Caught Up In A Moment [Kaylor]

Chapter Nineteen - Coming Undone

Despite Saturday's setback, Taylor was once again in good spirits on Sunday. Well, mostly good spirits. A part of her kept niggling at her, berating her for not having the strength to just come out and say it. But, well, the moment had passed and Taylor definitely didn't feel like she wanted to do it anymore. All was not lost, though. Karlie remained, and that was pretty much all Taylor could have hoped for.

She toyed with a screwdriver, having taken it out from the toolbox that her father brought in. Next to the bike, the Norton that Karlie couldn't stop blabbering about, Karlie laughed and smiled non-stop, explaining things that Taylor didn't understand, but Scott seemed to eat up with genuine interest. Austin watched in focused contemplation, stroking his chin as Karlie went on about the bike and the things that needed to be replaced and the things that could stay. Judging by what she said, though, Taylor decided that the bike wasn't a lost cause and could very well be restored with enough time and effort.

They had replaced a couple of parts, mostly focusing on the engine because, without an engine, there was no bike. Something called a carburetor, which Karlie held in her hands, was the first part switched, and somewhat thanks to Taylor's help, they'd also fixed up the gear shift. Honestly, Taylor didn't have a clue as to what most of the lingo thrown around even meant, but she was happy to help.

Now, though, they decided to leave it at that and discuss the next steps. Karlie told Scott what the most important parts were to replace, and though the engine started, it wouldn't run. But it was an improvement, apparently. Taylor tuned most of it out, instead just watching Karlie as she passionately explained why this particular bike was worth fixing up. Karlie had opted to wear an old, oil-stained wife beater for this particular occasion, along with the same jeans she'd been wearing the whole weekend. Her hair was put up into a messy ponytail, strands loose and constantly needing to be tucked behind her ear. Despite being somewhat covered in motor oil because she couldn't stop touching things and then rubbing her face, Taylor thought Karlie had never looked better. She wasn't sure how Karlie wasn't cold in the unheated shed, but the soft sheen of sweat on her skin made it clear that Karlie was more than warm enough.

Taylor herself decided to wear a similar outfit to yesterday, replacing the cargo pants with some loose-fitting overalls now that Thanksgiving dinner had come and gone. She had to admit, she missed dressing in the casual way that being on the farm allowed—and also somewhat required, especially since Andrea had insisted Taylor exercise her own horses while she was back—but she also loved dressing up in New York where her farm life aesthetic probably would have seemed out of place. And just as there were two sides to every coin, there were two sides to Taylor. Her country self, and her city self. She realized that had some deeper meaning to it, but that didn't matter right now.

Right now, all she could really think about was Karlie, and how happy she looked working on that bike. Even if she was getting motor oil everywhere.

"Hey, Andrea wanted me to tell you all that the pie is ready," Abigail said, peeking her head into the shed and nearly scaring the life out of Taylor.

"We'll be right over," Scott called back. He tossed Karlie an old stained rag, urging her to at least somewhat clean up her hand. Her cast was a lost cause, but Karlie didn't mind, holding on to the fact that it was due to come off soon anyway. He tossed another to Austin, then took one to clean himself up. Luckily, Taylor's help was mostly just passing tools and observing, so she'd kept away from anything dirty. She would have hated to get her clothes messy.

"You kids ready to head back?" Scott asked, standing with a groan of effort.

"Yep," Austin responded, helping Karlie to her feet and making sure Taylor did the same.