Darius sliced into his brownie again. “Is she nervous? This is the first time she’s visiting Quincy’s family as his girlfriend.”
“She’ll be fine.” Megan chuckled. “I gave her a pep talk.”
Darius raised his eyebrows. “What did you—”
“Darius.” Doreen interrupted them as she and Alonzo rejoined the group. “Look who’s joined us.”
At the last minute, Darius remembered to hold on to the paper plate that carried his brownie. His wide-eyed gaze locked with Ethel’s. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
Ethel surveyed the dining room. “I’ve heard of Doreen’s Thanksgiving open houses for years. I thought I’d come by and see what all the fuss was about.” Her expression made it clear she still didn’t understand why people made a big deal of the event.
Doreen’s smile was gracious. “You’re always welcome, Ethel.”
“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Darius took Ethel’s arm to escort his mother from the kitchen to the relatively empty dining room. “What are you doing?”
Ethel jerked her arm from his hold. “Why did you haul me out of the room like a sack of potatoes?”
“Doreen has hosted these dessert parties for decades. Why did you choose this year to come?”
“Everyone else in town is here.” Ethel waved an arm to encompass the few people in the dining room. “Why shouldn’t I be here, too?”
The doorbell rang again, underscoring Ethel’s point about the number of guests who attend Doreen’s get-together. It also reminded him that he was missing the football games.
“All right, Mom.” Darius forced his shoulders to relax. “Just please don’t disrespect Doreen in her own house.”
Ethel raised her chin. “I would never do such a thing.”
Darius gave her a dubious look. He started to respond when he sensed someone beside him.
“The whole family’s here.” Simon’s voice boomed with good cheer.
Darius’ shoulders dropped as he turned to face his father. Maybe his parents thought meeting here was a great idea, but he couldn’t think of anything worse. In the past, he’d used Doreen’s event to escape from his family. Tonight, there was no escape.
“Family? What family?” At least Ethel kept her reply to a low hiss.
“Do we have to do this here and now?” Darius felt the familiar heat of embarrassment rising in his face. He was afraid to look around to see who else in the dining room was aware of the latest Knight Family Flare-up.
“This isn’t my doing.” Ethel defended herself to Darius, even as her glare held Simon in place.
“I’m always the one at fault. Is that it?” Simon shot back.
“That’s right.” Ethel wouldn’t give an inch.
The front doorbell rang again. The crowd was large and growing larger. Who else would be exposed to the Knight Family Feud?
“Why don’t the two of you separate?” Darius placed a hand on each parent’s shoulder. “Doreen has opened plenty of other rooms to her guests.”
“Why do I have to leave?” they asked in unison.
If they didn’t have an audience before, they had one now. Darius dropped his hands, fisting them at his sides. If one of them didn’t move to another room, he’d drag both of them from Doreen’s home. He didn’t care how much attention that spectacle would garner.
“I don’t care which one of you goes to another room,” Darius said through clenched teeth. “But you can’t both stay here, not if you’re going to snipe at each other all evening.”
Tense seconds that felt like minutes ticked by as Ethel and Simon locked gazes.
Finally, Simon looked away. “I’ll move to the family room. There’s a TV in there anyway. I can watch the game.”
Crisis averted. Darius was almost weak with relief. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”