Unexpected Encounter (Singleton) Read Free Page A

for Aja. The smile on her face made Lila curious to find out what had happened in there.
    Aja put one shoulder against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. There was a grin on her face.
    “What happened?”
    “I’m surprised you were able to think coherently when you saw him.”
    “Who? Driscoll? Why?” Lila waited for her to answer. When the silence lengthened she poked at her shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
    “You.” Aja laughed. “I can’t believe you didn’t recognize him.”
    “He looked familiar but had paint all over his face and feathers in his hair.” Lila frowned. “I don’t care who he is. Did you find out if he needs help? Did he drive off the road to hurt himself?”
    “Driscoll didn’t try to hurt himself. He did swerve to save the kitten. He is saner than most people. He might seem like he isn’t, but he is.” Aja looked contemplative. “He did say something interesting.”
    “What?” Lila knew if Aja believed him, he’d been telling the truth.
    “That if at any time you feel the need to come by his house to check on him or the kitten, feel free.”
    “He what?” Lila clenched her fist. “I was right earlier, he was flirting with me.”
    “Nope he wasn’t flirting. He said to remember what he said when you stated that earlier.”
    “What?” Lila narrowed her gaze. “There is no way he could know I would say that.”
    “Well, he did tell me you would say that.” Aja chuckled. “He’s going to drive you nutty. But that will be good for you.” She hugged her then pulled something out of her pocket and held it toward her.
    “After today I won’t see him again.” Lila took the folded piece of paper then thought of her friendship with Spencer as well as his wife, Regina. “Well, maybe for social occasions.”
    “Maybe. But my money is on Driscoll and that you’ll be seeing him for more private things. See ya tomorrow night.” Aja turned on her heel.
    “You’re always trying to find me a man. I don’t need one,” she called after her.
    “Nope you don’t need one. But having one would be loads of fun.” She strode away.
    Lila rolled her eyes. She walked to the curtain then listened. Not hearing anything, she peeked in. Immediately she stiffened, staring at him. Without the paint, she recognized that unmistakable face—a mixture of fallen angel and devil. When he performed, his voice could awaken carnal thoughts one moment and soothe the soul the next second. A network of scars covered one side of his face and only added to the mysterious allure that made him—Driscoll. He was a superstar singer and had been very sought after at the height of his career. He’d retired after a horrific accident that had caused the death of a few of his band mates. Now, knowing who he was, Lila had context to his statement—that he wouldn’t choose a car if he had actually been trying to hurt himself.
    Even though Driscoll was retired, his music lived on and he still wrote songs for many other artists and from time to time he let them use his vocals on their albums. She and her friends even had tickets to the benefit concert during the Singleton Summer Festival on July twenty-first, for those who had recently been affected by an arsonist. It was a little under two weeks away and they were all looking forward to seeing him and Bella perform.
    Lila couldn’t believe she hadn’t known who he was. Now that she did, she knew why he had been so familiar. That distinct growl in his tone, even when he was speaking, was unmistakable. Lila thought the reason she hadn’t recognized it was because she had been so concerned about making sure he was safe.
    Driscoll had his eyes closed. His breathing was deep and the kitten was on his chest. Lila put her hand on her chest against her fluttering heart as she gazed at him, looking so cute as he slept with the cat keeping guard over him. She stepped back, letting the curtain fall, then opened the note.
     
    I look forward to