The next couple of weeks flew by in a blur. Before Elle knew it, June was over and the intense July humidity made its presence known. Elle spent every weekday morning with Cate at her store for moral support, while her nights were spent either at work or with Dylan. She even hung out with Carter one weekend; they went to the dog park with his golden retriever, Watson.
Although a few weeks passed, virtually nothing changed with Andrew. Cate remained unwilling to mention him, but she insisted she had it all under control. Elle didn't question her. Andrew didn't come to the restaurant anymore after the pasta fiasco, so he seemed like a distant memory.
Cate's store underwent a complete transformation from the first time Elle visited. Now, the walls were a stark white color. The rotting wood floors were replaced with a sleek marble. Currently, the carpenters were installing curtain rods for the dressing rooms near the back of the space. It looked chic and elegant, which was the exact aesthetic Cate was aiming to achieve.
Elle finished drilling the last hanging shelf onto the wall and set the drill down on the checkout counter.
Each shelf was made of light natural wood; the higher placed shelves were intended to hold artwork from local artists while the lower ones would house the shoes Cate intended to place out for sale.
Cate planned to put the majority of the clothes on clothing racks made from recycled pipes. Those were set to arrive next week.
Today was an exciting day because the two women had plans to start the whitewash process on the store's exterior.
Cate paced around the store, her heels clicking on the marble floor. One hand held her phone to her ear while the other nervously pushed her hair out of her face.
"August 13th," said Cate into the phone.
That was the scheduled night of the pre-grand opening party. While it was still over a month away, Cate was in the process of creating invitations for various friends and celebrities, as well as getting the venue and catering details confirmed.
Elle snuck up behind Cate and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.
"Yes, 9:00 PM. Thank you," said Cate. She hung up the phone and slid it into her front pocket.
"Hello, dearest," she smiled.
"Was that the bar confirmation?" asked Elle, letting go of the older woman.
"Yes. I booked the VIP section at Raise a Glass for the night"
Elle personally had never been to that bar, or any bar, but she had helped Cate research venue locations for the party and Raise a Glass had excellent reviews.
"So much to do before then," murmured Cate.
Elle put a finger to Cate's lips. "Shh, no need to worry. Go check the list."
Cate went over to the wall behind the checkout counter, where Elle had hung up a huge poster board. On the board was a list of tasks to be completed by opening day. Picking up the sharpie from the counter, Cate checked off the box next to 'confirm venue'.
"Breathe," instructed Elle. "We've made a ton of progress in the past couple weeks. We're on track."
Cate's shoulders relaxed as she took a deep breath.
"Besides, it's power-wash time!" exclaimed Elle. She skipped outside to grab the power washer that Cate rented for the hour.
"Are you sure you're capable of using that?" asked Cate, creating distance between her and the young girl.

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to the moon & to saturn | cate blanchett
Romance| Cate Blanchett x OC | It was the summer before her senior year of college. Elle wanted nothing more than to relax and enjoy herself for her final 3 months of freedom before she committed her next 40 years to the workforce. But then she met the m...