Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Doors of Time
    Doors of Time
    Doors of Time
    Ebook129 pages1 hour

    Doors of Time

    By KC Kendricks

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    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."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWhite Deer Enterprises/White Deer Books
    Release dateApr 2, 2016
    ISBN9781519953438
    Doors of Time
    Author

    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. The author does not use AI in the creation of her books or the book covers.  In May of 2022, she "retired" from her day job, moving from being an Administrative Assistant to an Administrative Consultant. She says it sounds grand, but the job is basically answering emails to her protégé as she becomes acquainted with all aspects of the job.  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 ebook 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 . And for dog lovers, there is Deuce's Day – life seen through the eyes of KC's black Lab, Deuce (http://deucesday.blogspot.com) KC finds YouTube a fascinating place and has recently uploaded a few short videos of life in the country. She hopes to do more in the future. Her channel is called The Hideaway Between the Keys. https://www.youtube.com/KCKendricks 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 X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-date announcements at Twitter.com/KCKendricks.

    Read more from Kc Kendricks

    Related to Doors of Time

    Related ebooks

    Contemporary Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Evening Star

      Sep 10, 2021

      A red streak of light flashed across the curtains. Robert grimaced and Grace got up to look out the window. There were two police cars pulling into the parking lot and it had started to snow again. She turned around. Robert was kneeling on the bed. H

      15 min read

    • Article

      ¡hola Papi!

      Jul 23, 2019

      ¡hola Papi!
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Out Oscars

      Jan 23, 2024

      The Out Oscars
      5 min read

    • Article

      Streaming/film Reviews

      Sep 3, 2024

      • Starring Megan Mantaner and Mateo Medina Created by Suzana López This may not seem to be a series aimed at LGBTQ+ readers, but in episode 7, it does an about turn. This captivating series highlights the dilemma of a feisty young woman who offers he

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 28, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Grey Pride

      Oct 12, 2018

      Grey Pride
      15 min read

    • Article

      Clive’s LAST TANGO

      Dec 29, 2019

      Clive’s LAST TANGO
      3 min read

    • Article

      Housewarming

      Dec 1, 2022

      DENNIS MCFARLAND’S most recent novel is Nostalgia. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories, and the Scholar, among other places. When Kevin arrived at the top floor and stepped into a long dark hallway, he couldn’t re

      21 min read

    • Article

      Grey Pride

      Jun 21, 2017

      Grey Pride
      16 min read

    • Article

      Hello, Grim Reaper

      Dec 15, 2021

      She was a babe. A fully paid-up, card-carrying babe. There was absolutely no doubt about it, and she was heading straight for me. She was almost sprinting towards me across the recently reimagined lobby of Claridge’s. She looked up, her scarlet-anoin

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Leftovers: Desert Trip

      Apr 30, 2017

      The Leftovers: Desert Trip
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ineffectual Tribute to Len

      Mar 15, 2019

      After graduate school I hung around another year and drove a cab for Iowa City Yellow Cab. The cab was a boat, a Chevrolet Caprice wagon. I could have put a mattress in the back and lived in it. I didn’t hate the job. I’d sit in the Kroger parking lo

      24 min read

    • Article

      The Spoils

      Jun 18, 2018

      “You’re an insufficient man,” Anna had said the day before the day she had asked for a divorce. The post The Spoils appeared first on Guernica.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Great Scot

      Oct 22, 2021

      Great Scot
      10 min read

    • Article

      National Treasure

      Oct 12, 2018

      National Treasure
      17 min read

    • Article

      Diary of Remorse

      Sep 6, 2022

      I was plagued by remorse, but my remorse seemed inspired by insignificant dumb things—things not really worthy of bona fide remorse. That didn’t make it any less painful or plague-worthy, as I was still riddled with disgrace on a minute-by-minute bas

      20 min read

    • Article

      Lost city

      Dec 7, 2023

      Lost city
      6 min read

    • Article

      National Treasure

      Dec 12, 2017

      National Treasure
      19 min read

    • Article

      The Island

      Jun 4, 2018

      The Island
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 14, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Robin Ince Is On The Road

      Feb 26, 2024

      I am at Slapstick Festival. Between talking to Tim Vine about his feature film about a giant moth and Sylvester McCoy discussing his career – from weasels down his trousers to Middle-earth, I walk a couple of miles to the Montpelier of Bristol. It is

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 21, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      We Were Hull

      Feb 3, 2022

      We Were Hull
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Doors of Time

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Doors of Time - KC Kendricks

      Doors of Time

      by

      KC Kendricks

      ––––––––

      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

      ––––––––

      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

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1