She's not a predator. In an effort to move forward in life, Kaede ends up getting a job at her coffee shop. She teaches him in a profressional manner. He develops feelings for her because of her kindness, and he eventually confesses.
She plays it off at first, saying that it's good that he likes her as his boss. She did actually understand what he meant, but she just didn't know how else to deal with the issue since she doesn't believe that a romantic relationship between them would be appropriate. A few days (timeline unclear on how long) later, he brings it up again and says he meant it romantically, and she says he's confused and that he doesn't even know her very well.
