Elizabeth suddenly felt a little anxious as she entered the garage. It was so close to race day that she was bound to run into Billy and that was the last thing she wanted. Or perhaps it would set her head straight and vanquish all thoughts of Jason Morgan.

She walked through the middle of the open space without her presence being much noticed. It was never unusual for the mechanics to see Pat Ryan's tiny waif of a daughter milling around the garage. She enjoyed the anonymity and continued her search for Leo. As she looked around she was stunned to see Tom Boudean's piercing dark eyes starring at her. She did a double take and shook her head a little as if she was trying to bring her vision into focus. What's he doing here she thought?

Tom felt his hands shaking as he stood there gawking at the beautiful brunette he fully expected to never see again. She was a gorgeous as he remembered her. Instantly he felt himself become aroused at the slightest sight of her bare stomach that peaked out from beneath her red tank top that didn't quite meet the waist of her low rise jeans.

"Tom right?" she asked stopping in front of him and another mechanic she had know for the better part of her life.

"Uh-huh," he mumbled unable to form any real words. The closeness of her to him had caused his brain to malfunction.

"I didn't know you were a mechanic?" she said arguing with herself that she apparently didn't know a great many things.

"Uh-huh," he uttered again as he wiped his sweaty palms against his faded jeans. The older man standing next to him tried to stifle a laugh. It was like this for every new mechanic. The sight of Pat Ryan's daughter elicited this reaction in the best of them.

"You're going to work here?" Elizabeth asked as she gestured at her surroundings.

"Yeah." He still couldn't think straight, as he couldn't tear his stare from her perfect ruby red lips as she spoke.

"I didn't know Ryan Racing was looking for new mechanics," she said more to the other man standing there than Tom. Elizabeth knew her father well enough to know that he just didn't hire anyone off the street so there had to be more to Tom Boudean's presence there than met the eye.

"I don't think they were," he finally said forming a complete sentence. "But Jason refused to race without me."

Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath at the mention of Jason's name. Had she heard him right? Did he say that Jason refused to race without him? Did that mean that Jason Morgan was now part of her father's team? She felt the blood rush from her head and reached for the workbench to steady herself.

"Hey are you okay?" Tom asked seeing how her complexion paled suddenly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him when she finally got her bearings again. "Did you say Jason was racing for the Ryan team?" She still needed clarification on it all. The idea of Jason being part of her father's team didn't make a hell of a lot of sense.

"Yeah, only until Jake is back on his feet," Tom added.

Elizabeth didn't know what to say to that. On one hand thoughts of Jason Morgan being so close only served to confuse her all the more but on the other maybe this was a sign. A sign that she definitely needed to stay as far away from Jason as she could. It was bad enough when she knew he was a just another driver but hell now he was her father's driver. No she wouldn't be going there – not again, not ever. "Have you seen Leo?" she asked turning to the man standing next to Tom.

"I think he's out back," the man replied.

"Thanks," she said. "Good luck Tom. I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the garage. And don't let these guys push you around or they will have me to answer to," she joked as she pushed the large man in the greasy coveralls.

Tom stood there and intently watched as Elizabeth headed off in the opposite direction. He observed the gentle sway of her hips and enjoyed the way her slim fitting Levis hugged all of her curves. He didn't know if the gods had smiled on him by for whatever reason bringing that beautiful girl back into his circle but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had every intention of getting to know her better.

"Hey," a voice came from behind startling him.

"Huh?" Tom responded without taking his eyes off of Elizabeth's form until she slipped out the door at the other end of the garage.

"Might I suggest you look but don't even think about touching. Hell don't even look," the man corrected himself.

"What? Why?" Tom asked turning to face him.

The older man rubbed his hands over his face looking for the right words to make the younger man understand what a bad idea his thoughts of pursuing Elizabeth Ryan was. The rumors and the truths about Billy Weston and Elizabeth's failed relationship should have been enough to keep any employee of Ryan steering clear of the girl no matter how pretty she was. "Let's just say that it's a bad idea to get involved with the boss' daughter and leave it at that."

Tom looked at the man wide eyed as his words started to sink in. "Boss's daughter?" he echoed. "Are you telling me she's – Elizabeth is Pat Ryan's daughter?"

"Yep."

"Holy shit," he said under his breath.

"Uh-huh. So here's a little piece of advice son. Stick to the engines and leave the girl alone. If you know what's good for you." With that said the man turned away from Tom almost sure that the young man wouldn't be heeding his word.

Elizabeth's mind was still reeling from Tom's news that Jason was now part of her father's racing team. Jason Morgan a part of Ryan Racing – she wanted to be upset. She wanted to be angry yet all she found herself feeling was excitement. She made her way across the infield to where she knew she would find Leo's green car in the hopes that her friend could help her make heads or tails of it all.

As Leo's stockcar came into view she noticed that there were two pairs of legs jutting out from underneath the frame. That image seemed a little strange to her since she knew all too well that Leo was one for working on his car solo. Normally she was the only one who he even let near his precious green machine.

"Hey," she said using her boot clad foot to kick the soles of what she thought were Leo's feet. "I need to talk to you."

"What?" a voice from below called out.

Instantly Elizabeth's blood ran cold. She knew that voice – hated that she knew it but knew it just the same and it wasn't Leo's. It belonged to Jason Morgan of all people. And that knowledge was confirmed when both he and Leo rolled out from under the car. She swallowed hard around the lump that had come to constrict her throat. The sight of him lying on the wooden creeper with grease smudged across his tanned face caused her heart to skip a beat.

"What?" Jason said again but stopped short when his eyes rested on the beautiful brunette he hadn't been able to stop thinking about after their encounter the previous night. He had spent the majority of the morning hours tossing and turning in bed. He wanted to make himself believe the sleepless night had been because of his anxiety about joining Ryan Racing but if he allowed himself to really think about it he knew that it had been her keeping him awake.

"Nice to see you too," she quipped surprised by her sudden ability to think straight.

Both Leo and Jason stood up wiping their hands on the garage rags perched on the front fenders of the car. Leo spoke first since it appeared neither Elizabeth nor Jason were about to do anything more than stand there starring at one another. "Jason, I'd like you to meet…"

"We've already met Leo," Elizabeth cut him off. "Have you heard from Jake? Has he started his rehab yet?"

Jason was literally dumbfounded. He had no idea what to say even to the simple questions that she asked him. He couldn't do more than stand there starring at her with a bewildered expression on his face. This was two times now she had shown up in the most unexpected of places. First the track and now at Ryan Racing. If he hadn't known better he would have thought she was stalking him. But the more logical voice in his head assumed that she was Leo's girlfriend and for an instant he was jealous.

"Jake's fine," he mumbled an answer finally. "I'd better go find Tom," he said reaching for his jacket suddenly needing an escape.

He was gone before he could even hear Elizabeth's response about Tom being in the garage. All of the sudden he felt like he was suffocating. His mind ran through all the images he had of the other times he had come across her. He shrugged on his leather jacket stuffing his hands deep in the pockets. His fingers made contact with a hard piece of paper. He brought the out a bent blue and white business card that he realized Elizabeth had given him what seemed like eons ago. His eyes widened as her read and reread the name sprawled across it in bold script.

Elizabeth Ryan, Patient Advocate

Elizabeth Ryan – his mind screamed – Ryan as in Pat Ryan and Ryan racing. He felt his muscles tense wondering why he hadn't ever put two and two together to come up with four in terms of who she really was. It made perfect sense now why she was at the Ryan practice track and even at the deserted track the night before. She was Pat Ryan's daughter where else would she be?

Jason felt like his world had been turned upside all over again and for the life of him he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like anything had really changed by now knowing Elizabeth's last name or who she was related to. Yet for him it undeniably had. The girl who he couldn't get his mind off of the night before was none other than his new boss' – and he used that term loosely – daughter. Jason didn't even have to think about it and he knew that made for a bad scenario. Yet he looked back over his shoulder to where he could still see Leo and Elizabeth talking in the distance and recognized just how bad of an idea being there was now more so than ever.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Leo asked propping his body against the fiberglass fender. "You did say you needed to talk to me right? Liz?" He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Hum?" she said reluctantly drawing her attention away from Jason's retreating image.

"You were the one looking for me?" Leo said with a slight grin. "What'd you want?" he questioned again.

"I can't believe you let someone besides you or me work on your race car," she commented eyes still focused on the last remnants of Jason's form. "Is he really racing for my father?"

"It appears so."

"Is it just me or is that a little weird even for my dad?"

"Yeah it's strange alright." Leo hadn't been able to get Jason to say much about his sudden induction in the Ryan team. All he would say was that it was temporary – just temporary.

"I wonder what my dad's got up his sleeve cause we both know he doesn't do anything unless there's something in it for him," she stated before realizing how harsh her comment sounded.

"No he doesn't," Leo agreed. Over the years he had gotten a clear picture of just who and what Pat Ryan was. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for the opportunity the legendary racer had given him years ago but it hadn't taken Leo long to realize that if you weren't exactly what 'The Great Pat Ryan' expected then you go lost in the shuffle. If it could happen to his own daughter then Leo knew no one was exempt. He wondered how long it would take Jason Morgan to learn that valuable lesson.

"I just can't believe out of all the racers that could hitch themselves to Ryan Racing it had to be Jason Morgan."

Leo didn't know what to make of her last remark or the tone in which she said it. Something told him there was more behind those words and the fact that Elizabeth hadn't taken her eyes off of Jason when he had been standing in front of her and now that she was straining her neck to get one last glimpse of him wasn't lost on Leo. Nor was it that she seemed to fixate their conversation around him.

He knew the signs. He could read them as plain as day. And they all blared loudly that Elizabeth was taken with a one Jason Morgan. Leo had been down this road with her before. He wanted to do something or say anything that would steer her in any direction but his yet a tiny voice at the back of his mind told him that maybe Jason Morgan was just what Elizabeth Ryan needed. So for now Leo decided to keep his opinions to himself.