Sweet and loving worker (7)
I believe the answer is:
fondant
'sweet' is the definition.
(fondant is a kind of sweet)
'loving worker' is the wordplay.
'loving' becomes 'fond' ('fond' can be similar in meaning to 'loving').
'worker' becomes 'ant' (worker is a type of ant).
'fond'+'ant'='FONDANT'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for fondant that I've seen before include "Thick creamy sugar paste" , "Thick sugar paste used for icing cakes" , "Soft sweet" , "Sugary paste for sweets" , "Sweet paste of sugar, water, and flavouring" .)