Number 30
Mackenzie finds Toadie wallowing in the (now clean) sunroom and apologises for her bad advice about wooing Melanie. But Toadie says the advice was solid, it was him who took it into a stupid direction. Wanting to cheer Toadie up, Mackenzie leads him away from "the scene of the crime", but they bump into Rose in the kitchen. Rose was hoping to go over the film PR strategy with Toadie, and lures him into it with the promise of a free lunch courtesy of Lassiters. Toadie admits he won't be fun company, but Rose doesn't mind. Mackenzie looks unimpressed with Rose.

Lassiters Hotel
Terese tells Paul that she found a modicum of peace after speaking with Julie Quill. Harlow appears from the elevator and Terese asks her and Paul if they've seen Jesse after his no-show at the prison. Harlow's surprised to hear that as Jesse was keen to see his mum, but Paul informs the women that Jesse sent in his resignation earlier. Terese and Harlow are stunned as they learn Jesse decided to head to Sydney, and can't believe he didn't let them know beforehand. "I know you've both got a soft spot for him, but he is a Quill," Paul retorts. "It was always just a matter of time."

Chloe appears and takes Harlow aside for a private chat. She gives the teen a polite heads up that she probably shouldn't be seen "hanging with the bosses" after everything that's happened. Harlow replies that they're only discussing family issues and she's not doing anything wrong, which Chloe understands, but it's still not a good look. Chloe advises her to think about what's best for her and the hotel. Harlow rolls her eyes and returns to her housekeeping cart near Paul and Terese, who are still discussing Jesse.

TERESE: I can't get my head around it. Are you sure he didn't say something happened?
PAUL: No, all he said in his resignation was that he wanted a fresh start.
TERESE: So he's just left - without even saying goodbye.

Paul sympathises with her but also looks guilty.

Lassiters Laundry Room
Harlow sends a text to Jesse asking him to call her. She then tells Roxy about Jesse's disappearing act when Roxy visits her on a break. Harlow wanted to find out more information from Paul but Chloe sent her on her way before she could. "Apparently even being seen talking to granddad will cause a mutiny," she snarks. Before they can talk any further, Lassiters employee Rebecca brings a large pile of laundry in to be done. Annoyed, Harlow says that's way more laundry than usual, but Rebecca just smirks and says, "think of all the experience you'll get, Princess".

HARLOW: Rebecca you turned the entire staff against me, and got me demoted. Isn't this enough?
REBECCA: The rest of us have worked our way out of laundry duty, now it's your turn.
ROXY: (muttering after Rebecca leaves) She is not bitter at all.
HARLOW: Yeah, she and Chloe have been giving me hell.

The Flamingo Bar Exterior
Rose is trying to engage Toadie in conversation but notices that he's really hurting about the break-up. She tells him it's a bit like a tunnel - you can't get to the other side without going through it. But when you do, you start to feel better. Toadie wonders just how long the tunnel is, which Rose says is the million dollar question. Placing her hand over his arm, she promises Toadie he will come out the other side.

Down by the lake, Mackenzie has been surveilling the two of them while Hendrix captures footage on his phone for the zombie film. "She just can't wait to get her mitts all over him," Mackenzie says in disgust. Hendrix then realises he's been duped into the lake location purely so Mackenzie can play spy. Mackenzie is annoyed that Rose has pretty much forced herself on Toadie: she knew he was in a relationship when she kissed him. "So did he," Hendrix reminds her. "It didn't stop him from kissing her back." He advises Mackenzie to leave things be.

Number 32
Aaron can see that David has been in a flat mood recently, but David claims he's fine. Before Aaron can dig deeper, Terese calls by and asks for a chat with David. Aaron takes Isla to her room for a nappy change, giving Terese and David some privacy. Terese lets David know about Jesse resigning from the hotel out of the blue. She's confused about his abrupt departure as she thought things were going well for him. All guilty David can say is that he's sure Jesse had his reasons. David looks more uneasy when Terese finally gets a phone call from Jesse.

Harold's Café
Hendrix is bickering with Mackenzie about not getting the footage he wanted because she was too busy focusing on Toadie and Rose. Susan overhears them from her table and can't help asking Mackenzie for details. Mackenzie tells her about the duo's lunch at the Flamingo Bar and how touchy-feely Rose was being, obviously trying to snap Toadie up. Susan is appalled, but Hendrix claims they're both reading into things way too much.

HENDRIX: Rose is just trying to be a good friend.
MACKENZIE: Good friends don't ply you with alcohol so they can grope you.
HENDRIX: You've been spending way too much time with Melanie. She touched his arm, so what? He's probably upset.
MACKENZIE: Yeah because Rose ruined his relationship.
HENDRIX: Babe, like I said before, it takes two to tango.

He urges Mackenzie to let it go once more, but Susan doesn't appear to agree with him.

The Flamingo Bar Exterior
Rose brings out another round of free drinks to ease Toadie's pain. He thinks they should probably talk about the PR strategy at some stage, and Rose smiles and says she almost forgot as she was enjoying his company too much. Toadie can see Rose is flirting but says he's not sure if she's aware of it herself. Rose promises she has no hidden motive and wouldn't be so brazen as to come after him so soon after his heartache. Today is just about making sure Toadie's okay and distracting him with free drinks "because I care about you". Toadie smiles and says he appreciates it.

Number 32
Paul has come by to see Isla, but becomes concerned when David informs him that Terese is on a call with Jesse. When Terese ends her chat, she tells Paul and David that she still doesn't get why Jesse wanted a fresh start in Sydney. She understands why he would have had reservations about visiting Julie, but it's not a clear enough reason to move interstate. While David quietly sweats bullets, Paul states that Jesse's young and there's no harm in spreading his wings. "I know there's nothing wrong with it," Terese replies, frustrated. "But I can't get my head around it. He was so settled here, so happy."

The Flamingo Bar Exterior
Roxy brings Rebecca her freebie drink then reminds her she has to pay for the next one. Observing the exchange, Harlow berates Roxy in private. She can't believe Roxy is giving her work enemy perks, but Roxy says she has to, she's a Lassiters employee. Harlow's confused, so Roxy reluctantly tells her that the first knock-off drink is always on the house for employees.

HARLOW: Well I've never heard of it.
ROXY: That's because we all agreed not to tell you. (Off Harlow's incensed look) Come on! You share the same gene pool as the boss man.
HARLOW: So granddad doesn't know about it?
ROXY: It's more of an unofficial perk. But all of the managers do it. Amy does it, Sheila does it.
HARLOW: And Chloe, does she do it?

Roxy says yes, but she doesn't want Harlow spilling the beans to Paul or else he'll go on a firing spree. Chloe drops by and asks Roxy if she got the email about Rose's lunch with Toadie. Roxy nods and asks Chloe if she wants the bill sent to Paul and Terese, or to chalk it up to a staff discount. Chloe says a discount is fine as there's no need taking up Paul and Terese's time. Harlow, meanwhile, looks like she's scheming something up.

The Waterhole
Hendrix is asking Mackenzie questions about the footage he shot, but Mackenzie is still distracted thinking about Toadie and Rose. She apologises and promises to concentrate this time. Susan finds Melanie at the bar and asks how she's going. Melanie says she's going from tragic to dismal and back again, which Susan is genuinely sorry to hear.

SUSAN: I know we've had our ups and downs but I've been worried about you. After Sonya died, Karl and I were very worried about Toadie and the kids, and about what their future would look like. He'd already been through so much pain.
MELANIE: I know.
SUSAN: And when you two got together I think we were just trying to shield him from the possibility of even more pain.
MELANIE: You were being protective, I get it.
SUSAN: Well we overdid it. And I am sorry. The thing is even when the odds were stacked against you two, he kept choosing you. Right up until you broke up with him.
MELANIE: That's not entirely true. He wobbled when Rose came back - big time.
SUSAN: Yes he did, but just for a moment. And people make mistakes. Trust me, my marriage would be dead in the water if everyone had to be perfect all the time. Toadie was dealing with a lot of outside interference from me and from other people as well. And maybe without that he wouldn't have wobbled at all.

Mackenzie gets some water at the bar and catches the end of their conversation. Melanie asks if she should be letting Susan take some of the blame for Toadie's bad decisions. But Susan replies that she's saying Toadie loves Melanie, and he just wants her to be happy. And if Melanie loves Toadie, and has even the slightest doubt about the break-up, then she shouldn't give up on him.

Harold's Café
Aaron and David wheel Isla's pram in, stopping to chat with Harlow. They ask how her day's been, but Harlow's in no mood to talk about it. While they're chatting, a young woman with a brunette bob walks past them and peers into Isla's pram before taking a seat at a table to observe them further. Chloe enters the Café and jokes with Harlow that the laundry room looks like "Mount Washmore". Harlow says she's trying to get through it but she's just on lunch at the moment.

CHLOE: (smiling) Okay, just make sure it doesn't get on top of you.
HARLOW: Well it's a bit hard when Rebecca somehow managed to triple my load.
CHLOE: I'm sure it's not personal, the amount just fluctuates according to guest needs.
HARLOW: (sarcastic) Oh yeah, sorry, silly me I should just skip lunch then.
CHLOE: No that's not what I meant!

But it's too late, Harlow has already left in a strop. Aaron and David are like 'yikes', and Chloe says she's tried everything to keep it friendly but she can't win. Chloe adds that Harlow will just have to accept she's the manager and move on.

Lassiters Complex
Hendrix is filming more footage while Mackenzie tells him that Susan had a productive chat with Melanie about Toadie. But Hendrix tells Mac not to hold her breath for a good outcome, which may prove to be true when Mackenzie sees Rose and Toadie chatting over by the law office. The two of them are standing in the newly-built 'TestiTime' booth ('you're in strong hands'). Toadie asks how long the booth will be there, and Rose says she sent him an email about it. "Check your junk folder," she jokes. Annoyed, Mackenzie huffs to Hendrix about Rose acting all flirty with Toadie and is worried Melanie will see them when she leaves the pub. And just as predicted, Melanie exits the pub, notices Rose and Toadie laughing together, and becomes upset.

The Waterhole
Melanie returns to Susan in tears about Toadie already moving on with Rose. Susan asks if Melanie's not reading into anything, but Mel says she's sure and that she should have known better to think they had a chance.

Community Centre Exterior
Terese strolls along the pathway with Paul, still airing her concerns about Jesse. She doesn't think he sounded himself on the phone, but Paul says Terese will just have to respect his decision and that she can't control his life. Terese says she's not trying to, she just feels bad.

PAUL: What's there to feel bad about? You bent over backwards for that boy.
TERESE: I know but maybe I drove him away. Maybe calling him Josh made him more uncomfortable than I thought it did.
PAUL: Terese will you stop trying to blame yourself.
TERESE: I just thought I resolved everything. Maybe Jesse hadn't?
PAUL: He left because he needed to, not because of something you said.
TERESE: I just wish he'd given me the chance to say goodbye.

Harold's Café
Chloe bids farewell to David and Isla, bumping into Harlow and Roxy as she leaves. "Oh, here we go," mutters Harlow. Chloe makes polite conversation, asking if Harlow ended up taking the rest of her lunch. But Harlow informs her she conquered Mount Washmore instead. And if Chloe thinks she's slacking off now, she's not, she's entitled to two more short breaks.

CHLOE: Harlow you can drop the attitude, I'm not the enemy here and you're not helping yourself.

Roxy says she has a really important work question for Chloe, so they leave for the Flamingo Bar while Harlow joins David at the table. "She just loves lauding her power all over me, it's infuriating," Harlow grumbles. She then asks where Aaron is, and David says he's in the bathroom.

DAVID: Harlow I know it might seem like Chloe's coming down hard on you.
HARLOW: She is.
DAVID: Maybe you need to look at it from a different perspective. She's got a job to do. That involves managing staff and making tough decisions.
HARLOW: No, she's being completely unfair. If I had her job I wouldn't act that way.
DAVID: But until you're in that position you can never really know how you'd act. Sometimes you end up being the bad guy, but for the greater good.

Meanwhile, the mystery woman from earlier is still staring their way.

Lassiters Complex
Toadie thanks Rose for succeeding in cheering him up as he really thought he'd be in a bad mood all day. She smiles and says that it's pretty amazing what the right company can do. Feeling a tad awkward, Toadie tells Rose he doesn't want her getting mixed messages and that it's going to take some time for him to heal and move on. Rose understands but also tells him she'd like to be there at the end of the tunnel when he's ready.

ROSE: If you want me there.
TOADIE: I'm not saying no, I'm just saying not right now.
ROSE: (smiling) Okay, well, that's fine. I can be a very patient woman when I need to be.

Lassiters Laundry Room
Harlow is looking sweaty and dishevelled when Paul drops by to check in. He asks how the staff have been towards her today. Harlow says they haven't exactly been warm and fuzzy, but she didn't expect them to be. Paul assures her that things will settle down but if anyone gives her a hard time he wants to know about it. Harlow says what might help is if the staff thought they were all a team.

PAUL: Well we do try to instil a team mentality. Why, what did you have in mind?
HARLOW: Something to boost morale, make them feel appreciated.
PAUL: Okay, go on.
HARLOW: I haven't really thought about it, but how about one free knock-off drink after their shift ends? Or maybe a complimentary meal every now and then?
PAUL: Look, I'm all for boosting staff morale but we already give a discount on drinks and if I was to be anymore generous than what I am, it's going to start costing money. Besides, the free drink scenario will always be abused and then I'm going to be forced to sack people, and that's not good for morale.
HARLOW: Yeah I guess you don't want to have to sack anyone.
PAUL: Yeah and I don't really want to encourage staff to take advantage.

Paul says the guts of Harlow's ideas are great but the details just need a bit of work. He leaves and Harlow smirks to herself, looking as though she's plotting something.