Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (51 page)

“
Damnit!”
Mustafa's phone had been disconnected, and Morgan tried two more
times to make sure. “How am I supposed to get in touch with him
now?” She sat back at the table and thought about her options.
There was only one person that might be able to help, if he were
still in Madrid.

*****

John
paced in the airport, hating the feeling of being at the mercy of the
weather. Flights to the States had been delayed, and all he could do
was wait. He was about to look into flights going back to Australia
when his phone rang.

“
Morgan?
How are you?” He sat back down and tried not to stress about
his flight as he spoke.

“
I'm
good. Hey, are you by any chance still in Madrid?” John laughed
and told her that he was, and that there was a storm hundred of miles
away that had delayed his flight all night. “Well, while you're
waiting for all of that to be sorted....,” she took a breath
and offered him a job, “I'd like to hire you for the day.”

*****

Mustafa
slept late, which was absolutely intended. The pain medication had
finally helped him rest, and he vowed that if he actually fell
asleep, he'd stay that way for as long as possible. He didn't have
much of a reason to jump out of bed and start his day early, and his
heart was heavy with that realization when he moved his leg to the
side of the bed.

He
grabbed his crutches and stood slowly, letting the pain in his body
subside for several moments before tending to nature's call. “Fifteen
minutes.” He looked down at the small digital clock beside the
bed and shook his head at how little time he had left to check out of
his room.

He
was just leaving the closet sized bathroom when he heard a knock at
the door. “I still have a few minutes!” He yelled to the
person knocking, but they continued. “Come on, I still have at
least ten minutes.” He hobbled to the door and opened it, but
it wasn't hotel staff.

“
Get
dressed, we have somewhere to be.” John walked into his room
and gathered the few things for Mustafa that were on the dresser. A
picture, his wallet, and his shirt. Mustafa staggered backwards and
shook his head.

“
If
you're planning to take me back to the resort, I can't. I sold it,
remember? I don't have anywhere to go.” The words stung his
heart to hear out loud, but John just smiled and tossed Mustafa's
shirt in his direction. Mustafa cocked his head to the side, not
understanding where John could want to take him, but decided in the
end that it would be better than wandering the streets like he'd
planned.

“
I
played hell trying to find you early this morning. But finally, one
of the nurses told me that you asked about a cheap room and she
directed you here.” John spoke to a quiet Mustafa as they
drove. “Anyway, I'm glad I found you.” Mustafa nodded,
still not sure what was going on, and just tried to think of how he
was going to get his life together.

“
The
travel agency?” John stopped in front of a large building that
used to hold the largest travel business in Madrid. The owners had
moved further south, and the place had been empty for two years.

“
The
building formerly known as the travel agency.” John smiled and
got out, then ran to Mustafa's side and helped him stand.

“
I
don't understand.” The men walked to the front where a well
dressed woman greeted them by opening the front door.

“
This
is, Tia. Tia, this is Mustafa.” John pointed between the pair
and bowed his head slightly. “Mustafa,” he grabbed the
confused man's hand and gave it a firm shake, “I wish you all
the happiness in the world.” He turned on his heels and walked
back to the car.

“
Wait...
where are you going?” John simply waved, and bid them both a
good day.

Tia
stepped back and motioned for Mustafa to join her inside. He followed
her and stood close to the door after it shut. She produced several
papers from the counter and handed them over. “This place has
been paid in full for five years, this is the contract. You'll see it
has been put in your name.” Tia pointed to the bottom
signature, made my John, that he handed all rights to the building
over to Mustafa. “There is a lovely three bedroom apartment on
the top floor, that too is yours with the lease.” Tia showed
him a printout of the floor plan, and Mustafa simply stared at the
paper in disbelief. “Here are a few things that the gentleman
left for you.” She picked up a large dufflebag and dropped it
gently in front of Mustafa. Tia handed him the keys to the building,
and walked back to the front door. Mustafa watched her, not knowing
what to say. As she pulled the door open, Tia turned around and spoke
before leaving completely. “It'll make one hell of a dance
studio. Enjoy your journey, Mustafa.”

He
watched her get into her car and pull away, then looked down to the
bag. Tears streamed down his face as reality sunk in. Mustafa let go
of his crutches and dropped to the floor beside the black bag. His
vision was blurred as he wiped his eyes and tried to see what was in
front of him.

Inside
the bag was a new phone, several changes of clothing, a pair of
shoes, and a gift card. He placed it all in his lap, and saw a note
at the bottom of the bag. It had been written by John, and it took
all he had to read it out loud. “A special woman has taken care
of everything. The building is yours for the next five years to help
you build your dream. The gift card has five thousand dollars on it
to help get you started with anything you may need for your
apartment. I was told that if you need anything more, to call Morgan
and she will take care of it.” Mustafa stopped reading and held
the paper to his chest as he sobbed openly. He never would have
imagined anyone reaching out to him in such a way. After several
moments, he collected himself enough to finish reading. “We all
wish you the best, and Morgan looks forward to hearing from you soon.
I've already put her number in your contacts. Take care, and good
luck.” Mustafa read the letter again, then read the paperwork
to his building. He was overwhelmed as he sat in front of the doors
and cried in the floor of his brand new dance studio.

Chapter
Eleven

Friday
came way too quickly, and the week had gone by faster than Morgan
could have imagined. The rest of her days with Finlay had been spent
just how they wanted...together. There had been no more surprise
guests, no more interruptions and no more traveling to other
countries. Just alone time with one another, and it was something
they had desperately needed.

They
had taken their wee drive to downtown Edinburgh, expecting a casual
day of sight seeing and people watching. When they'd passed by the
first small shop, and Morgan saw the most perfect pair of boots she'd
ever seen, on the feet of a window mannequin, Finlay knew the day
would be anything but casual. Morgan had excitedly run into the store
to examine them, but the young employee had kindly informed Morgan
that those were the last pair, and for display purposes only. Since
they were Morgan's size, she and Finlay both knew she would not be
leaving the store without them. With a little persuasion from a large
Scotsman, Morgan left the store with her new furry footwear. Of
course, she had to find a sweater to go with them, and jeans to go
with the sweater. By the time they arrived back to Finlay's home that
night, both of them were too exhausted to do anything but shower and
sleep.

The
following day, Finlay offered another drive, as long as Morgan
promised no more shopping, especially since she was already asking a
lot of the suitcase that had plenty of room in it just a week prior.
Morgan had agreed, and after a beautiful countryside drive, she found
herself at Finlay's castle. Burke had obviously made the trip there
before them, and their candlelit feast had awaited Morgan and Finlay,
along with several blankets and bottles of wine. It would forever be
one of Morgan's favorite places, and that day would be one of her
favorite memories with the Scot.

The
next few days, Burke took care of anything in the outside world and
Morgan and Finlay enjoyed each other in every way possible. When her
last morning in Scotland rolled around, and Morgan awoke, reality
sunk in.

“
Fin?”
Morgan rolled to her side to find the bed empty. “You better
just be making coffee!” She smiled to herself and stretched.
The sheet felt cool under her skin, and she pulled the blanket over
her naked body. After several silent moments, Morgan began to wonder
if he had gone to work again. “Finny Fin? I didn't want to get
up yet, but you leave me no choice.” She flipped the blanket
off of her body and goosebumps flooded her bare skin as the cool air
took place of the warmth. She loved his bed, and knew that was the
last time she'd be in it for a while.

Morgan
took care of nature's call, and threw on a tank and shorts, then
covered herself in Finlay's robe, like she'd done every day prior. It
wouldn't have been an issue to go with just the robe, if there wasn't
the chance of Burke roaming around downstairs. She was thankful she
had done so too, because as expected, he was at the bottom of the
stairs.

“
I
think it's clean.” Morgan stopped at the last step, and leaned
against the wall as she watched the old man rub a cloth over a light
bulb he'd removed from the fixture above. Ever since Angel had
stopped by, Burke had stepped up his game, and Morgan was sure she
had never seen Finlay's home so spotless. Sure, she'd seen Burke
cleaning light bulbs before, but she wasn't sure she'd ever seen her
reflection on the tile. Burke's only reply was an inaudible grumble
that made her giggle as he replaced the bulb, and began to untwist
another. “Is Fin down here?”

“
Aye,
Love.” Finlay came around the corner, carrying her morning
treasure in his hand. “But I'm sure ye meant te ask if there
was coffee.”

“
Can't
I love you both equally?” Morgan finally stepped onto the tiled
floor and left Burke to his chores. She reached for her mug of
coffee, and Finlay made her pay with a kiss before he gave it to her.
“Thank you.” She followed him to the kitchen, where the
aroma of pancakes and syrup filled the entire room. “I was
beginning to think you'd left, and I would have...” She paused
her sentence to swallow a bite of bacon she'd already stolen,
“tracked you down and kicked your. ...Wallace!” The large
hound came around her legs and walked between she and Finlay, and
casually stole the piece of bacon right from Morgan's hand. She
turned to watch him proudly march away, and covered her mouth to
stifle the giggles. He was not allowed to have people food and he
knew it. She didn't want to encourage him, but the look on the dog's
face made it impossible to hold back the giggles. What made it worse
was William's effort for a piece of the long gone bacon, as he stuck
his snout in Wallace's lip, hoping for any trace of the treat. “I'm
going to miss these boys.” Morgan grabbed a small piece of
bacon and ran across the room before Finlay could stop her, and gave
William a piece of his own.

“
Thanks,
Love. They'll be shooting wee air biscuits oot of their arses all
day.”

“
I
don't have to deal with it.” Morgan wiped her hands on a towel,
and sat down at the table with her coffee, still trying to gather her
laughter.

“
I
wouldn't leave ye withoot seeing ye off, by the way.” Finlay
poured himself a cup of coffee, then walked to the other side of the
kitchen to find two plates for them.

“
Without
seeing me off? So, you are leaving?” Morgan pushed out her
bottom lip and pouted, knowing her time with the man was even more
limited than she thought.

“
Push
yer wee lip in, lass. I 'ave te head to London and start a job, but I
don't leave for an hour.” Finlay served them both a small stack
of pancakes, and brought the syrup down in front of them. For the
next twenty minutes, Morgan and Finlay enjoyed their last breakfast
together, then Burke helped Finlay pack, then Morgan. An hour seemed
like the blink of an eye, and it was time to say goodbye.

“
You
know I still hate this, right?” Morgan stood on her toes with
her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, in front of the entrance
to his home.

“
It's
no' so bad anymore. Ye know I'm never too far away, Love.” He
kissed the top of her head, then placed a finger under her chin and
kissed her lips.

“
I
love you, Fin.” Morgan moved her arms to his waist, and hugged
him tightly. It had been a wonderful week, and she couldn't have
asked for anything better. She was sad to watch Finlay leave, but she
had to admit, she was also excited about what was to come.