Finishing his meeting with the interior decorator he’d hired as a surprise for Elena, Gage checked in with the contractors who were already tearing out a media room in his home to remake the space into a work studio for her. The construction was moving quickly, and he appreciated the accelerated timetable since he wanted to unveil the new suite to her tonight after the party. She’d known the contractors were on-site at his house all week, but he’d told her they were installing a tasting room in another wing, forestalling more questions about his secret project.

He’d wined and dined Elena all week, hoping to convince her to continue their affair even after she left Montana. When he’d encouraged her to visit New York City with her friends, he’d used the time to take estimates from a handful of highly recommended decorators, finally choosing the guy who’d flown in for today’s meeting.

The dude was someone familiar with Elena’s blog, and he’d insisted she should be brought in on the decor before they went any further in planning. Gage had appreciated the decorator pushing back on his plans since he had raised a valid point. Elena’s future as a designer seemed more and more probable. She’d surely want to weigh in on fabrics and colors for the “home within a home” Gage hoped to create for her. Surely if she had her own retreat space at his house on the ranch in Mesa Falls, and at his place in Silicon Valley, she would be enticed to visit both spots with him as often as possible. She would see that she was the only woman he wanted in his life.

Now that he’d seen how rootless she’d been as a kid, how much her father had dragged her from town to town hiding from the cops and battling his own demons, Gage hoped she’d understand the significance of what he was trying to offer her. A place she could always call home.

Stepping out of the studio, where new windows were being installed to increase the natural light, Gage thanked the head contractor and walked around the exterior of the house to make sure the work crew were being respectful of the grass and gardens. He needed to dress for the evening’s event, the party where the owners would share the news about Alonzo Salazar’s humanitarian efforts as a way to end the public interest in his story. The PR staff had chosen Miles Rivera’s residence as the site for the get-together, hoping to maintain the security of the celebrity guests more easily in a private venue.

Satisfied with the work crew’s use of a side lawn to park their trucks, Gage rounded the front of the house and pulled out his phone to let Elena know he would be ready in half an hour for the party.