Chibs drained the last of the beer from the brown bottle.
"More of the same?" The visiting prospect offered. The Scotsman grunted a confirmation, but raised voices at the door caught his ear. Chibs swiveled on his bar stool to survey the doorway. Opie's mother Mary, her face red and puffy from crying, was yelling something at Half Sack. Chibs slid off the bar stool and ambled over.
"Aye, Mary, what can we do for ya?" He asked, his thumbs in his belt loops.
"I'm here to pick up Kenny and Ellie. Kenny's right there," Mary curtly nodded her head to the corner where a small group of children were playing. "But I can't find Ellie anywhere, and my son is too drunk to be of any use," she sneered. Chibs followed her gaze. Opie sat on one of the couches, taking swigs directly from a bottle of Jack. His eyes were glazed and bloodshot as he stared straight ahead into space. Mary's voice brought Chibs' attention back. "I don't want my grandkids hanging out in this environment."
Chibs bit his tongue and gave Mary a false, tight-lipped smile. "Tell you what, Mary. I'll go look for Ellie. Why don't you make yourself comfortable at the picnic table outside and I'll meet you out there with her and Kenny?"
Chibs picked his way around the visiting Sons, old ladies, and other assorted family members who had gathered to drink and honor the memory of Donna Winston. There weren't a lot of places for a girl like Ellie to hide in the common areas, but maybe she had snuck off to cry in one of the dorm rooms. He walked towards that hallway when he heard teenage giggles from the kitchen.
"'ello?" Chibs pushed open the door into the kitchen.
"Oh, afternoon, my love," Aoife greeted him warmly. She was slicing up more sausage for a meat tray. Ellie was perched on the opposite counter, munching on a giant chocolate chip cookie. "Ellie needed to get away from all the noise and confusion, and I can always use an assistant. She sliced up the cheese for me." Chibs observed Ellie's face. He saw faint tear streaks but she also had a hint of a smile on her face.
"Miss Aoife's really nice." Ellie informed him. "She makes me laugh."
"Aye," Chibs agreed with a wink, "she is something special."
After accompanying the children to their grandmother, Chibs returned to the kitchen. Aoife was loading the dishwasher, singing softly to herself. "Ellie really liked you," he commented as he hopped up on the counter.
"She's a good lass," Aoife commented. "She's got a rough road ahead, losing her Ma like this."
"Aye," Chibs pulled on his lower lip with his thumb and forefinger, and then stroked his goatee. He'd done a lot of thinking that day. He thought back to the cemetery. Funerals could be dangerous for Sons, and he had known precisely where Aoife was every single minute. While the Sons escorted the hearse, one eye stayed on his mirrors. They assembled grave side, the Sons standing as a unit, but Chibs positioned himself so that he could watch his old lady and ensure her safety if anything did go down. During Jax's little performance, Aoife's eyes found his and her eyebrow lifted a centimeter. He gave the slightest nod and shrug of his shoulders. As the service ended and people dispersed, Aoife passed Chibs on her way back to her catering van, and she took advantage of the opportunity to squeeze his hand and whisper that she wasn't going anywhere.
"Chibs?" Aoife's voice interrupted his thoughts.
He gave another tug on a gray streak in his goatee and cleared his throat. "With all this shit going on, I've been thinking, love. So much has happened to ya at the shop. Are you sure that you want to stay in that apartment there?"
Aoife closed the dishwasher and approached, standing between his knees. "Where would you suggest I go, if not there?" Chibs couldn't read her expression.
"Well, there's Rois' farmhouse. It's out of town, but it would be easier to secure. Me and Juicey could work something up."
"The place needs work," Aoife said, looking in Chibs' eyes.
"I'm not against getting my hands dirty, lass." He cupped her face with one hand and brought her lips to his. As he pulled his lips away, he saw her smile.
"I've been thinking the same thing," she admitted. "The apartment is cozy, but I could use a wee bit more space. I have to accept that Aunt Rois isn't going to be able to come back home." Her eyes glistened. "Thank you for helping me through this."