A Groom of One's Own (Appies, #3)

by Emma St. Clair

here or to go?” the man behind the counter asks. “To go.” I turn to Mom. “I still want to go to the shelter before it closes.” Her smile is wide. “You and your dogs. When are you going to bring one home?” “One day,” I tell her. We both know I’m too busy, and her health is too up-and-down to add in the responsibility of a dog. As we retrieve our order, the guy behind the counter clears his throat. “And could I get an autograph? I follow you on TikTok.” “Of course.” I end up signing one of the white pastry bags for him. It’s still folded neatly, my scrawled signature contrasting with the neatly printed Toasted Pecan logo. “I could sign too,” Mom teases, and the guy gets flustered. “Oh, um, sure?” “Kidding. You wouldn’t be able to sell it on eBay then,” she says with a laugh. “People do still use eBay, right?” she asks me on the way out. “Probably? I don’t know.” “I heard of another site recently—OnlyFans? Is that similar?” I almost spit coffee all over the sidewalk. “That’s not—no. It’s not like eBay, Ma. Never mention that site again. And please don’t go there.” She cackles, and I realize she knows exactly what OnlyFans is and was totally messing with me.