Read Online Broken Promises by Summer Waters - Free Book Online Page B

helps me. I mostly work on my own. Then suddenly, I find myself working with two Silver Dolphins. I wanted to provethat I was good enough to do the job.”
    â€œBut…” Antonia was amazed and suddenly very ashamed that she’d felt the need to compete with Hannah. It didn’t matter who was the best Silver Dolphin. Doing the job to the best of their ability was far more important.
    â€œI’m sorry, Hannah. I never realised that’s how you felt.”
    They looked at each other for a moment, then Antonia asked hesitantly, “Friends?”
    Hannah beamed. “Definitely.”
    They walked up the beach. Antonia meant to avoid Comet but, quickening their step, Cai and Hannah headed straight for him. At his head they knelt down and Hannah gently pulled back the sheet uncovering his face. Shestroked his cheek, then Hannah quickly kissed his nose.
    â€œFrom Bella,” she explained to Antonia, as Cai copied her.
    Taking a deep breath, Antonia knelt down and kissed Comet on the nose. It was the least she could do.
    They left the creek and drove along the cliff road. Hannah was sitting in the front, staring out of the passenger window at the sea, when suddenly she shouted for Claudia to stop.
    â€œDolphins,” she cried. “Look, down there.”
    Claudia pulled the car over on to a grass verge and everyone jumped out. Moving along the coastline was a pod of dolphins, their leaping bodies sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
    â€œMy binoculars,” said Claudia, reaching inside the car and pulling them out of a pocket. She held them to her eyes.
    â€œBottlenose,” she confirmed, passing the binoculars round for everyone to see. They watched the dolphins and when they were out of sight, Cai broke the silence with a contented sigh.
    â€œWonderful,” agreed Claudia. “Without your help that whole pod would have been stranded and quite probably would have died. I’m so proud of you all. My wonderful Silver Dolphins.”
    The ache in Antonia’s heart felt less sore as she climbed back into the car. They might not have been able to help Comet, but at least they had saved the rest of the pod.
    Claudia drove on to Sandy Bay. The seafront was packed and there was nowhere to park. Claudia let Antonia out of the car, then drove round the block while she raced down on to the beach to collect her shoes. They weren’t where she remembered leaving them. Frantically she searched the rocks. Where were they? It was the first time her things had gone missing when she’d left them on the beach. Antonia was annoyed with herself for not hiding them more carefully. At last, she found one shoe upside down in a clump of dried seaweed and the other close by in a rock pool. Her socks were missing and she gave up looking for them. She was already much later than she’d meant to be and wasn’t sure how Mum would feel abouther abandoning Abi, even if she had left her with Sophie.
    Antonia kept very quiet on the way home in the car. When Claudia pulled up outside her house, her stomach dipped.
    Here goes! she thought nervously.
    Claudia switched off the car ignition.
    â€œI’ll come in with you,” she said. “It’s been quite an afternoon. I’d like to explain some of it to your parents.”
    Mrs Lee did look slightly annoyed when she opened the front door.
    â€œThere you are at last,” she said. “Abi’s gone round to Sophie’s for tea. You were invited, but it’s too late to go now.”
    â€œThat’s my fault,” said Claudia pleasantly. “Could I have a word?”
    â€œYes, of course, come in,” said Mrs Lee, opening the door wider for everyone to crowd into the tiny hall. “Antonia, take Cai and…”
    â€œHannah,” said Antonia.
    â€œTake Cai and Hannah into the garden,” said Mum.
    â€œAre you in trouble?” asked Hannah, as they filed outside.
    â€œI’m not sure,”