Alyssa placed her hand on Holly’s cheek and forced her daughter to look at her. ‘It’s okay, sweetie. You’re worried about Jersey. I know where your heart is.’ Since it had been just last month when Isaac was kidnapped, it was still a fresh wound, and Jersey’s disappearance only aggravated it.

Holly’s shoulders sagged. ‘God, Mom, how do you do this day in and day out? I mean, you’re always searching for someone. It’s your job.’

‘Because I will always try to help families have a happier ending than my family did.’

Minutes ticked by as the four of them sat around the table, each lost in her own thoughts. The weight of silence lifted as soon as Isaac slid into the kitchen, drawing up short when he realized his sister’s friends were still there. His eyes darted around the room, landing first on Holly, then his mom, the refrigerator, and back to Holly.

‘Still nothing on Jersey, huh?’

Though his voice was steady, Alyssa recognized the spark of fear as he recalled his own experience. To keep herself from standing and wrapping him in a hug, her hands moved from the table to grip the sides of her chair.

‘Still nothing.’

Isaac rubbed at his neck and bounced on the balls of his feet. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. Instead, he grabbed a drink from the fridge, and after guzzling half the bottle he wiped his mouth and turned to his mom. ‘Hey, if you have a second when you’re done here, I need to talk to you and Dad about something.’ His eyes fell on Sophie and Leigh Ann, his forehead creased. ‘If that’s okay.’

‘Alright. I’ll knock on your door in a bit.’ In the back of her mind, she wondered if it had anything to do with seeing his therapist this afternoon. Brock had taken him this time, and even though it was only Isaac’s fourth visit, to her relief, they seemed to be helping. He no longer left his bedroom door ajar, but she knew he still slept with his bathroom light on. Baby steps, perhaps, but at least they were steps forward and not back.

Before heading back upstairs, Isaac snagged a strawberry Pop-Tart, which caused his sister’s mouth to drop open. ‘Where does he put it all? He has to have a hollow leg. I mean, he had three plates of fettuccini alfredo at dinner,’ she muttered.

‘I’m a growing boy,’ he yelled over his shoulder.

Both Holly and Sophie watched as Isaac disappeared around the corner, their eyes lighting with love and concern for the teenager they both called ‘little brother.’ Leigh Ann hadn’t known him for as long, so she didn’t have the same relationship with him that Sophie did.

Once Isaac’s bedroom door closed, another round of silence fell on the kitchen. Sophie was the first to break it. Voice cracking, she asked what all of them had to be thinking. ‘What if something bad has happened to her? I’ll never forgive myself.’ A single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed on the table, darkening the light wood.