Andrew gave her a half smile.

“Wait right there.” He handed a dish through the window. “Appetizer. Not on the menu. For my folks.”

“This looks delicious.” She took the platter. “You’re so thoughtful. I love you for that, you know.”

“I do what I can.” He swept at his brow.

Were the beads of sweat on his forehead from the heat of the kitchen or his parents’ arrival? She couldn’t blame him for being nervous; she was too.

The trio platter had Andrew’s homemade pimento cheese, a heaping serving of made-from-scratch hushpuppies, and a spicy bean salsa that he’d been tweaking for over two weeks. “We might have to add this to our future menus.” Whenever they perfected a recipe, she’d laminate it and put it in their binder full of recipes they’d use in the restaurant they’d someday own together. This looked worthy of the appetizer section.

He nodded toward the dining room. “If Dad likes it, it’ll please anyone.”

“They’ll love it. Don’t you worry.” She zipped by her other tables to deliver the appetizer.

His dad raised his head. “We didn’t order that.”

“On the house,” she said as cheerfully as possible. “I think you’ll like it.”

He scowled and muttered something about not ruining his dinner with filler that she pretended to ignore. Mrs. York dove right into the platter.

Thankfully, when she brought out his dinner, he seemed much more ready to indulge. “How did you enjoy the appetizers?” she asked.

“Fabulous!” Mrs. York said.

Mr. York glanced at the near-empty dish. “Never was one much for hushpuppies, but everything on that plate was good. Probably won’t be able to finish my dinner now.”

“No worries. We can box your leftovers if needed.”

The cafe was busy, but she kept an extra-close eye on their table to be sure to get their dessert to them before they asked for it. When she did, Mr. York didn’t even complain.

“Can I get anything else for you two tonight?” she asked.

“No,” Mr. York said quickly, then rubbed his stomach.

Mrs. York placed her hand atop her husband’s across the table and softly said, “Not a thing, darling. Thank you so much. That was the best cake. So moist. And all those layers? It had to take hours to prepare. You’re an amazing baker.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Kelly heard Andrew say behind her.

She turned and reached for his hand. “Hey.”

His blue button-down shirt was wrinkled from where the apron had been tied against it for hours in the steamy kitchen. “My special girl.” He pulled her in close.

She resisted the urge to kiss him right there in front of his parents. “Thank you.” As she held his gaze, she knew he was thinking the same thing at that moment.