I spent the next hour in the monastery, wandering through the cloister and even stepping into the library that Luz’s father had once tended. It was a gorgeous space with tall shelves and books so old that their spines were flaking away. A woman sat at a desk in the back, and when she asked if I was looking for anything in particular, I said, “I just wanted to be in the presence of the books if that’s okay.”
“Of course,” she said in lilting English. “Why do you think I work here?”
I smiled and took a few more deep breaths before heading out to meet Aaran and Beattie. I had a lot to tell them.
And unfortunately, Aaran was not happy to hear most of it. He just kept saying, “You what?” every time I told him more about Luz and her family.
When I was done, he said, “Have you learned nothing,
