<p> Beloved <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to the enchanted landscape of South Carolina's Lowcountry to tell the story of the next generation of Hamiltons and Hayeses. </p> <p> Newly graduated from college, Beth Hayes must put all her grand ambitions on hold when the family elders elect her to house-sit the Island Gamble, ghosts and all. Instead of conquering new worlds, Beth will rest and rejuvenate while basking in memory and the magic of white clapboards and shimmering blue waters. But there is much about life and her family's past that she does not yet understand?and her simple plans begin unraveling with the intrusion of developer Max Mitchell. Still, everything here happens for a reason?and disappointment, betrayal, even tragedy are more easily handled when surrounded by loving family and loyal friends. </p>