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This installment is 475 words.

McKeller Flash Fiction:

A Close One

Part 3

A light dusting of snow had blanketed the yard by the time Rodney caught up with Jennifer. The couple greeted one another with a kiss, and Molly the golden retriever barked her approval.

Rodney patted the canine's head. "I take it she's over her jealousy?"

"We've reached a compromise." Jennifer nodded. "I get you during the week, she has weekends, and we alternate holidays."

Interlacing his fingers with hers, Rodney joined the ladies on their walk around the yard. A sociable silence fell over the group. Even Molly kept quiet save for the occasional whine when she thought she spotted a squirrel. When the suspense became unbearable, Jennifer asked, "How did it go?"

Rodney released a breath, which the cool air condensed into a visible plume. "Surprisingly well. Your dad just wanted to make sure my intentions were honorable."

Jennifer nudged him. "Are they?"

He raised their clasped hands to his lips. "I think you know the answer to that."

Normally such a comment would have made her blush, but the cold had already pinkened her nose and cheeks. "Maybe we ought to go inside," Rodney suggested.

"Not yet. We're almost there."

Jennifer guided him toward the edge of the property. There, stood a large maple tree with a misshapen heart carved into the trunk. Upon closer inspection Rodney spotted two pairs of initials within: JK and PM.

"Patrick Moon," Jennifer explained. "My first boyfriend. We were eight when we carved this. Mom was furious we'd defaced one of her prized maples."

The memory brought a dreamy smile to her face. Rodney couldn't help but smile too.

"Mom grounded me for a week. It seemed like an eternity back then." Handing over Molly's leash, she walked forward to caress the heart. Rodney felt an irrational stab of jealousy for eight-year-old Patrick.

"I wish you could have known her," Jennifer said. "She'd have loved you...almost as much as I do."

Yet another reason to be jealous of Patrick Moon—he'd had the privilege of knowing Misses Keller in the flesh, while Rodney had to make do with the myriad photos decorating the walls of the family home.

"Probably," Rodney said. "Keller women do find me irresistible."

Jennifer chuckled. "You and Mom had a lot in common. She ran jokes into the ground too."

Rodney pretended to be hurt, and Jennifer pretended to ignore him. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a folding knife. "This was Mom's. Patrick and I borrowed it to carve our declaration. Why don't you correct it?"

Exchanging Molly's leash for the knife, a grinning Rodney positioned the blade on the scarred gray bark of the maple and gouged a single slanted line just beneath the bowl of the P. Closing the knife, he stood back to survey his handiwork.

The inscription now read, "JK + RM".

"Perfect," Jennifer declared. Molly barked her agreement.

End