Brody and Rachel first met at Mount Angel Abbey in 2022. At the time, Brody was discerning monastic life and women were the last thing on his mind. Rachel had just moved back from Boston and become a Benedictine Oblate at the Abbey, where she enrolled in monthly "Oblate Novice" classes. Brody, who happened to be teaching one of these classes, was immediately drawn to Rachel's religious zeal, quick wit, and attentive crocheting. Thus began a friendship in which Rachel and Brody bonded over their love of books and collaborated on several craft projects. Three years later, Brody departed the Abbey at the conclusion of his temporary monastic vows. Rachel wondered to herself what he might do next. She didn't have to wonder long. After Mass on Sunday, Rachel and Brody ran into each other at the Ike Box, a craft coffee bar in downtown Salem. Brody hadn't planned to reestablish contact so soon, but the Abbey's Oblate Director—with whom he was meeting that morning—saw Rachel sitting alone and invited her to join their table. A couple weeks later, when Rachel and Brody again encountered each other at a meeting of the Salem C.S. Lewis Society, they could no longer deny that "a secret Master of Ceremonies" (C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves) had been drawing them together from the start.