Savannah Smith is back in the little beach town of Port Island to finalize her divorce, sell her grandmother’s beach house and say goodbye to childhood memories. She’s not in Port Island to fall in love. She and Nicholas Jackson, the boy next door, did that long ago when they were kids. They weren’t supposed to. “Jacksons and Smiths don’t mix, never have, never will,” Savannah’s grandmother Grace told her. “Stay away from that girl,” Nicholas’ grandfather Henry warned. Grace Smith, widow, stayed on her side of the azaleas and her neighbor Henry Jackson, widower, stayed on his side. Now, Savannah is a school teacher and Nicholas a handyman, something neither dreamed all those summers ago when they would slip away from their grandparents to be together. It’s all still here and waiting for Savannah and Nicholas, the moonlit beach, the mimosa tree, and something they can only find with each other, the sound of heartbeats. War, a terrible accident, and years of pain find their way into the sunshine as Savannah and Nicholas unravel the mystery of why those who kept them apart as children are now bringing them together. “A life was lost, a life was saved, love was lost and love found.” A beautiful story of life and love, that will make you stop and listen to the sound of heartbeats.
