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Elizabeth "Betts" McGee loved those lazy afternoons on pristine Bulls Island in the Carolina Lowcountry. But everything came crashing down when tragic fate—coupled with nasty rumor and innuendo—ended her engagement to Charleston golden boy J.D. Langley of the fabulously wealthy (and fabulously snooty) Langley clan. Betts left soon after, and she hasn't been back in nearly twenty years.

Successfully reinventing herself in New York City, Betts is now a top banking executive and heading up the most important project of her career, but it'll transform the untouched island she loved in her youth into something unrecognizable. And it's forcing her to return to the bosom of her estranged family, where she may not be welcomed with open arms. Worse still, it's uniting her with ex-flame J.D., who's changed . . . but perhaps not enough.

And then there's that crazy alligator . . .

2. The author named the main character Betts, "because she never backed away from a dare." Does the character fit her name?

3. Do you agree with their McGee family's anger at J.D. after Adrianna's death?

4. How have secrets shaped lives of Betts, J.D., Adrian, Betts's sister, Joanie, and Louisa?

5. One of the main themes is the notion of going home—the return of the prodigal child. Can we ever truly go back home? How do experiences outside of the home shape how we look at the place we grew up?

6. According to Betts, everyone looks at the world from their own point of view. How does the world look to J.D.? Betts? Sela? Joanie? Lousia? Valerie? How does their world look to you?

7. Betts is a woman with very discriminating, high-end tastes. Why would a woman like her get involved with a guy like Vinnie? Would it have happened if she wasn't in a state of near crisis?

8. Betts's boss tells her that Integrity is the stuff that makes and breaks lives. What do you think about this statement? What does integrity mean to you? Have any of the characters in the story behaved with integrity? Can integrity be regained once it's lost?

9. By keeping the secret of his birth from her son—and nearly everyone else—isn't Betts acting as manipulatively as Louisa?

10. "Love can work miracles." Do you agree? Are there instances in the book that support this?

11. J.D.'s maternal grandfather always told him: The pursuit of happiness is for the poor people. Do you agree with this? How is it true? How is it false?

12. The novel is told from two viewpoints. What insights does this format offer into each character? How do the stories overlap and how do they differ?

13. What role do the ideas of preservations and conservation play in the story?

• January 2012 Indie Next List
• December 2011 Indie Next List
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