Cy drove around the residential development in search of his brother. When he saw no signs of Jeff, he drove into the surrounding neighborhood. No one was on the sidewalks at this time of night.

Icy rain fell to land on his windshield. He turned on the wipers and the defroster. If Jeff was running around somewhere in this kind of weather, he needed to find him very soon.

He pulled into the parking lot of a shopping center about half a mile from the residential areas. The shopping center was still in the process of construction, with only a drugstore, a smoothie place, and a bar and grill restaurant. He went into the drugstore first and spoke to the woman behind the counter. “I’m looking for my teenage brother. He’s fifteen, brown hair, about five nine.” He showed her a picture on his cellphone of him and his brother that was taken last Thanksgiving.

The woman squinted at the photo. “There was a young man here about an hour ago who looked like him. He tried to buy a soda and pack of cigarettes. He left the store when I asked to see his ID.”

Cy shook his head. “Do you know where he went or what direction he was headed to?”

“No. There were customers behind him. Sorry.”

He thanked her and left the store. He went into the smoothie place. Two tables were inside but no one else was there except for the employees. They mopped down the counters and floor. The guy behind the counter gave a nod. “What can I get for you? We’re just about to close.”

Cy posed the same question to them and showed them the picture of Jeff. They said they didn’t see him, so he moved on. Only one more place to go in the shopping center, and that was the bar and grill. Outside of the shopping center, there wasn’t another business or residential area for the next eight miles. He shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his face down to prevent the freezing rain from taking little stabs at his eyes. This winter weather was too much for Georgia. No one, including his teenage brother, should be out walking in it.

The bar and grill was warm from the heating system and the extra help from the open grill and pizza oven in the back. Cy scoped the area, his eyes roving past people bundled up in sweaters at the bar with their beers and chardonnay, watching the football game on the overhead TVs. He kept looking around until he saw a familiar figure in a booth in a darkened corner of the restaurant.

“Sir, how many?” A host came to the front of the bar and grill in order to find him a seat.

“Two, but I found him in that corner over there. Excuse me.” He walked past the host and the people at the bar to get to the booth with his little brother.

Jeff sat in his little corner nursing a half full glass of what looked to be orange soda and a basket of fries drenched in ketchup. His eyes got as round as the glass and he looked like he was going to pop out of his seat when he saw Cy. Then, he shifted and settled down in a visible attempt to play it cool.

“There are seats at the bar. I’m surprised you didn’t grab one of those and try to order a beer.” Cy slid into the booth across from him. “Or maybe you gave up after you couldn’t buy cigarettes from the drugstore.”

“Let me guess. Mom freaked out and called you.”

“Watch how you talk about her. She’s worried sick, wondering where you are right now.”

Jeff looked away from him. He folded his arms across his chest. “If she cared about me, she wouldn’t have grounded me for two months.”

Cy wished his mother grounded Jeff for twenty-two months, but then his brother may have tried to run to Canada instead of just up the road. “What do you think you’re doing? First, you get into a fight with another kid and get suspended from school. Then, you run away from home. Wanna talk to me about what’s going on?”

“If Mom sent you looking for me to give me one of your drill sergeant pep talks, just go away.”

“Maybe a drill sergeant is what you need to get straightened out.”

“I’m not going into the military. That was your thing. Mom and Dad talk about how proud they are of you and blah blah blah.”

“Is that why you’re angry? You think they’re comparing us?”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “No.”

“Then tell me, Jeff. I want to know what’s going on. Why are you getting into fights and running away from home?”

His brother unfolded his arms. “Mom and Dad went to all your games when you were in school. They didn’t breathe down your neck twenty-four seven and get on your case if you did one little thing wrong. They can’t come to my games or anything, but they treat me like a criminal.” He waved his hand as though swatting a fly. “Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re about to say. I would be a criminal if I bought those cigarettes and got away with it.”

“Actually, I was going to say that our parents’ divorce has been really hard on everyone.”

“Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock.”

First Shakespeare. Now he was Sherlock. He was raking in the literary nicknames these days. “I know it’s been tough for you to deal with because you’re the only kid in the house. You feel like you have to deal with everything by yourself. That’s not true, Jeff.”

“Why isn’t it true? Dad moved into an apartment. Mom moved into a new house. She works all day so she doesn’t have to talk to anybody about why she and Dad split up. And you got your big mega firm security company to keep you busy.”

“We’re all working hard. It doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about you or don’t care about you.”

“Everyone cares when I get into trouble. That’s about it.”

Cy began to see how his brother was crying out for attention in the wrong way. “I’ll admit, Mom, Dad, and I can all do better. What you did today to get attention isn’t the answer.”

His brother flicked his napkin to the side of the table. He was still listening because he peeked at Cy from the corner of his eye.

“I’ll speak to Mom. Just get in the car and come back with me.”

“So I can watch her jump up and down because her favorite son saved the day?”

“If you heard her crying on the phone when she called me and saw her face when I came to the house, you wouldn’t say that.”

Jeff put his head down in remorse. “I just want everything to go back to the way it was.”

Cy felt a pull in his gut. “I’m sorry. It’s not going to happen. It doesn’t mean we can’t still be a family and move forward.”

“How?”

He didn’t have a quick answer. “You love Mom?”

He looked away again, yet didn’t roll his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Tell her. That’s a start. I think you both need to hear it from each other.”

Jeff played with his straw. “Are you going to tell her about the cigarettes?”

“Yep.”

“Of course you would. Get me grounded another two months.”

“If you tell her yourself, maybe the punishment won’t be as bad.”

His brother finished his soda. “These fries are getting cold, anyway.”

Cy hid his smile as his brother stood up to leave with him. He left a tip on the table for the waiter and headed out the door. Before he reached his car, he remembered he promised to notify his mother and Dahlia when he found Jeff.

He pulled out his phone. Low battery. The phone died as soon as he put in the pass code to unlock it. Just when things were starting to look better.

He exhaled and got in the car. He hoped Dahlia was doing well keeping his mother company. He didn’t even think to ask if his mother remembered her. He hoped they were getting along.

***

DAHLIA GAVE THE HANDHELD mirror to Cy’s mother. “Tell me what you think.”

“Wow you’re right. This plum shadow really does bring out my eyes.”

While she admired her new look, Dahlia went to put her makeup kit and brushes in her bag. In the process, she slipped a peek at her cell phone in case she missed a call or text from Cy. There were no missed calls. She scrolled through her texts to see a weather alert text that called for additional freezing rain that evening. She worried not only for Cy, but his little brother. The road conditions were bad to drive in. To walk could be dangerous.

She glanced out the living room window. She saw Cy’s mother’s reflection in the glass as she looked out, too. Did she have anything else that they could use to keep busy while they waited? Dahlia reached into her purse and rummaged until she found another palette. “I found my highlighter kit if you want to try contouring.”

Lights flashed before a car pulled into the driveway. The light over the garage shined down on a gray BMW. The windows were tinted, but she made out two people in the passenger and driver seats. Excited and relieved at the same time, she quickly turned to Cy’s mother. “They’re back.”

“Cy found Jeff?” She sprang from the couch to go open the door for her sons.

Dahlia watched Cy and his brother step onto the porch. Their mother rushed outside before Jeff could climb the three steps. She was ready to throw her arms around him once he reached the top. He returned her hug.

Dahlia held the door open for them all to come in. Cy gave her an appreciative smile and touched her shoulder as he passed by. She closed the door to the cold  and joined the family in the living room.

“My phone battery died before I could give you a call or text,” Cy said to his mother.

“Jeff, I was so worried about you.” Cy’s mother took her other son’s face in her hands.

“I know, Mom. Sorry. I shouldn’t have run away. It was a dumb thing to do.”

“You bet it was. Don’t ever do it again. You and I have a lot to discuss.” She swiped a glance at Dahlia. “Just not in front of our kind guest.”

Jeff frowned as he looked at his mother. “Are you wearing purple eyeshadow?”

“Yes, do you like? Dahlia was telling me how the color brings out my brown eyes.”

“It looks good on you,” Cy remarked. “Dahlia is an expert at that.”

“Cy, you didn’t tell me your client was a famous makeup artist. She has her own line and everything.”

Dahlia shifted, getting a little uncomfortable. “I’m just getting started.”

“Don’t be modest, sweetie. You wouldn’t have your own line if you didn’t know what you were doing.”

Cy stared out the window. “It looks like the rain is coming down harder. We’d better go, Dahlia.”

She went to his mother. “I’m happy it all worked out. It was nice meeting you tonight.”

To her surprise, the woman gave her a hug. “You and Cy be careful driving into the city.”