But the gentleman in the balloon cleared his throat and Holly jumped back like she had been struck by lightning.
They filed out of the hot air balloon and found the camera crew waiting for them.
“Time to record your interviews,” the director announced. Holly’s shoulders slumped. She had forgotten about the TV show. This was the part where she would tell the cameras what a dreamy date they had and how much she hoped William would choose to date her again.
Even though it would be telling the truth, saying it to a camera multiple times made it sound contrived. Just as they were about to part ways, William pulled on Holly’s hand and leaned into her ear.
“After this, how about I take you on a proper date?”
The question brought a smile to Holly’s face.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked, trying to act coy. William’s brows knitted together then he broke into a grin.
“How do you feel about breaking the law?”
Chapter Nine
Holly was buzzing as she watched William work the lock on a door in a back alley. She kept a lookout, her imagination running wild, but no one came. The door clicked and William pushed it open.
“Where did you learn to pick a lock?” she asked. William tapped his nose and gestured for her to follow.
“This is the service entrance. It’s a terrible security flaw if you ask me. But tonight, I’m not complaining.”
Holly followed him inside and the door slammed shut behind them. The sound echoed all around them and Holly flinched. William shot her a look.
“Sorry,” she whispered. They walked through a narrow hall that smelled like feet. “Where are we?”
“Come and see,” William whispered back, marching forward. They reached a set of doors and William held one open for Holly. As she stepped through, she squinted into what seemed to be a very large, dark hall.
“I don’t––” she began, but William thrust up a handle and huge lights flooded the place. Holly gasped.
“Is this… a basketball stadium?”
William nodded. A huge basketball court sat in the centre of stadium seating. A scoreboard hung on every side. Holly was giddy.
“We’ve just broken into a stadium. Aren’t we going to get caught?” she said, as they descended the steps.
“They don’t have a game on tonight. I know a few NBA players,” William said. “Oh, look!”
He hopped onto the metal handrail and slid down to the court with ease. Then dashed to the other side and picked up a ball. He held up it like a trophy.
“Want to play a game?” he asked with a wry smile.
Holly glanced down at her tight denim dress and wished she was wearing something more suitable. But despite her worries, she lifted herself onto the handrail to follow William to the court. Once she was perched on the rail she leaned forward and let go, expecting to go sailing down to the bottom. But what happened instead made William snort with laughter. Holly slid a couple of feet and then came to a squeaky halt as her denim dress got stuck to the metal. She rocked side to side in a weak attempt to get herself going again, which only created more squeaks. William doubled up with mirth.
“Why don’t you just use the steps?” he called out. Holly bit her tongue with concentration. She was not a quitter. She frowned as she moved around to unstick herself from the rail. Finally, she repositioned at an angle that had her flying down at mammoth speed, her hair flying.
William promptly stopped laughing and ran over just as Holly flew from the end of the rail and collided with him. They both ended up on the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” Holly said, pushing herself off of his chest. William rested his hands on her hips and stared at Holly in shock for a moment. Then his face flooded with color and the two of them broke into a fit of laughter.
“If only I caught that on camera,” William said as they got to their feet. Holly elbowed him.
“I’d make you delete the footage,” she said, failing miserably to hide the amusement from her tone.
“You’re hilarious. You know that, right?”
Holly rolled her eyes and straightened out her dress.
“I’ve been told.”
William shook his head, gave her a curious look then shook his head again.
“What is it?” Holly asked, suddenly self-conscious. She wondered if one of her clip-in hair extensions had fallen out, or if her lipstick had smudged. William scratched the back of his neck and thrust a hand in his pocket.
“You’re not like other models,” he said frankly. Holly twisted her hair around her finger.
“I’m sure you’ve dated lots of models, huh?” she teased. William’s face turned red.
“Actually, you’re the first,” he said sheepishly. Holly cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment.
“How am I different from other models?”
William picked up the basketball and avoided eye contact.
“I don’t know… How good are you at shooting hoops?”
Holly knew he was trying to change the topic, but she let it drop. She kicked off her boots and followed William to the end of the court.
“My dad taught me a thing or two,” she said casually. William ran and jumped, letting go of the ball. It bounced on the back board and fell through the hoop. Holly got the impression he had done that a million times before.
He threw the ball to her and she caught it.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” William said, crossing his arms. Holly shook her hair back from her shoulders and took a deep breath. Suddenly, William held up his hands and looked at her with a frown.
“Wait!” he said, tip toeing to the side. He crouched down and sheltered his head with his arms. “Okay. Now go ahead.”
Holly resisted the urge to throw the ball at him and rolled her eyes instead.
“Oh, very funny.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. William grinned and stood up again.
Holly was good at
