I dress and then jog to the gym, which is just a few blocks away along a path that runs parallel to the lake. Lake Tahoe—twelve miles wide and twenty-two miles long—is known for its amazing clarity. The surface reflects the color of the sky. It’s ordinarily an intense cobalt blue, but today, under a foamy gray sky, the water looks opaque and gray and choppy. The beach, which was packed with tourists all summer, is empty.

When I get to the gym, I say a quick hello to the employee working the front counter, and then I head back to the spinning room. There’s a stack of newspapers in a rack by the door, but I don’t even think to glance at them. It doesn’t occur to me that my picture might be on the front page.

CHAPTER 6

I STAKE CLAIM to a bike in the back of the room and begin adjusting the seat and pedals. A minute later, a pretty young woman comes in and chooses the bike next to mine. She smiles at me, and I smile back—a shared smile, like yesterday with Hannah. I’ve been living in Lake Tahoe for two years and never once had a date. Two days in a row now I’ve had pretty girls smile at me.

The class starts. There are a few other people in the class, going through the motions, their bodies on autopilot, but I push myself hard. I’m feeling a little frustrated—my inability to get to Lake Aloha yesterday, today’s crappy weather keeping me from it again—so I try to take my annoyance out on the workout.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the woman next to me pushing herself just as hard. She sees me and smiles. I grin, and we both turn up the resistance, fighting the pedals. We’re communicating without words, motivating each other.

Sweat beads on my forehead and my T-shirt starts to cling to my wet chest. She wipes her brow with a towel, takes a quick drink, and gets back to work. The instructor is speaking through his headset and fast-paced rock music is playing, but I’m not paying attention to anything but her. She’s my inspiration.

I catch myself thinking about Hannah. Nine out of ten guys would probably say this girl next to me is more attractive. She is somewhere in her mid-twenties, with an athletic frame and blond hair that, even pulled back in a ponytail, is luxuriant. She has a pretty face with sharp cheekbones and a ski-jump nose.