Doors of Time

By KC Kendricks

Calvin Lawson arrived in Clear River to rebuild bridges with his ailing father, not hook up with Emory Fleming, although being an honest man, he has to admit Emory's on his mind. But first things first, and before he goes looking for his boyhood friend, he needs to find a restoration project to generate personal income so he's not sponging off his father. Gutted by an arsonist, the Clocktower Theatre, affectionately called the Time by everyone in town, is in dire need of his special skills.

As an on-the-air journalist, Emory Fleming is making a name for himself and getting noticed. He's back in Clear River at the local network affiliate, preparing for the move up to a major market in a few years. When Calvin Lawson rolls back into town, Emory's stunned. The old pal he worked with at the Time kept a big secret - he's gay. All the fantasies Emory had as a teenager about Calvin suddenly become real as he and Calvin reconnect and quickly become lovers.

Calvin's planned restoration of the Clocktower Theatre may not be a practical possibility. He has to secure a lot of funding to do the job properly, and money is tight everywhere. When Emory's big break comes faster than anticipated, Calvin sees only one option - step aside so Emory will accept the job he's always wanted. It doesn't take for Emory long to figure out why Calvin walked out and put in action a plan to win him back before the doors of time close between them permanently.

* * *

Emory leaned forward. "Okay, Calvin. Spill it. Just what do you plan on doing with the Clocktower Theatre once it's been restored to its former glory?"

Calvin laughed softly and sipped his coffee. With slow deliberation, he set the cup down. "That would be getting the cart way before the horse, wouldn't it?"

Emory grinned and teased his friend. "You always did play hard to get."

Instead of laughing again, the smile faded from Calvin's face. Emory backpedaled. "I was teasing you, Calvin, so don't take that too seriously."

Calvin licked his lips, his eyes dark and serious as he leaned forward. "You don't know me the way you think you do, Emory."

They'd not seen each other in years. Calvin didn't know the older version of him, either. It would take some time for them to catch up on everything, but Emory knew him well enough to know there was a hidden meaning in his words.

"So why don't you tell me what it is I don't know, and what is I should know?"

"Not tonight. It's been a long day and I'm still a little tired from driving in from Kansas. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."

Emery had no choice but to agree. He and Calvin were friends, and sometimes that meant not pursuing a subject. Besides Calvin was right, they would see each other in the morning.

"Okay, you win. I'll rein in my curiosity until morning."

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Deer Enterprises/White Deer Books
• Release date: Apr 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781519953438

KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks calls herself an accidental writer. After completing her first novel writing as Rayne Forrest, she was urged to submit it to a publisher, and everything snowballed from there. Today, the author has had over seventy books published. In July of 2021, she tried to retire but her employer offered her a deal to work at home. She accepted. Now she balances work, writing, and hearth and home in a controlled chaos. A native of scenic western Maryland, the author enjoys most activities that don’t include snow. In warm weather she might be found walking the dog, biking on the C&O Canal towpath, planting delicacies in her garden for the deer to munch on at night, playing in the creek, or lazing on the patio with her Kindle reader or laptop. She recently began to research her family history and can't drive past a cemetery without stopping to search for family sites. Her mission is to photograph old tombstones before the elements erode the stones and the names are lost to time. For more about KC Kendricks and Rayne Forrest’s writing life, please visit the Between the Keys blog at http:kckendricks.blogspot.com . If you’d like to know more about the author’s country lifestyle and her daily activities full of simple country pleasures (and a lot of work), please visit the Holly Tree Manor blog at http://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com . KC can be reached through her blog, Between the Keys. All comments are strictly moderated by the author and personal messages are treated as such. Follow the author on Twitter for up-to-date announcements at Twitter.com/KCKendricks.

Book preview

Doors of Time

by

KC Kendricks

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This book is a work of fiction. While references to actual places or events may occur,

the names, characters, incidents, and locations are from the author’s imagination

and any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, is coincidental.

––––––––

Copyright © 2012, 2019 KC Kendricks

Cover art © 2016 KC Kendricks

All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. Reproduction of this digital e-book for file sharing or selling, regardless

of whether any type of currency is exchanged, other than what the author grants in writing, is strictly prohibited by law. Piracy is a crime.

An excerpt from Doors of Time

Emory leaned forward. Okay, Calvin. Spill it. Just what do you plan on doing with the Clocktower Theatre once it’s been restored to its former glory?

Calvin laughed softly and sipped his coffee. With slow deliberation, he set the cup down. That would be getting the cart way before the horse, wouldn’t it?

Emory grinned and teased his friend. You always did play hard to get.

Instead of laughing again, the smile faded from Calvin’s face. Emory backpedaled. I was teasing you, Calvin, so don’t take that too seriously.

Calvin licked his lips, his eyes dark and serious as he leaned forward. You don’t know me the way you think you do, Emory.

They’d not seen each other in years. Calvin didn’t know the older version of him, either. It would take some time for them to catch up on everything, but Emory knew him well enough to know there was a hidden meaning in his words.

So why don’t you tell me what it is I don’t know, and what is I should know?

Not tonight. It’s been a long day, and I’m still a little tired from driving in from Kansas. I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.

Emery had no choice but to agree. He and Calvin were friends, and sometimes that meant not pursuing a subject. Besides Calvin was right, they would see each other in the morning.

Okay, you win. I’ll rein in my curiosity until morning.

What they said about Doors of Time

...a sweet story showing that sometimes your ‘What If’ can be your ‘What Is’. – Hearts

on Fire reviews

You cannot help but fall in love with these two men who want nothing but the best for each other. Neither one is afraid to do whatever is needed to ensure a happy ending. Looking for a great story with a happy ending, a great plot and two wonderful heroes? Look no more, you have found it with Doors of Time by K.C. Kendricks. You will not be disappointed. -Sensual Reads

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Praise for the writing of KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks never disappoints!"—Fallen Angel Reviews

..beautifully moving in all the right places...KC Kendricks gives us a well-crafted tale- The Romance Studio

Good to the last word....- Sensual Reads

...Seriously entertaining and totally engaging...- Joyfully Reviewed

...solidly written contemporary romance...-Jessewave

Table of Contents

An excerpt from Doors of Time

What they said about Doors of Time

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

A bonus read from Desert Snow

About the Author

Books by KC Kendricks

Dear Readers,

CHAPTER 1

The Clocktower Theatre was the place of dreams for Calvin Lawson. A faded neo-classical beauty, she’d seen him through the last two years of high school and provided the means to purchase his first car. Friendships to last a lifetime had formed in her dimly lit corridors and dark corners. Now her nineteenth-century grandeur was a distant memory, replaced by the stark vision of a harsh new reality forged by the elements of fire, water, and wind.

Calvin shoved his designer sunglasses above his forehead and stared at the ruins of the old building. Its hands frozen at five-sixteen, the old clock face on the south side of the tower gave lonely testament to the early morning blaze almost a year ago that had swept the theater and ended an era. Back in the day, the clock had also given the theater its nickname, the Time. Before the fire, if you asked anyone on the street for the time, they’d point at the clock tower and you had to look up for yourself.

When he was growing up in Clear River, the Time was all anyone called the movie house. The town was different now, becoming a bedroom community, and only a few of the young men who’d worked in the Time’s hallowed halls during Calvin’s tenure remained.

He skimmed over the specification sheet he’d downloaded off the Internet. The only thing it told him he didn’t already know was the asking price for the property. A flash of sunlight off metal captured his attention. He turned as a black SUV glided into the parking space behind his Charger. Calvin grinned and walked toward its occupant, right hand extended.

Tim Reid, as I live and breathe!

Tim grinned as he climbed out of the vehicle. Scuttlebutt said I might have a fish on the line for the Time, but I guess he got away. He bypassed the hand and gave Calvin a guy-hug, thumping him solidly on the back. What brings you back to Clear River?

Calvin extricated himself from Tim’s grip. It was possible his old boyhood chum didn’t know about his father’s situation, and Calvin had yet to tell anyone his stay in Clear River was indefinite. Nor did he see much value in laying it on Tim. It was what it was, and what it wasn’t was Tim’s problem. He’d gloss over it.

I already planned to come home to help Dad for a while when he called to say Mr. Martz had died. I wanted to attend the funeral, so I bumped up my schedule.

Tim sighed sadly and nodded. Yeah, it was a sad day for the old guard in Clear River. Jeff called to tell me he’s on the way home, too. I guess the whole gang will be there tomorrow.

The words slipped past his lips before Calvin could stop them. What about Emory?

Didn’t you hear?

Calvin shook his head. I’ve been stuck in Kansas for the last year-and-a-half. I’m out of touch with people.

Tim snapped his fingers. Right. You were restoring some mansion in...in...

Overland Park.

He snapped his fingers again, an affectation Calvin was certain he’d find annoying if the man did it on a regular basis.

That’s it! Anyway, Emory’s been in town for a while. He landed an on-air job with the local television station. Brought a little piece of Jacksonville with him, although no one knows why. They fight all the time, so we all figure Emory stays with him for the quality of his blow jobs.

Calvin’s left eyebrow rose. Straight guys. They only thought they knew everything about gay sex.

The one thing Calvin didn’t want rattling around in his head was a mental picture of Emory Fleming making love with anyone else. If he allowed just one image to take hold, it would turn into an entire movie and play in a loop to drive him insane. He looked at the charred pillars flanking what used to be the glittering front entrance to the Clocktower Theatre and changed the subject. He waved his flyer at the dilapidated building.

So, you’re the listing agent for the Time?

A speculative glint appeared in Tim’s gaze. You don’t want to take this project on, Calvin. It’ll take millions to purchase and restore the building, and the folks at the historical society will make life a living hell for anyone who takes on the job.

Tim was right on both counts, but Calvin had made his decision. Before he let Tim know he’d already formed a plan, Calvin had a mound of homework to do. He folded the flyer and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans.

Can I buy you a beer, Tim? You can tell me all about what the old gang’s been up to lately. Except for Emory, that is. I think I’m up to speed on him.

Tim laughed. Sounds great. I have an errand to run for a client. What say we meet at The White Horse Grill in an hour or so?

Works for me. Calvin held out his hand, and this time Tim gave him a firm handshake.

See ya there, man.

Calvin watched Tim hop in the SUV and drive away before he released his cell phone from its clip to take a few pictures of the exterior of the building. He itched to go inside, but he’d wait until he checked with the fire marshal to see if the floors were sound enough to hold his weight. He slipped down the narrow access alley between the theater and its neighbor to get a look at the back. It was worse.

The fire had started in the rear of the building. The arsonist had done his dirty work by climbing through a basement window and setting two fires, one in each northward corner where the structure was set deep and solid into bedrock. Then he’d exited by the same window and disappeared, leaving the police with few clues and no suspects. The blaze had gotten a big head start on the firemen, and what the flames didn’t destroy, smoke and water did. To top it off, the hole in the roof let in rain, wind and, undoubtedly, flying creatures.

He should forget about the Clocktower Theatre and find another project. Clear River had no dearth of older homes begging for the touch of a gentle, loving hand. Hell, some of them wept for it. He could start with his father’s place.

His parents’ place. He had to remember to reference the house as belonging to his mother, too. Maryanne Lawson was still alive, even