The Quiet Voice | Complete

Chapter 23

Chelsea spent the morning reading Grace's biography, which she'd bought at the conference the day before. Grace's courage and determination inspired Chelsea to start her own journey of self-discovery with renewed strength and courage, which she hadn't felt in years.

Chelsea devoured each word, sometimes rereading chapters to ensure that she hadn't missed anything important. She made notes and listed all the books referenced in each chapter. She made a mental note to purchase them all.

It was early afternoon by the time Chelsea decided to take a break and popped down to the new bookstore which had opened up a few months prior. It wasn't too far away and was large enough to hopefully have most of the books on the list she made.

The bookstore was breathtaking. Chelsea absolutely loved the look of it and the smell of books was one of her favourite smells, after jasmine flowers of course. The store was bustling with customers, but was large enough that Chelsea didn't feel uncomfortable or cramped.

The store was organised into sections and even had a little coffee shop. The smell of coffee paired with new books was heavenly and Chelsea knew that she'd found her new favourite place to frequent. She would definitely become a regular there. Chelsea noticed a few reading areas scattered here and there and immediately searched for the reference books she had listed.

She felt a bit lost, not knowing where to begin looking for her books. The smell of coffee didn't help much either, it was quite a pleasant distraction.

"Hello there. My name is Kelly. Welcome to A Little Piece of Heaven," smiled the friendly young girl when she eventually caught Chelsea's attention.

"Oh, you startled me," giggled Chelsea as she jumped a little with fright. "Your store is absolutely beautiful and I have lost myself a little bit. The new book and coffee smell is heavenly. I was wondering if you could please help me find the following books?" Chelsea blushed and handed her list to the assistant.

"Please take a seat in one of our chill areas while I check our system," offered Kelly and motioned towards the various options. "May I perhaps offer you anything from our coffee corner while you wait?"

"I would love a coffee with warm milk, please," replied Chelsea and headed off to the nearest seating area. The chairs were extremely comfortable with big fluffy cushions. And the view was picturesque, the window looked out over the garden fully in bloom.

Chelsea took a deep breath as she sat down, as she felt quite giddy with excitement. She retrieved her notebook and pen from her satchel and was about to open the notebook just as her coffee arrived.

"Thank you," she smiled politely to the waiter, "what wonderful, speedy service."

His smile was wide and warm as he nodded and playfully saluted her before he returned to his workstation.

Chelsea was quietly making notes when movement at her table caught her eye and she looked up, expecting to see Kelly with the books she requested. Instead, she was greeted by a familiar face.

"Hello there," greeted Hank, "how lovely to see you so soon."

"Hi Hank," replied Chelsea. Surprised firstly, to see him there, and secondly, that her language hadn't failed her again.

"May I join you, or are you busy and don't want to be disturbed? Are you here with someone?" asked Hank, as he looked at the table to see if there was a second cup or evidence of a second occupant.

Chelsea was able to answer easier this time, she felt less nervous than at the conference but was still shocked that she bumped into him so soon afterwards.