Chapter 35 — The Cupcake Business
John Kramer was finally gone.
Ethan stood by the clinic window, watching the gaunt figure disappear into the crowd. For a few seconds, he remained dazed.
He'd thought the man wanted to drag him into some kind of "life-and-death game."
Instead, the old man had tried to recruit him.
"Join me. Let's change the world."
Change the world?
Like that?
Ethan let out a slow breath. Different paths, different minds.
Kramer's logic wasn't entirely insane. Some people trapped in addiction or at the brink really did need forced intervention.
But the world couldn't be handled with a machete.
You couldn't treat someone who drank bubble tea every day like they were at death's door and throw them into some "wake-up game" that scared them half to death.
Some people just messed up their own lives a bit. As long as they weren't hurting others, turning it into a life-or-death judgment was absurd.
Ethan had once naïvely thought that curing Kramer's cancer might make him stop. Become a decent person.
Today proved otherwise.
John Kramer didn't build his traps because he was dying.
He did it to "prove something about humanity."
Which meant as long as death existed, his obsession would keep burning.
Good thing Ethan had refused without hesitation.
Maybe their paths wouldn't cross again.
He sincerely hoped so.
---
Evening
Mary still hadn't shown up by closing time.
Ethan didn't wait. He shut off the clinic lights and stepped outside.
Tonight he was heading to the Williamsburg diner — mostly because he wanted Max's cupcakes to lift his mood.
And, while he was there, he could check whether Caroline and Max had made progress on the long-term cupcake supply for the clinic.
The taxi stopped outside. Neon lights flickered across the windows.
Ethan pushed the door open. The familiar mix of fryer grease, coffee, and Max's signature sarcasm washed over him.
He'd barely sat down in a booth when Max sauntered over, menu in hand.
"Doctor. What brings you back to my kingdom?"
She slapped the menu onto the table. "You here for emotional comfort, or physical pleasure?"
Ethan raised a brow. "Both."
Max grinned instantly. "Then you came to the right woman. I'm basically Brooklyn's Megan Fox. In your lineup of exes? I'm the rare collectible edition."
Ethan chuckled. "Right now I need your cupcakes more. Did Caroline talk to you about supplying the clinic?"
Max paused. "She did… but now's not the best time."
"It's only thirty a day," Ethan said patiently. "Easy for you. And that's an extra hundred bucks or more daily. You could quit the nanny job and save all that commute time."
Max narrowed her eyes. "You're not planning to help your ex by personally inhaling thirty cupcakes a day, are you? Should I expect to see you training for sumo next week?"
"Of course not," Ethan said. "I just figure if I like something, my patients probably will too. It rewards me and improves the clinic experience. Win-win."
He added, "Thirty a day. The more flavor variety, the better. But if that's too much hassle, stick to one or two flavors. I'm not picky."
Max gave him a suspicious look. "I feel like there's a scam in here. Are you trying to get me to deliver cupcakes daily so we can conveniently hook up on a surgical table?"
"You know, that hadn't occurred to me until you said it," Ethan replied, tapping his temple. "Didn't you once say making money and having sex are your two favorite hobbies? Delivering cupcakes to my clinic sounds very… efficient."
Max smirked. "Let me think about it."
"Sure," Ethan shrugged. "No rush."
Push too hard and Max would dig in her heels. She had her own mental math running, and Ethan wasn't about to force it.
He ordered dinner and waited quietly.
---
Before the food arrived, Caroline came over with a water pitcher and topped off his glass.
"Hey, Ethan, back again." She smiled warmly. "Here for Max, or the cupcakes?"
"Bit of both," he said. "I just talked to her about supplying the clinic."
Caroline's eyes lit up. "Really? When I bring it up, she says it'll ruin her fragile little 'stable life.'"
"Same vibe," Ethan nodded. "Lots of 'bad timing' excuses. Maybe you can help nudge her toward the light."
Caroline straightened proudly. "Leave it to me."
Less than ten minutes later, she returned dragging Max with her.
One looked like she'd just surrendered in battle.
The other looked like a victorious general.
Max planted her hands on her hips. "Fine! Fine! I'm in! Starting tomorrow, we supply your clinic. Thirty cupcakes. One flavor. Want more flavors? Sure — pay extra."
Ethan smiled. "You two work fast."
Max rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't get sentimental. We're discussing details. Delivery time? Method? Price? And don't forget, we're not a charity. Even if you are my… ex."
Caroline coughed. "He's paying, Max. Relax."
Ethan chuckled. "Before 10 a.m. works. I'll give you a clinic key. Leave them at the front desk."
Max nodded.
"Price?" she said, arms crossed. "My cost might be about a dollar each, but don't you dare use that to lowball me."
Ethan calculated quickly. "Three dollars per cupcake. Plus a flat $30 daily delivery fee. That's $120 per day."
Caroline's eyes widened. "That's a solid contract, Max."
"Over about twenty-two workdays a month," Ethan added, "you're looking at roughly $2,600. Enough to quit the nanny job."
Max frowned, doing the math — then slowly grinned.
"Deal."
Caroline headed back to the kitchen while Max and Ethan ironed out flavor rotations, packaging, shelf life, and supply adjustments.
Caroline returned with his food, cutting the meeting short.
"Eat, Doctor," Max said. "You big-shot professionals even turn dinner into a business meeting."
Ethan smiled and picked up his fork.
He had just taken his first bite when—
His phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
Mary Mason.