Songbird by Penny Reid

After finishing another long shift at her dead-end job, Ophelia is left with the bleak prospect of spending Christmas alone for the very first time. Not wanting to return to the house she rents with far too many strangers, she wanders the streets of Dublin taking in the festive cheer. Then, in the cozy confines of a small, quiet pub she graces the patrons with a song, snagging the attention of a tall, handsome American stranger.

As famous record producers go, Broderick is incredibly low-key. Drinking alone in a random Dublin pub before planning to fly home to New York first thing in the morning, he takes an instant interest in the intriguing singer, her sound like none he’s heard before. The guy who rarely talks can’t help talking to her, if only to satisfy his curiosity about her heavenly voice. Soon, the two are walking the city streets together, Ophelia giving Broderick a tour of all her favorite places. And while he immerses himself in her world for a few short hours, they form a connection he fears will be hard to forget once the night is through.

Songbird, a collaboration between authors L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid, is an 11k word short story, can be read as a standalone, and might be the start of a great lovestory . . . one day.