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my sweeter-than-honey voice as I pushed through the swinging door.
The men sat on opposite sides of the large mahogany table, as if they were ready for a duel. That same thick tension hung in the air.
I placed the plates in front of each guest, then took a seat at the middle of the table. Annabelle scooted her chair close to mine.
“I had no idea you had another guest,” Nicolas said while staring at Liam.
Liam didn’t answer. Silence reigned and neither man had even glanced down at their plates. I knew the cooking might be questionable, but they could at least have pretended to take a few bites.
To relieve the awkward silence, I said, “Well, it is a bed-and-breakfast.” I smiled and took a bite to show them that the food was perfectly safe.
Apparently it worked, because both men picked up their forks.
“Will you be staying long?” Nicolas asked.
“As long as it takes,” Liam replied while attempting to cut his pancakes.
Did they even remember that we were there? They didn’t glance at Annabelle or me.
“Tell me… Mr. Rankin, is it?” Nicolas pushed his fork around on the plate.
He wasn’t fooling me with that old trick. I had used the same stealthy move to fake eating my mother’s pickled beets for years.
Liam scowled. “Yes.”
“What is your line of work?” Nicolas asked.
Liam took a bite and chewed as if he was chewing the words. Finally, he said, “I’m a detective.”
My jaw fell open. When I glanced at Annabelle, she had the same expression. A detective? Of what? For where?
“That’s interesting. What brings you to Enchantment Pointe?” Nicolas tapped his fork against the plate.
Shouldn’t I be asking those questions? Nicolas wasn’t even going to ask what police department  Liam worked for? That was kind of an important question in my book. Annabelle shifted in her seat.
“I was about to ask you the same question of you, Mr. Marcos,” Liam retorted.
Nicolas flashed a devilish grin. “I’m traveling to New Haven on business,” he said through a fixed smile.
Watching their exchange was like watching a tennis match, only I wasn’t able to keep score.
“I heard there’s a nice Holiday Inn there. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Liam stuffed a bite of pancake in his mouth.
Nicolas didn’t take his gaze off Liam. They were in a staredown.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Nicolas snapped.
Liam shoved his plate back and pushed to his feet.
I stood. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Rankin. With all the chaos, I forgot to show you to your room. You must want to get settled.”
“That would be nice. Thank you. But please, call me Liam. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Preston.” Liam reached out and took Annabelle’s hand again, lightly placing his lips to her skin. “I’ll just get my bags.” He nodded a goodbye, then stepped out of the room.
Before I had a chance to speak, Nicolas stood from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make.”
“Of course.” I smiled.
After he’d cleared the room, Annabelle let out a deep breath, then said, “Well, that was the strangest breakfast I’ve ever had. And I’ve been to the all-you-can-eat buffet at Bobby Lee’s Steak and Chicken House.”
I couldn’t tell Annabelle what I’d overheard… not yet. Maybe they’d said something entirely different from what I’d thought I’d heard. After all, I had been listening through glass.
“There is definitely something they’re not telling me. But I plan on getting to the bottom of it. They can’t come in here and act all weird and not expect me to get involved.”
“You tell them, Hallie. Who the heck do they think they are anyway?” Annabelle helped me collect the dishes and we hurried to the kitchen.
“They may be completely off their rockers, but did you see the dimples when Liam smiled at you? That was enough to make me melt right there.” Annabelle placed the plates in the sink.
“He is good-looking, huh?” I wiped my hands on the towel.
“Like I said,