looks eager. If she answers with a time, confirm the place and stop there. If she replies warmly but does not pick, let it sit for a full day before following up once. That follow-up should be a single line that names the same two options again or offers one new one, without apologizing for asking.

If she still does not commit after one follow-up, let the thread rest. Do not send a third message to check whether she is still interested. Two clear offers with no uptake is a clear answer about her availability right now. You can keep chatting if the conversation is good, but stop trying to turn it into a meetup. If she brings up coffee again later, you can make the offer again then, once, with fresh times.