Summary: Marigold Randall was content to live a quiet life. She had the small bookshop and it’s tiny attached flat in North London she inherited from her grandfather and her scruffy grey cat, Dougal. It was all she’d ever needed until one afternoon a tall, scruffy man entered her shop and turned her world on its axis.
Tom Hiddleston was tired. After years spent living out of a suitcase, bouncing from film set to film set and press tour to press tour, he was in desperate need of a break. And when the chance to return home for several months arises, he grabs it with both hands. While wandering the streets near his home, he stumbles across a small bookshop and drawn, he wanders inside. But what he finds inside will change his life in ways he never expected.
“Of course, she did,” Mollie started, seeming to grab hold of herself, and smiled warmly at Tom. She shot a quick, knowing look at Marigold before placing the glasses she’d been holding on the table-top and sliding into one of the two remaining open chairs. Once settled, she extended her hand towards Tom’s outstretched one. “Lovely to meet you, Tom.”
It was strange, watching the charm she’d heard about endlessly from Mollie be put into action directly before her. Tom gave Mollie a wide, warm smile and shook her hand with what appeared to be a firm, steady grip. He was focused completely on Mollie and her reaction.
His gaze was laser-focused and unwavering. It was something that Marigold knew from experience was overwhelming when one was completely sober. When one was more than slightly in their cups, it had to be nothing short of devastating.
Summary: Marigold Randall was content to live a quiet life. She had the small bookshop and it’s tiny attached flat in North London she inherited from her grandfather and her scruffy grey cat, Dougal. It was all she’d ever needed until one afternoon a tall, scruffy man entered her shop and turned her world on its axis.
Tom Hiddleston was tired. After years spent living out of a suitcase, bouncing from film set to film set and press tour to press tour, he was in desperate need of a break. And when the chance to return home for several months arises, he grabs it with both hands. While wandering the streets near his home, he stumbles across a small bookshop and drawn, he wanders inside. But what he finds inside will change his life in ways he never expected.
“Of course, she did,” Mollie started, seeming to grab hold of herself, and smiled warmly at Tom. She shot a quick, knowing look at Marigold before placing the glasses she’d been holding on the table-top and sliding into one of the two remaining open chairs. Once settled, she extended her hand towards Tom’s outstretched one. “Lovely to meet you, Tom.”
It was strange, watching the charm she’d heard about endlessly from Mollie be put into action directly before her. Tom gave Mollie a wide, warm smile and shook her hand with what appeared to be a firm, steady grip. He was focused completely on Mollie and her reaction.
His gaze was laser-focused and unwavering. It was something that Marigold knew from experience was overwhelming when one was completely sober. When one was more than slightly in their cups, it had to be nothing short of devastating.
Summary: Marigold Randall was content to live a quiet life. She had the small bookshop and it’s tiny attached flat in North London she inherited from her grandfather and her scruffy grey cat, Dougal. It was all she’d ever needed until one afternoon a tall, scruffy man entered her shop and turned her world on its axis.
Tom Hiddleston was tired. After years spent living out of a suitcase, bouncing from film set to film set and press tour to press tour, he was in desperate need of a break. And when the chance to return home for several months arises, he grabs it with both hands. While wandering the streets near his home, he stumbles across a small bookshop and drawn, he wanders inside. But what he finds inside will change his life in ways he never expected.
“Of course, she did,” Mollie started, seeming to grab hold of herself, and smiled warmly at Tom. She shot a quick, knowing look at Marigold before placing the glasses she’d been holding on the table-top and sliding into one of the two remaining open chairs. Once settled, she extended her hand towards Tom’s outstretched one. “Lovely to meet you, Tom.”
It was strange, watching the charm she’d heard about endlessly from Mollie be put into action directly before her. Tom gave Mollie a wide, warm smile and shook her hand with what appeared to be a firm, steady grip. He was focused completely on Mollie and her reaction.
His gaze was laser-focused and unwavering. It was something that Marigold knew from experience was overwhelming when one was completely sober. When one was more than slightly in their cups, it had to be nothing short of devastating.
Summary: Marigold Randall was content to live a quiet life. She had the small bookshop and it’s tiny attached flat in North London she inherited from her grandfather and her scruffy grey cat, Dougal. It was all she’d ever needed until one afternoon a tall, scruffy man entered her shop and turned her world on its axis.
Tom Hiddleston was tired. After years spent living out of a suitcase, bouncing from film set to film set and press tour to press tour, he was in desperate need of a break. And when the chance to return home for several months arises, he grabs it with both hands. While wandering the streets near his home, he stumbles across a small bookshop and drawn, he wanders inside. But what he finds inside will change his life in ways he never expected.
“Of course, she did,” Mollie started, seeming to grab hold of herself, and smiled warmly at Tom. She shot a quick, knowing look at Marigold before placing the glasses she’d been holding on the table-top and sliding into one of the two remaining open chairs. Once settled, she extended her hand towards Tom’s outstretched one. “Lovely to meet you, Tom.”
It was strange, watching the charm she’d heard about endlessly from Mollie be put into action directly before her. Tom gave Mollie a wide, warm smile and shook her hand with what appeared to be a firm, steady grip. He was focused completely on Mollie and her reaction.
His gaze was laser-focused and unwavering. It was something that Marigold knew from experience was overwhelming when one was completely sober. When one was more than slightly in their cups, it had to be nothing short of devastating.
Try as she might, Marigold couldn’t find it in herself to focus. And lord knows, she’d tried. The harder she forced herself, the more the numbers and figures staring back at her blurred into incomprehension. What would normally take her most of an afternoon now seemed like it would be a multi-day process.
Lovely.
With a withered sigh of frustration, she closed the folder and dropped her head against her folded arms. It wasn’t any bloody use. The afternoon she’d planned to spend catching up on the latest orders and budget for The Blank Page was clearly not happening. And forcing herself wasn’t making it any better. Might as well give up the ghost.
Leaning into the padded back of her desk chair, Marigold opened her eyes and let them stare blankly at the ceiling above her. And even that she couldn’t focus on. Her mind had one thing, and one thing only, that it wanted to extend any effort at all on. Tom.
Their flirtation at the pub two nights prior had been exhilarating and, if she were completely honest more than a touch overwhelming. Tom was every single bit as charming and lethal as Mollie had always gushed that he was. Doubly so when intoxicated. And they’d clearly both been.
