Melanie looked around the hotel room and couldn't help but wonder what on earth she was doing there or better yet how had just allowed Elizabeth talk her into coming to Bristol Tennessee with Leo and Jason no less. The mere thought of Leo sent her mind into a full tilt. She had done her best at avoiding him since the day at the garage when he had kissed her. She had found one reason or another to be too busy, taking extra shifts at the hospital, private duty assignments, anything basically to keep her as far away from Leo Jorgenson as possible. But when Elizabeth brought up accompanying the guys to Bristol she wasn't taking no for an answer no matter how many times she had shouted it. So there Melanie sat in a hotel room that adjoined with the one that Leo and Jason were sharing wondering if she would ever be able to forget Leo's lips pressed against her own.
The idea that that single kiss affected her in such a profound way had Melanie in a tailspin. She flipped on the television set in an attempt to offer herself some sort of distraction from the thoughts that danced in her mind. Distraction, however, was the last thing she found. Suddenly not only was her head filled with thoughts of Leo Jorgenson but so was the room as the announcer's voice echoed in her ears. It was only a few lines that were dedicated to Ryan Racing's other drivers before the sportscaster launched into what the man termed as Jason Morgan's prowess on the track but that was enough for Melanie to have all things Jorgenson cemented in her brain.
She perched herself on the edge of the queen sized bed and forced her mind to concentrate on monologue tribute to Jason. He was now third in the points standing thanks to his impression wins, first place at Atlanta Motor Speedway and two second place at both Dover International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. The man in the navy sports coat went on to announce that Ryan Racing had a second driver in the top ten in the points standing as the name Billy Weston passed over the man's lips.
Melanie let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a grunt as she thought about how Billy's true to form antics on the track had actually cost him a finish at Dover International Speedway which in turn had put him two places behind Jason in the standings. Fifth place wasn't something that sat well with either Billy or Pat Ryan. Billy had some serious catching up to do at the upcoming race at Bristol in Tennessee if he wanted to pass Jason in the points lineup. If he even could.
As quickly as the announcer appeared on the television screen, he disappeared leaving Melanie to ponder thoughts of Leo and his sweet kiss all over again. Dropping her body hard against the stiff comforter this time the sound that left her mouth was one of sheer frustration. How the hell had she gotten herself into this mess? All she had wanted to do was make sure that her best friend didn't miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime with what she thought was the perfect guy and there she was entangled in her own romantic possibilities. "UGH!" she groaned.
"You okay?" Elizabeth asked as she pulled a brush through her tangled chestnut locks.
"Oh couldn't be better."
Her friend's sarcasm wasn't lost on Elizabeth and she had a sneaking suspicion what was fueling it yet she asked just the same. "What's the matter, Mel?"
"Nothing!" she answered a bit too quickly Elizabeth thought. "You about ready?" Melanie needed to get out of that room but she was worried that Bristol Motor Speedway would do little in providing her with the distraction she so desperately needed. In fact she was certain it would do the exact opposite.
As Elizabeth eased her black Chevelle into the area reserved for Ryan Racing, she noted how uncharacteristically quiet her best friend was. Normally Melanie King was talking a mile a minute not allowing anyone to get a word in edgewise, but in the last few days she was anything but her usual chatter box. Elizabeth gave her a sideways glance before turning the key off in the ignition. Even before Jason had mentioned to her how oddly Leo was acting, she was sure that whatever brought on Melanie's unusual silence was most definitely tied to the male version of her best friend. Ever since they arrived in Tennessee and hooked up with the guys, Melanie was on pins and needles and Leo looked oddly apprehensive. If it had just been his change in demeanor, Elizabeth could have chalked it up to race nerves, all drivers got them in some way or another, but this time it was different. She had known Leo his whole racing life and this had nothing to do about the upcoming feature and everything about the red head that he wouldn't dare admit he had feelings for.
The pull to the track had been getting stronger and stronger for Elizabeth the more time she spent with Jason. It was so easy with him. The time they spent together in the garage working on his car, talking about his racing tactics or just hanging out was effortless. She knew in her heart he could have cared less who her father was and that was such the converse of Billy. If Elizabeth were to be completely honest with herself, she would have to admit that she knew the only reason Billy ever showed her an interest was to get closer to her father. Sure he had been a good driver with great promise but until he began dating Pat Ryan's daughter he was just another driver in a sea of them under the Ryan umbrella.
Long gone were the days when Elizabeth refused to even listen to a race on the radio let alone actually watch one perched high in the stands. Yet there she was the idea of missing any race Jason was a part of was unfathomable. Reaching for Melanie's hand she began to weave her way through the throngs of people milling around the pits. She felt the resistance of her friend's stance as they quickly approached where Jason and Leo were leaning against the quarter panels of their racecars. "Come on," she urged yanking Melanie forward until she nearly collided with Leo. Elizabeth hid a giggle as she saw both of her friends instantly freeze hoping to avoid contact with the other.
"Hey you," Jason couldn't resist the opportunity to take Elizabeth in his arms kissing her softly on the lips. Her gentle sigh was all he needed to know that she had missed him as much as he had her. He still was in awe of how things had come together for them. Not once in his life had he expected to find someone who fit together with him so perfectly and it really had very little to do with what Elizabeth Ryan knew about racing but all about everything that made her who and what she was. In these last few months Jason on more than one occasion thought about pinching himself to make sure this was all real, however, when she stood on her tip toes and kissed him quickly on the tip of his nose and smiled brightly at him Jason knew it was very much real.
Tom felt his jaw clench at the scene that unfolded before him from his post at the rear end of Jason's bright blue machine. If there had been a time when he might have doubted what took place between Elizabeth and Jason in the Ryan garage, it had long since passed. The fact the she had traveled to Bristol with Jason no less spoke volumes to Tom about where his long time friend and the object of his affection stood.
"Everything alright back there?" Jason turned and asked his mechanic when the crash of the impact gun reverberated off the black asphalt.
"Oil on my hands," Tom answered him but his losing his grip had nothing to do with slippery fingers and much more with the kisses he watched being exchanged.
"Here you go, buddy." Leo pitched a garage rag in Tom's direction.
"Thanks," he grumbled in return before reaching down to retrieve his lost tool.
"Do you have time to grab a bite to eat before the first qualifying heat?" Elizabeth asked all of a sudden feeling the need to break the awkward tension that hung between them all.
Jason looked down at his watch. "Yeah there's time." He would enjoy spending a few more extended moments in her company. "You two want to join us?" He asked Leo and Melanie as he gave Elizabeth a quick wink. The pair of them had talked about the obvious anxiety between their friends and both felt that it was about time that they just admitted to feeling what the rest of the world could so easily see.
Leo and Melanie glanced at one another uncomfortably but each knew that there was no getting out of this. "Sure." Leo answered first.
"I guess," Melanie added as Jason and Elizabeth laced their fingers together smiling all knowingly.
Billy stood in the shadows, he had taken to doing that quite a bit lately, watching the playful exchange between Elizabeth and Jason who were sitting at one of the many concession tables. The ease that he saw between them turned his stomach. It was bad enough that he had to watch their constant companionship at the Ryan Racing compound seeing the two of them at the upcoming race set his soul on fire.
He would have never been caught in such horse play before a race. There was too much preparation that needed to be done, too many things to be checked and rechecked but there Jason Morgan sat as if he was some high school football star and Elizabeth the head cheerleader before the big game.
When he couldn't stand to watch any longer, Billy turned and literally ran smack into Tom Boudean. "Watch where the hell you're going!" he began until he saw his own emotions reflected in the other man's face yet that didn't stop Billy from twisting the knife. "You here for the show?" he asked in his typical cocky manner.
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Tom barked back. He didn't have the time for Weston or the inclination to indulge his over inflated ego.
Billy turned and pointed back toward the table where Jason and Elizabeth were sitting. Tom watched as Elizabeth fed Jason a French fry but not without first smearing his face with a large amount of ketchup and then heard her squeals as he kissed her in an effort to deposit a fair amount of that ketchup on her face as well. Tom clinched his fists at his side and let out a controlled grumble.
"Quite the sight, aren't they?" Billy said snidely.
"What do you want?" Tom countered harshly. He was on overload when it came to Jason and Elizabeth as a couple.
"Same thing as you I am pretty sure," Billy announced as he cocked his brow. "Have you given anymore thought to my offer?"
Even though he would never admit out loud, Tom had actually done quite a bit of entertaining the idea of becoming one of Weston's mechanics if for no other reason than to no longer being forced to see Jason and Elizabeth together on a daily basis. And the fact that his joining the enemy would stick to his once best friend was just icing on the cake as far as Tom was concerned.
"What's in it for you?" Tom finally asked even though he wasn't able to tear his stare away from the happy couple.
"Not just me," Billy countered. "I am seeing it as mutually beneficial for the both of us."
"What makes you think I would do anything that would benefit you?" Tom still didn't like Billy Weston and all that he stood for yet it was becoming increasingly easier to forget all of that the more he was forced watch the lovebirds.
"Just think about it," Billy said. "From where I stand, I see us both coming out ahead."
Tom watched Billy confidently strut away from him as he mulled over the idea of joining forces with the devil incarnate. Jason certainly wouldn't expect it nor would he see it coming and there was a part of Tom that thought Jason deserved to be taken down a peg or two yet there was still something inside of him that couldn't shake the loyalty he had to his long time friend. Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, Tom turned and did what he could to put as much distance between himself and Jason and Elizabeth as possible.
Elizabeth excused herself as she slipped in front the row of people already occupying their seats as she tried to gracefully make her way back to own before the feature was about to start. This was the only drawback to not sitting in the area of the stadium designated for Ryan Racing – attempting to navigate the crowds. "Sorry," she said embarrassedly after nearly knocking a drink out a man's hand. She let out a heavy groan after finally making it back to her seat beside Melanie.
"I was beginning to think you got lost," her friend told her. "The race is just about to start."
Elizabeth settled back and watched as the drivers took their positions at the starting line. She beamed when she saw Jason's bright blue car roll up taking pole position. He had been phenomenal in the previous two qualifying heats and easily won that place in the lineup. "Hey look there's Leo," Elizabeth pointed out to her friend as Leo's metallic green car sat squarely in the front quarter of the pack.
"I see him," Melanie said suddenly her stomach full of butterflies.
Elizabeth reached for her hand giving it a squeeze as the stadium filled with the thunderous sound as the sea of engines on the track below roared to life. Her eyes toggled between Jason's racecar and the official perched on the podium high above ready to drop the green flag at any second. The minute the flash of green fell and the cars shot forward Elizabeth scooted to the edge of her seat with Melanie following suit.
It had been such a long time since Melanie had watched a race at the track that trying to keep track of both Leo and Jason's cars made her almost dizzy. Yet it seemed as though her friend was having little trouble with it all. She gave Elizabeth a sideways glace and saw the serious expression etched on her features and imagined that she was critiquing her boyfriend's maneuvers out on the track.
The thought of the word boyfriend brought a smile to Melanie's face. She hadn't seen her best friend happier than she was with Jason Morgan. And while she initially had her reservations about hooking Elizabeth up with another NASCAR driver she was glad to have been wrong. Jason was perfect for Elizabeth. Nothing about him was typical. The ease that he had about him shone through to everything he did including what he could do behind the wheel of a race car.
Admittedly she was shocked that Elizabeth had taken that step. Melanie hadn't expected her to at least without putting up a little bit more of a fight. Kind of like the fight that she was having with herself presently. She thought of Leo and how he had kissed her as she searched for his green car as it whizzed around the track. "Liz am I reading that right?" she asked pointing to the leader board.
"Yes," she grinned, "Yes you are!"
Melanie felt her eyes widen when she read the names again – Morgan/first place – Jorgenson/second place – Weston/third place. Ryan Racing held the top three positions that was nearly unheard of. With only five laps to go it looked like it was going to be a red letter day for Pat Ryan and Ryan Racing, however, that domination that Ryan Racing had was short lived. In racing things could change in an instant and right before Elizabeth and Melanie's eyes it did just that. They watched as Billy's black machine attempted to skirt around Leo's racecar yet rather than clearing his team mates' rear quarter Billy clipped it sending Leo fishtailing into a spin that left him backwards in the grassy infield.
Melanie felt her breath hitch in her throat as she witnessed Leo's metallic green racecar skate in circles across the black asphalt. Absently, she reached for Elizabeth's hand squeezing it tight holding her breath the entire time until she saw the stockcar come to rest unharmed in the infield. Easily Elizabeth stroked her friend's arm, she was well aware of the perils of loving a NASCAR driver. And even if Melanie King wasn't ready to admit it, Elizabeth knew that she was falling hard for Leo Jorgenson. The idea that at any moment something could go wrong, terribly wrong even was sometimes too much of a risk for a woman to take. Even for Elizabeth who grew up understanding the hazards, they took on a completely different meaning when someone you loved was out there racing around the track at speeds in excess of 150mph.
"He's okay," she announced to Melanie as she watched Leo maneuver his way back out onto the track. Elizabeth's heart sank for him though as she knew that with less than four laps to go there was no way he would regain his second place position. "Mel," she asked turning to look at her friend when she didn't respond to her original remark. Elizabeth saw her shaking her head in agreement but the fact that unshed tears pooled in her friend's eyes wasn't lost on her. "Breathe," Elizabeth told her as she wrapped her arms around the other young woman's shoulders. This wasn't the time to address the feelings Melanie had for Leo but that didn't stop Elizabeth from cataloguing them away for future use. There was a time and a place for everything she thought.
As the checkered flagged dropped over Jason's dazzling blue car, Elizabeth let out a little squeal the only thing that could have made this any better would have been if it had been Leo's car coming in second rather than Billy Weston. "You okay?" she turned and asked her friend.
"Uh-huh," Melanie replied softly still overcome with a great sense of fear at watching Leo's spin out off the track. "How do you do this all the time?" she asked before even realizing what her question revealed about her true feelings.
"You just do," she answered knowing how lame that must have sounded but it was the truth. She had grown up with knowing that the track could cost her everything but that never stopped her from loving the thrill of it all just the same. She was a race junky through and through. For a moment she had to wonder if Melanie would be able to handle what it would truly mean for her if she finally acknowledged the genuine feelings that she was having for Leo Jorgenson.
"You ready to head down?" The crowd in the stadium had cleared and Elizabeth was anxious to get to pit row to congratulate Jason.
"Sure," Melanie answered suddenly overcome by the need to see Leo with her own eyes even though she wasn't nearly as ready to admit that out loud.
Jason caught sight of Elizabeth as she snaked her way through the thick crowd and without giving it a single thought he jumped down from the podium and reached her in a few sprints. Capturing her in his strong arm he twirled her around as she laughed out loud.
"Where's Leo?" Melanie asked craning her neck in search of the remainder of their foursome.
"I'm not sure," Jason said as he let Elizabeth's feet again rest on the ground.
"We should go find him," Elizabeth remarked. She couldn't even begin to imagine what must have been going through his head. It was bad enough that he ended up coming in fifteen place but the fact that it was his own team mate who had been the catalyst for that happened no doubt had Leo seeing red.
"Yeah, I think you're right," Jason agreed knowing that he had had just about all he could stomach of Billy Weston and his grand standing.
"Morgan!" Pat Ryan called to his winning driver who was in the process of making a hasty exit. "MORGAN!" He yelled again. "Where the hell you going? They want to interview you." Pat pointed to a group of reporters but Jason only shrugged. "MORGAN!" Pat tried to keep his tone in check the last thing he needed was to show himself in an unflattering light in the midst of the media.
"Let them talk to Weston. I have somewhere else I need to be!" Jason finally said as he grabbed Elizabeth's hand walking away without once giving Pat Ryan a backwards glance. She however couldn't help but look back and smile as she saw her father stewing in his own juices.
"What?" Jason asked innocently when he met the stares of both Melanie and Elizabeth.
"You aren't like any driver I have ever met," Elizabeth announced.
"Me either," Melanie concurred.
"Like I need one more picture of me on the stupid podium," Jason scoffed at the thought. "Hanging with Leo is so where I would rather be."
Elizabeth hugged him tightly elated to know that finally someone in the world of racing had their head on straight and priorities in order. "You're amazing, you know that?"
Jason pulled back and looked at her quizzically. "No really you are!" Melanie added. Jason and Leo had only known each other for a short time and become friends quickly but the loyalty that Jason showed for the other driver spoke volumes to the man's true character.
"Forget it. Let's just go find him. I would bet he's in the garage by now stewing over what Weston did out there. I'm pretty sure he's going to need to blow off a little steam. I know I would right now if I were him."
"I think we can arrange that," Elizabeth said.
"You two going to let us win at darts for once?" Melanie laughed pretty sure they were all headed to the local watering hole for a few beers and a rematch at the dart board.
Jason and Elizabeth looked at one another for a moment actually contemplating the idea. "Nah," they said in unison leaving Melanie with nothing else to do but shake her head.