She pointed to the doughnuts still scattered all over the floor. “Tell it to the judge.”

Hawk moved toward her, but Raoul stepped between them. “Coach, it’s okay. I was wrong. I knew it was wrong to steal and I did it anyway. You’re always saying we have to learn to accept the consequences of our actions. This is one of them.”

The kid turned to her, then dropped his gaze to the floor. “Not having the money isn’t an excuse. I shouldn’t have done it. I was afraid of being embarrassed in front of the team.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, Ms. Keyes.”

Nicole hated that she wanted to believe him. There was something so defeated about Raoul’s posture. She told herself he could be playing her, too, that the two of them made a real great team, but somehow she sensed the kid was telling the truth. He had been embarrassed and he was sorry.

She debated what to do. While stealing was wrong, she didn’t want to punish Raoul just to get back at Mr. High and Mighty. The fact that his coach was a womanizer/possible former underwear model/jock wasn’t Raoul’s fault.

Knowing she was going to be hating herself come morning when the kid didn’t show up, she said, “I’ll make you a deal. You can work off what you stole. Be here at six tomorrow morning.”

For the first time since she’d tripped him, Raoul looked at her. Something very much like hope brightened his dark eyes. “For real?”

“Yes. But if you don’t show up, I’ll hunt you down like a dog and make you regret the day you were born. Do we have a deal?”

Raoul grinned. She sighed. Give it a couple more years and he would be just as deadly as his coach. How fair was that?

“I’ll be here,” he promised. “I’ll be early.”

“I won’t.”

Hawk turned to her. “Now can he wait for me in the truck?”

“Sure.” Although if it were up to her, Coach Hawkins could go, too. They had nothing to say to each other.