Peaches

summer to live on in Mexico for two or three years.”
    Murphy watched the exchange, keeping quiet for once. Birdie, who knew more about the subject than anybody, was twirling an olive around and around in her martini, looking dazed. Occasionally she exchanged a look with Murphy and rolled her eyes. The only person Murphy didn’t observe was Rex. She was careful to keep her eyes off him.
    Time and again when Leeda spoke, Mrs. Cawley-Smith’s eyes glazed over. It was really unbelievable. It started to irritate Murphy, the way she would start looking around as if she had somewhere to be or glance over at Rex like he was some kind of pest that had made its way into her party by mistake.
    Leeda was in the middle of saying something about how hard the work at the orchard was when her mother looked at Rex coolly and drawled, “You know my Leeda, Rex, she’s never really worked a day in her life.” She said it as if she was bestowing Rex with a gift by saying something so chummy.
    “Actually, that’s not true.”
    Everybody in the circle turned to Murphy.
    “Have you been to the orchard to visit her?” Murphy went on.
    Mrs. Cawley-Smith tugged on her solitaire necklace. “I haven’t been to the orchard in years, actually. I’m not much into nature.” She smiled dryly.
    “Are you much into Leeda? Because you could have come to visit. I mean, if you had, you’d see how hard she’s been working.”
    Murphy looked at Leeda, who mouthed at her to be quiet. But once Murphy got started, it was hard for her to stop.
    “It’s like you’ve typecast your own daughter.”
    Mrs. Cawley-Smith’s mouth had straightened into a thin, perfectly lipsticked line. “Excuse me?”
    “Murphy.” Rex had sidled up to her and was tugging at her elbow now. Murphy yanked it away.
    “You and Danay are standing here, laughing about how Leeda is this and Leeda is that and you don’t even know her.” Murphy spat the words. She didn’t know why she was suddenly so pissed off, but she couldn’t control it.
    “Murphy…”
    Suddenly Rex was physically dragging her away from the group. Murphy caught Leeda’s eyes as she was pulled across the dance floor. Rex didn’t stop until he’d dragged her through a pair of white double doors out onto the huge, red-tiled balcony of the hotel.
    When they got to the wall, he turned her around to look at him. “Stay here,” he said sternly.
    “But I don’t…”
    “Stay.” Rex pushed her back against the wall gently but firmly. Murphy stayed, shocking even herself.
    He disappeared inside, and a minute later he emerged with a bottle of Voss. It figured the Cawley-Smiths would only serve designer water.
    “Drink.”
    Murphy did, looking up at his stern gaze and glowering.
    “I was just sticking up for her. It wasn’t fair.”
    “You weren’t thinking about Leeda. You were thinking how pissed you are at the world. You were thinking about Murphy, as usual.”
    “But Leeda…” Murphy faltered.
    “Look, I know her mom is crappy. But she needs to figure it out on her own. Embarrassing her isn’t going to change anything.”
    Murphy crossed her arms over herself, thinking. She could see his point.
    “But she looks at you like you’re a bug. Doesn’t that piss you off?”
    Rex shrugged. “It’s not about me. I just want Leeda to be happy. And if that means swallowing my pride every once in a while, fine.”
    Murphy sank back against the wall.
    “She’s a good girl.” Rex’s features had softened, and he looked at Murphy intently.
    “I know.” Murphy felt like she knew her more after an hour with her family than she had the whole time they’d spent at the orchard. It was like putting a piece of Leeda where it belonged in a bigger picture. Murphy had assumed that Leeda’s perfectionism was as natural-born to her as her pinky finger, just part of her perfect life. It was funny how it only took seeing another part of the picture to realize it was the opposite.
    Leeda was a good girl.
    But it made her heart throb painfully to hear Rex saying it. She tried to look as casual as possible, crossing her arms over her stomach. That seemed to make her cleavage poke out too much, and she didn’t want Rex to think she wanted him to look at her cleavage, so she uncrossed them again.
    “Leeda will figure it out. She just doesn’t fit with them. She tries. ”
    “I always thought she was a total cardboard cutout.”
    Rex shrugged. “She wants to be. She doesn’t realize she’s