When Never Comes

by Barbara Davis

Eight years. How had they slipped by so quickly? And how had she not noticed that things were changing—that Stephen was changing? Or maybe she’d just pretended not to notice. Determined to shake the thought, she reached for the remote. The screen flared to life; a pair of talking heads behind the WGME news desk, with a bright-red breaking news banner crawling across the bottom. AUTHOR STEPHEN LUDLOW DIES IN CAR CRASH. It was bad enough seeing the words, but when Stephen’s face flashed up on the screen—the headshot from the back cover of his last book—she sagged onto the sofa and turned up the sound. “Police say Ludlow’s car skidded off the Echo Bay Bridge and submerged in the chilly waters below. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but it’s believed that ice on the bridge was to blame for the crash. Divers recovered the body just after midnight. Ludlow is best known for his Craig Childress detective novels, several of which have been made into successful action films. Ludlow resided in Clear Harbor, Maine, and is survived by his wife, Christine. The couple had been married for eight years and had no children.” “No,” Christine said, clicking off the set when coverage shifted to an apartment fire in Portland. “No children.” As if it was anyone’s business. There had been questions, of course. Awkward, intrusive questions she never quite knew how to answer. No children yet? How long have you been trying? Are you considering in vitro? Because if you are, the...