Page 64 of Torin

She picks up the folded instruction sheet.

“Have you ever installed one of these?”

“No.”

Her eyes lift to mine.

“I asked the guy at the store. He said it was easy.”

“Those sound like famous last words.” She laughs and unfolds the instructions.

I start laying out the parts.

After a moment, Hannah shifts closer until her shoulder rests lightly against my arm.

I smile and keep working.

A minute later, she taps one of the metal brackets with the instructions.

“That’s backwards.”

I look at it. She’s right. I turn it around.

She keeps reading while I assemble the rest of the mount.

“It needs a clear view of the northern sky.”

I glance up. The cabin is surrounded by pines, but there’s a decent stretch of open sky above the roof.

“That’ll do.”

I pick up the dish.

“What do you need me to do?” Hannah asks.

“Keep reading.”

“So basically all the difficult stuff.”

“Exactly.”

She holds a straight face for a second, then laughs.

I shake my head and climb onto the roof.

From up here, I can see farther down the valley than I expected. Bennett picked a good spot for this place. Hidden enough that Hannah’s father is unlikely to stumble across it, but not so buried in the trees that the dish has no chance.

I find a clear spot and secure the mount, then attach the dish.

“Anything happening?” I call down.

“No.”

I adjust it. “How about now?”

“No.”

Another adjustment. “Now?”