“Taryn, my car won’t start.” Cory breathed on his hands to warm them up. “Oh, and do you have any rock salt for the sidewalk? It’s really icy out there.”

I put my heavy coat and gloves on and grabbed the bag of rock salt from the office.

“Whoa!” I shouted as I slipped on the ice outside my door. Cory caught me before I hit the ground.

“Careful!” he reminded me.

“Damn! It’s like an ice rink out here.” I stuck a plastic cup inside the bag and tossed salt all over my portion of the sidewalk.

“Told you!” Cory teased. “You think you can give me a ride home?”

“Cory, I can’t drive in this. It’s too dangerous.” I could barely stand without slipping. “Why don’t you just crash here tonight,” I suggested. “You can stay in the guest room.”

“Hey, if you don’t mind. Classes are going to be cancelled tomorrow anyway,” Cory said, sprinkling more salt near the curb. “I wonder if Mario’s Pizza is still open?”

I tried to walk back to the bag of salt to refill my cup but I couldn’t get a footing on the patch of ice I was standing on.

“Help!” I whimpered. “I’m stuck here. I can’t move!”

Cory laughed at me. “What? Can’t you ice skate?”

“Not in duck boots!” I laughed.

“Here. Take my hand. I’ll pull you to safety.” Cory slid me across the ice. I laughed out loud because it was actually a lot of fun.

“You need to buy boots with traction,” Cory informed. “Those things have no bite.”

I started slipping again so I grabbed his arm.

“Come on… I’ll tow you over to the door before you fall and break an ass cheek out here!”

“Very funny. Can you even break an ass cheek?” I asked.

“You want to find out?” he jeered.

“No! Just help me to the door before I do though.”

Cory laughed. “Even if you could drive me home, I’m picturing you stranded out here on the sidewalk all night. You’ll be a frozen Popsicle by morning.”

“Shut it or no slumber party tonight! I was going to make popcorn.”

“This is going to be so much fun!” Cory used a feminine voice. “We can stay up all night and paint our nails and talk about boys!”

The next morning the sun was bright and warm, melting some of the ice.

“Careful Taryn,” Cory warned. “It’s still icy in some spots.” He held out his hand to me.

Cory and I made it twenty feet down the sidewalk before three paparazzi descended on us.

“Who’s the new guy, Taryn?” one pesky photographer asked. “Is this your new boyfriend?”

“No, absolutely not,” I answered directly back to the paparazzi. My reply to that asinine question was now captured digitally.

“Why the hell do they keep taking our picture?” Cory muttered to me under his breath. We were tucked beneath the hood of my car trying to jumpstart his truck with my Infiniti.

“They’re taking my picture,” I quietly informed him.

“Go sit inside your car,” he groaned softly, trying to be stealthy with his comment. “This is ridiculous! Does Ryan go through this all the time?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Poor guy,” Cory whispered. “This shit would drive me nuts.”

“Okay, guys.” I held up my hand to tell the photographers that I had enough. “Friend… ice storm… dead battery… you get the point, right?”

I saw the old, Italian photographer shuffling along the sidewalk, trying to catch up to the other vultures.

“Jimmy Pop, be careful! It’s really icy there. If you fall, you’re really going to hurt yourself,” I warned.

“You need help, Miss Taryn?” Jimmy asked me. His camera was slung over his shoulder instead of taking my photo. He was sincerely concerned.

“No thank you, Jimmy. Cory’s battery is dead,” I nicely replied. “I think we have it under control.”

“Okay. How’s Mister Ryan?” Jimmy’s wrinkled face curled with his question.

“He’s good, Jimmy.” I smiled. “He is nice and warm in Florida. How are you?”

“Oh my hands hurt,” he moaned. “I guess you can’t tell me when Mister Ryan is coming back? This cold…” Jimmy shivered and tossed his lit cigarette into the street.

“Jimmy,” I whined lightly, “you know I can’t say.”