Read Online The Chocolate Dog by Holly Webb - Free Book Online

was right – she’d done her best to make a fuss of Lara on her birthday, promising that there would be lots of presents later. But she sounded exhausted, though she’d promised Amy she was absolutely fine. She definitely wasn’t up to mermaid-birthday-cake making.
    Kate put an arm round Lara rather uncertainly, especially when Lara stayed stone still with her arms folded. “We’ll buy a birthday cake in the supermarket when we get all the other things,” she said reassuringly. “I know it won’t be as special as one your mum made, but it’ll still be nice.”
    â€œCan’t you make one?” Amy asked.
    Kate shook her head slowly. “I wouldn’t know how, Amy. I’ve never made a birthday cake for anybody.”
    Lara was still looking grumpy, but she nodded. “Mum’s really good at cakes. Don’t forget sausages,” she muttered, eyeing Kate’s list.
    Â 
    Amy shoved her hands in her pockets and wondered if she could pretend she didn’t belong with Kate and Lara. No one would believe her, though. She and Lara looked too alike, even when Lara was scarlet from crying.
    Kate was kneeling on the floor of the cake aisle next to Lara. “Lara, look. I know you’re not happy. But they don’t do mermaids. And the man on the bakery counter said they couldn’t make one before this afternoon. I’m really, really sorry.”
    â€œShe promised!” Lara wailed.
    â€œYou have to choose one of these,” Kate explained. “Princesses?”
    â€œThe pony one’s nice…” Amy suggested.
    â€œCaterpillar,” Lara sniffed. She wasn’t that into ponies.
    â€œReally?” Kate blinked, but she didn’t argue. “Fine. Let’s go and pay for all this lot.”
    Kate drove them back home, and then vanished out into the garden – that was where most of the party was going to be, according to Mum’s plan. The weather was on their side. Amy was wearing shorts and a vest top, and she was still too hot. In fact, it was almost the nicest weather they’d had all summer, now.
    Mum had arranged for a man to come with a bouncy castle for the party, and Kate was watching him set it up while she put out a table for tea and hung up balloons. She looked hot, and a bit panicked.
    Amy leaned on their bedroom window sill, watching the castle grow – it was funny, the way it kept wobbling. Choc wasn’t sure about it at all. He was standing next to Amy on the chair from her desk, his paws on the window sill, growling a low, edgy growl. Something was growing in his garden. Amy was stroking him soothingly, but he wouldn’t be comforted, especially as the castle just kept on getting bigger.
    She was surprised that Lara wasn’t out there, bouncing up and down next to the man and asking when she could get on. Mum had arranged for him to bring it early, so that Lara could have a good go on it before her friends came.
    Actually, where was Lara? She hadn’t seen her since they got back from the shops.
    â€œWhere did she go, Choc?” Amy muttered to him. “Where’s Lara?”
    Choc cast one more suspicious look out of the window, but he obviously thought that he’d frightened the castle enough now, and it was safe to leave it in the garden. He jumped down from the chair and set off downstairs, with Amy padding barefoot after him. She followed him into the kitchen, in time to see his feathery tail disappearing under the kitchen table. Amy sighed and peered in.
    Lara stared back, blinking owlishly as the sunlight poured into the dim space under the tablecloth.
    â€œWhy are you back under there again?” Amy asked, a little impatiently.
    Lara sniffed and rubbed the back of her hand over her nose. She’d been crying. She still was crying. Amy felt guilty.
    â€œWhat’s the matter?”
    â€œI wanted a mermaid cake…” Lara said pathetically.
    â€œThey