“Colleen is right,” Zane said, his smile warm and disarming. “I’ve got this. Order whatever you like, no need to pinch pennies. I just closed a big deal, so I’m feeling generous.”

He leaned back, adding, “You might be my client, but business talk is done. Now, you’re just Colleen’s friend, and I’m the big brother here. It’s only right I treat you both.”

Hadley couldn’t argue with that logic. “Thank you then, Mr. Hayes,” she said, her tone softening.

However, Colleen wasn’t done. She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Geez! You two are impossible with this ‘Miss Pearson’ and ‘Mr. Hayes’ nonsense. It’s like you’re at a board meeting! We’re friends, so act like it.”

She turned to Zane. “Zane, are you truly treating my friend the way a friend should be treated?”

“Uh…” Zane blinked, caught off guard, and then let out a hearty laugh. Find the newest release on find?novel.net

“Fair point. Any friend of yours, Colleen, is a friend of mine.”

“That’s more like it,” Colleen said, satisfied. She pointed a finger at Zane. “So, drop the ‘Miss Pearson’ stuff. Just call her Hadley.” She then turned to Hadley with a mischievous glint in her eye. “And you, enough with the ‘Mr. Hayes’ business. He’s my cousin, which makes him practically your cousin too. Right, Zane?”

“Colleen!” Hadley’s cheeks flushed with mild embarrassment, her voice a mix of exasperation and amusement.

“Absolutely,” Zane replied, his smile warm and easy as he met Hadley’s gaze. “I’ll go first. Hadley.”

Hadley blinked, caught off guard. “Oh… um…”

Her mind raced. What should she call him? Just “Zane” like Colleen did? It felt too familiar, too sudden.

Before Hadley could settle on an answer, Zane’s phone buzzed to life. “Pardon me,” Zane said, rising smoothly from his seat. “I need to take this. You two go ahead and order.”

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With a nod, he stepped outside, leaving the hum of the bar behind.

The moment he was out of earshot, Hadley shot Colleen a playful glare. “This is all your doing! Now what am I supposed to call your cousin?”

“Huh?” Colleen blinked, her straightforward nature missing the nuance of Hadley’s dilemma. To her, their formalities were just over-the-top politeness, nothing to overthink.

“Really, is it that hard?” Colleen teased, leaning back with a grin. “Aren’t we all friends? Calling him by his name isn’t exactly a leap. Honestly…” She let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head as if the whole thing were delightfully absurd.

Hadley furrowed her brow, sensing something was off despite the calm atmosphere. What could be bothering Colleen?

“It’s nothing serious. Just something I was thinking about,” Colleen muttered, drawing Hadley closer and glancing discreetly toward the door. “Zane’s not getting any younger—already in his mid-thirties. His parents worry, but he seems determined to stay single.”

Hadley’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, he’s still single?” That didn’t make sense.

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