For a moment, his attention was pulled away. In front of the restaurant, an old van with faded lettering that read ABC Bakery Supply pulled up to the curb. The door slowly opened, the driver turning around in his seat, then gingerly placing a cane on the ground.

“Delivery is even worse than takeout,” his dad was saying. “At least takeout brings people by to say hello.” A lecture was coming. One Leo knew too well. “Don’t you want the restaurant to succeed?”

“Of course I do, Dad.”

Outside, the driver had just lowered himself to the ground. He was a frail man, Leo would guess around eighty, with a wisp of white hair on the top of his head that blew in the wind. When the man finally managed to walk, he was hunched over, leaning hard on the cane. He’d only taken a few steps when Tessa, her mom, and her grandmother, all in their aprons, walked out of the bakery and met him on the sidewalk.

“I’ll tell you how to do it.” His dad, oblivious to what was going on outside, leaned across the table and dropped his voice. “Become a family man. No one will trust Mr. Fancy-Pants-Bachelor-MBA. You need to get married and settle down. In fact, Vito Rosalini just told me his daughter Annette is back in town.”

“Annette?” Reflexively, he shuddered, remembering the one date they’d gone on in high school. She’d grown up with five rough-and-tumble brothers. Leo told her a joke, and she’d punched his arm—in jest—but with such enthusiasm that he had a bruise the next day. At sixteen, he’d been too insecure to go on another date with a girl who was stronger than him. But now, as an adult, maybe he should give her another chance?

“She’s a nice girl, and she’s from a good family. Her father said you could come over for dinner one night.”

“I’ll consider it.” Then, just to try and curb the matchmaking, he added, “I can find my own dates, though. I’m thirty-two years old.”

“Yes, but are you married? No. Your mother and I were married at twenty. By the time you finally have kids, I’ll be dead in my coffin.”

Outside, the old man opened the van door to reveal the entire back loaded with boxes. That was all it took to get Leo up and walking to the entrance.

“What do you think you’re doing?” his dad asked.

“Going to help.” He nodded toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”

He’d almost reached it when his dad said in a foreboding tone, “Do not go out there.”

Leo felt like he was twelve again. “You’re kidding, right?”