Shadow Days Read Online Free PDF

style. And if townie–boarding school relations were as bad here as they were in some places I’d lived, I knew that driving through town in a brand-new car wasn’t the way to make friends. “I can find something on my own.”
    “forgive my nephew,” Bosque said, smiling at Logan. “He fancies himself something of a bohemian.”
    “Ah,” Logan said, pursing his lips.
    Efron gave his son a chastising glance. “Whatever makes Shay comfortable, of course.”
    “Of course,” Logan repeated, studying the steaming slices of rare beef on his plate with disdain.
    I was getting tired of being talked about like I wasn’t in the room.
    “I’d rather have something that can take a beating. I may need to go off road.”
    Logan chewed on his meat, eyeing me. “Off road where?”
    “Anywhere,” I said. “I’ll head for the best hiking spots. Sometimes it takes a rough road to get to them.”
    Efron and Logan exchanged a glance.
    Bosque smiled at me but shot a stern glance at Efron. “Seamus is an experienced hiker. He won’t find trouble. There’s no need to be concerned.”
    “If you’re certain,” Efron said. He pointed the tip of his steak knife at me. “It’s more of a wilderness around here than you’d imagine. Keep that in mind when you’re exploring.”
    “Always do,” I said. “I’ll read up on the terrain before I head out.”
    “You’ll forgive me if I don’t offer to accompany you,” Logan said.
    “Outdoor pursuits have never been able to hold my interest.”
    There’s a shocker.
    “No worries,” I said. “I’m used to hiking alone.”
    “An independent spirit,” Efron said. “How charming.”
    Logan’s mouth curved up, but his smile made me feel like he was enjoying a joke at my expense.
    29
    “But surely you’d enjoy spending some time at the country club,”
    Efron said. “Logan and his friends while away the hours there.”
    “It sounds like he’d be better off running with the wolves than joining me at the club,” Logan said with a snicker.
    “Logan!” Bosque’s clipped tone froze Logan in his seat. He blanched, shuddering like a rabbit cornered by hounds. Efron gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white with tension.
    I forced a laugh. “No, no. He’s right. I wouldn’t fit in at any country club. I can’t swing a golf club to save my life.”
    Bosque’s gaze slid my way. “You’re quite forgiving. I do not appreciate rudeness at the expense of my family.”
    “My sincerest apologies,” Logan whispered. “I didn’t mean—”
    “Seriously.” I appreciated that my uncle wanted to keep me happy, but he was taking things a little far. “Not a big deal.”
    “I’m sure Shay will find his niche,” Efron said quietly.
    Bosque relaxed back into his chair. “He will indeed.”
    Logan stared at his plate. His hands were still shaking.
    After that, dessert was tense at best, with conversation limited to Efron updating my uncle about some new real estate development in Vail. I was relieved when Efron declined my uncle’s offer of an after-dinner cigar. I didn’t think I could take any more of their company. Logan hadn’t managed to make eye contact with me or my uncle since Bosque’s outburst. Even if he could, I was pretty convinced Efron’s son and I had nothing to talk about.
    But when we said our good-byes at the door, Logan paused beside me and reached into his pocket.
    “Please,” he said as he pressed a card into my hand. “If you need anything.”
    “Sure,” I said, barely managing to keep a straight face. Who the hell has business cards at age eighteen?
    If this guy was what all the students at my new school were like, my senior year was going to blow. Big time.
    30

    four
    W
    it turned out I had to use Logan’s card the very next day.
    I pulled myself out of bed at 9 a.m. If I’d known that was the last decent night’s sleep I would get at Rowan Estate, I would have slept longer. Uncle Bosque was already gone by the time I wandered into