Porch lights: a novel by Dorothea Benton Frank

Summer, the smell of pluff mud on Sullivan Island in the Carolinas.
Jackie and her 10 year old son Charlie are devastated when their Husband and Father , a fireman with the NYFD is killed in the line of duty.   They spend the summer with Annie Britt, the family matriarch in her home on Sullivan Island .   A lovely story of family love, healing and the special charm of Sullivan Island.
I've read quite a few books by Dorothea Benton Frank, and loved them all.
Try them!