The Waterhole
As Wendy walks in, Andrew encourages Melanie to 'follow my lead', seemingly keen to make Wendy feel appreciated. Andrew tells Wendy he's organised a special dinner to celebrate her mentorship win, and Mel enthuses along with him; but Wendy is already playing it down, saying she doesn't need anything special.

MELANIE: He is just so proud of you, going back to uni; and now you are smashing it with this snazzy new mentorship...
WENDY: Oh, that's really very sweet. But can we do it another time?

Andrew looks confused.

Lassiter's Hotel
Krista and Holly show Tess the guest room that they've set up for her to work in while she's in town.

HOLLY: Any update on when you'll be leaving?
TESS and KRISTA: ...
HOLLY: I only ask so we can allocate the room.
TESS: I can't imagine I'll be here more than a few weeks.
HOLLY: Well, if you'd rather work from the house that you're renting, we could totally help with that too.

Krista is giving Holly some very severe looks!

TESS: Relax. I won't be looking over your shoulder the entire time. We have other investments I need to check on.

Krista and Holly leave Tess to her work, and out in the corridor Krista glares at Holly, clearly unhappy at the way she talked to Tess.

HOLLY: What?! You want to see the back of her just as much as I do!
KRISTA: Actually, we've been kind of getting along lately, and I'd like to keep it that way!
HOLLY: Okay...

Harold's Café
Haz is listening in while Toadie and Mackenzie talk about plans for Rebecchi Law. Toadie wants to shore up their 'bread and butter' work - standard contracting, conveyancing - to boost their income stream, so that Mackenzie can be freed up to work on cases that really interest her. Mackenzie looks thrilled.

TOADIE: If you find a case that you're passionate about, you can do it pro bono.
MACKENZIE: That's amazing!

Haz seems pleased that Toadie is considering Mack's career more now, too; and Melanie comes in, remarking that she's pleased to see everyone smiling and happy. But Toadie now starts to look uncomfortable. Mel invites herself to join them all for a round of toasties which Haz explains Toadie is paying for, having been temporarily exiled from No 28.

MELANIE: Karl and Susan seemed to want to have some alone time.
HAZ: Okay, TMI.

But Toadie isn't happy with this, and says he's going to have to head off, saying he'll pay for the toasties on his way out. Mackenzie thanks him again for his plans to develop her career, but Melanie looks concerned.

No 28
The next morning, Melanie and Holly are having a coffee in the garden.

MELANIE: Did you sneak out again last night?
HOLLY: I don't sneak out.
MELANIE: So when you wait for Karl and Susan to go to bed, and then you leave your room very quietly, that's called...?
HOLLY (annoyed): It's called not giving your father reasons to worry!

Melanie looks unconvinced.

HOLLY: What? My besties are all loved up - I'm just getting out there and making new friends.

Karl appears, and Holly quietly implores Melanie not to say anything about this to him, before getting up and heading off to work. Once she's gone, Karl complains to Melanie that he and Holly are 'like ships in the night' at the moment. Melanie resists saying anything about Holly sneaking out.

MELANIE: Has Toadie said anything to you about me?
KARL: No... uh, why?
MELANIE: Well, I told him something the other day, and I didn't think I was being insensitive, but maybe I was. I told him that I had an epiphany on the road, that we were never meant to be. Time on the road made me realise that we rushed into our wedding.
KARL: How did Toadie take that?
MELANIE: Well, he didn't say anything, really. But when I saw him last night, I swear he was being weird with me. I dunno.

Karl looks thoughtful.

Eden University
Wendy walks through the courtyard, the sound of her peers' chatter ringing in her ears. She looks worried, seemingly concerned that everyone might be talking about her and whether she deserves her mentorship. In truth, none of them seem to be looking in her direction, but nonetheless Wendy feels so overwhelmed that she turns back and walks in the other direction, unwilling to face them. But her exit is soon blocked by Cara.

CARA: I was gonna call you. How are you holding up after yesterday?
WENDY (downplaying): Yeah, I'm fine. You know, Heidi has no filter.
CARA: Yeah. Or brains. I'm glad I was here to call out her racist rubbish.
WENDY (uncertain): Yeah, well, thank you for... doing that.
CARA: Oh, no. I was just looking out for a mate.

Wendy tries to walk away, but Cara says her next tutorial's half an hour away, so suggests getting a coffee together to discuss it some more. Wendy makes an excuse, saying she needs to get to the library. Cara looks concerned as Wendy walks off - evidently she's not herself.

Lassiter's Complex
A posh red car is parked outside the hotel as Holly approaches for her work shift.

HOLLY: Hello, sexy!

The car's apparent owner appears in a suave suit and sunglasses.

MAN: Her name's not Sexy. It's Rhianna.

The newcomer, an American, takes off his sunglasses.

MAN: What's yours?
HOLLY (flirtatious): Sexy.

She grins at him and walks away, having definitely piqued his interest.

Lassiter's Hotel
Indoors, Krista and Tess emerge from the lift to rendezvous with the newcomer, whom Tess identifies as her 'trusty second- in- charge'.

TESS: Heath, meet Krista.

Krista greets him, and asks which part of the States he's from. But before he can answer, Tess says he works in their Los Angeles office. He doesn't know Reece, she clarifies, when Krista asks.

TESS: I snuck him out of the country before anybody could stop me.

Holly then reappears, and Krista introduces her to Heath. They exchange loaded smiles.

KRISTA: Holly works at reception; she's here for anything you might need.
HEATH (eyeing her up): Good to know.

Tess takes Heath upstairs to the room they're using as an office. Holly watches him so intently as he leaves that Krista has to pull her back to earth, reminding her to send her the paperwork for the Melbourne Experiences tour as soon as it comes through.

In the lift...

HEATH: Krista is not like I expected.
TESS: Appearances can be deceiving.
HEATH: You think she's still using?
TESS: Krista might be clean now - but once a junkie, always a junkie. I've decided it's better that she sees me as a friend, rather than an enemy. That way, we get what we want.

They both smile smugly.

Rebecchi Law
Toadie tells Mackenzie that he's taking one of their divorce cases, the Breakwells', off Mackenzie's hands so she can concentrate on other things.

MACKENZIE: You don't have to take every boring client off my hands.
TOADIE: No, I'm not. I am gagging for the tea on the Breakwell divorce.

Karl appears with a coffee delivery, having volunteered to bring them on Haz's behalf.

MACKENZIE (to Toadie): Do not ever say 'gagging' or 'tea' ever again. Ever.

As Mackenzie leaves, Karl admits he may have been looking for an excuse to check in on Toadie.

TOADIE: Oh, mate, I'm fine. Yeah, I am focused on work, which is the best place for me to be.
KARL: Right. Melanie thinks she's upset you.
TOADIE: ... Right.
KARL: Apparently she's come to a realisation about your time together?
TOADIE (downplaying): I'm happy for her. I'm glad that she's finally at peace with it all. And I do appreciate the welfare check, I really do... but I'm looking forward, not back.

Karl nods, but looks unconvinced.

Harold's Café
Wendy is having a coffee alone. She gets a message from Cara, inviting her to No 30 for a cuppa. Andrew arrives, and notices Wendy while at the counter. He goes over and joins her, asking why she isn't in her class.

WENDY: Just wasn't feeling my best, so I thought I'd have a 'me' day instead.
ANDREW: When you got that mentorship you were next- level excited. You seem really flat. What's going on?
WENDY: Oh, you know, I just realised that the uni give out a lot of those opportunities. Not a big deal. Nothing special.
ANDREW: The Gatsford Mentorship is sought after. It's a huge deal - you even said that yourself when you applied for it.
WENDY: Yeah, well, I was wrong.
ANDREW: Wend, hey - talk to me.
WENDY: Some girl that I study a few classes with reckons I only got this because I'm... I'm Asian. Called me a diversity box- tick.
ANDREW (sighs): That's ridiculous.
WENDY: Yeah, well, I did a bit of research this morning, and it turns out that Eden Hills is in this racism hotseat because some senior lecturer liked some bigoted post.
ANDREW: So?
WENDY: So, it's good PR for the uni to give a hard- to- get mentorship to a non- white person.
ANDREW: Wend, you got that mentorship based on your merit, not heritage.
WENDY: ... I really love that you think that. But I don't. And that's why I can't celebrate, because I just... I'm sorry, but I don't deserve it.

Lassiter's Hotel
Krista checks in with Holly to see if the Melbourne Experiences paperwork has come through. It hasn't, but Holly has identified a problem - before he left, Brett took another event booking without blacking out the dates in the system, which falls on the same dates as the Experiences tour group.

KRISTA: What? Can we fit them both?
HOLLY: No, we don't have the space. Experiences needs a lot of rooms.
KRISTA (sighs): Okay, leave it with me. I'll have a play with the calendar and see what we can do.

Holly has spotted Heath about to head upstairs with some coffees, and gazes over at him with interest. He asks Krista if she thinks it's weird that Tess never mentioned her second- in- command previously. Krista thinks it makes sense Tess would have one.

HOLLY: He was driving a pretty exy car.
KRISTA: Yeah, well, he's probably on a decent salary.
HOLLY: You know, I could be useful here.
KRISTA: No, Holly, please don't get involved.
HOLLY: No, but I can investigate!
KRISTA: We've got enough on our plates cleaning up after Brett, alright? Leave it.

But Holly is still gazing dreamily in Heath's direction.

Shortly afterwards, Heath arrives in Tess's office, where some possibly important exposition is delivered.

TESS: I'm sending Justin out to Warrawee.
HEATH: Can we even trust this guy?
TESS: He's all brawn, no brain. All he cares about is a paycheque.
HEATH: You think we'll have problems at the station?
TESS: It isn't easy putting people out of work. I'm gonna meet Justin tomorrow and brief him.
HEATH: I'd like to be part of that.
TESS: No need. I'm meeting him in the city. Best nobody here sees him around.

There's a knock at the door - it's Krista. She tells them about Brett's mistake with the bookings - they now have to choose between accommodating the Experiences tour or an accounting conference. Krista has been weighing up the options; they've hosted the accountants before, but the Experiences booking is much bigger. So Krista is thinking of cancelling on the accountants.

HEATH: It's risky to sever a relationship with an existing client.
KRISTA (to Tess): What do you think?
TESS: I'm not here to tell you how to run the hotel. You make the call.
KRISTA: Right. The accounting conference has to go.

Tess smiles inscrutably.

No 30
Cara comes into the sunroom with Wendy, who has agreed to the cuppa. Cara admits that she's worried she upset Wendy when she had a go at Heidi.

WENDY: No. It's fine.
CARA: I wanted to explain that when I have a reaction to someone like that, it's a kneejerk for me. I do it without thinking, because I have to. To protect my family.
WENDY: Because you're in an interracial relationship?
CARA: Interracial, same- sex... people can be so bigoted. And if you don't call them out on it, then nothing changes. I really think that you should consider making a complaint to the uni.
WENDY: ... Look, I'm very used to being judged for looking Asian, but sometimes the best course is, you have to ignore it.
CARA: What if it had been Sadie? Would you ignore it then?
WENDY: Well, no, she's my daughter - so of course I'd stand up for her.
CARA: Yeah, so you just have to find that same fight for yourself. You know, you should stand up, and let the uni know what was said.

Wendy promises she'll think about it, but looks conflicted.

Lassiter's Complex
Toadie is leaving work when he runs into Melanie in the courtyard. He looks like a rabbit in the headlights, so Melanie decides to address the issue head- on.

MELANIE: Karl spoke to you, didn't he?
TOADIE: It's all good.
MELANIE: I just don't want you taking what I said the wrong way. I'm not trying to minimise our relationship, or...
TOADIE: It's fine, Melanie.

He walks on his way, but then thinks again and turns back to her.

TOADIE: Actually, for the record, I don't agree.
MELANIE: Okay.
TOADIE: Just because our wedding happened quickly, doesn't mean that things wouldn't have worked out. Because that's life, right? That things can happen fast, and they can be good, long- lasting things... So, let's just put this behind us.

Melanie nods and smiles, but looks concerned as Toadie walks away.

Lassiter's Hotel
In reception, Heath is eyeing up Holly again as she bends down to tend to a guest's bag. He then snaps out of it and chats to Krista at the desk, saying he was impressed by her decision- making on the double- booking.

KRISTA: Oh, thanks!
HEATH: I like your confidence.
KRISTA: Well, I wish I had more of it when I spoke to the rep from the accounting conference.
HEATH: How did they take the news?
KRISTA: Hmm. Let's just say they won't be coming to Lassiter's again.

While Krista answers her phone, Heath and Holly exchange flirty glances. But the phone call is from the people from the Experiences tour, and it doesn't sound like good news.

KRISTA: Hang on, we had a verbal agreement. You can't just back out... Well, can we at least discuss this? I dunno, I could make a counter- offer?

But it's to no avail - the Experiences tour has found a more competitive rate at another hotel, so has cancelled their booking.

TESS: How am I gonna tell Tess that I lost two massive clients today?
HEATH: Say something along the lines of, 'Tess, I lost two massive clients.' Won't be fun, but she has no respect for people who dance around the truth.

Harold's Café
Wendy meets up with Quinn for a chat. He congratulates her on being awarded the Gatsford Mentorship.

WENDY: Yeah. Yeah, yay me (!) Diversity pick.
QUINN: Whoa, where did that come from?
WENDY: Heidi. Said it straight to my face.
QUINN: That is not cool. Or valid. Did you tell her what to do with her opinion?
WENDY: Well, she caught me off- guard. But Cara was there, and she heard it, and was able to pull her up. But then I told Andrew, and he just thinks the accusations are silly.
QUINN: Well, but he doesn't get to decide that. You do.
WENDY: Yeah, well, they're just lucky they don't know what this feels like.

Lassiter's Complex
Toadie is walking around the perimeter, looking anguished and a little lost. Meanwhile outside the pub, Holly is telling Melanie about Heath.

HOLLY: He's a total player, I got that right away. But do you know what I like? He doesn't try to hide it.

But Melanie is distracted, and when Holly calls her out on it, she begins to tell her about her weird conversation with Toadie earlier - but then changes her mind. Heath appears.

HEATH: Is this the best place for coffee?
HOLLY: Umm, it's alright. But Harold's is better. They have a smoother blend there.

Melanie makes faces until Holly introduces them to one another. Heath greets Melanie, and tells Holly he'll have to check out Harold's next time. They smile flirtatiously at one another again.

HOLLY (squeals): I told you. Total hottie.
MELANIE: Did you say that he works for Tess? The same Tess that Krista is trying to keep on the right side of?
HOLLY: Yeah, so?
MELANIE: So, it puts him out of bounds.

But Holly looks sceptical about that.

Lassiter's Hotel
In Tess's office, we learn from Krista that the Experiences tour has decided to go with old rivals the Quill Group instead of Lassiter's - she adds that she has no idea how they found out about it. And now they've lost the accounting conference too, which was worth just under $50,000.

TESS: This is disappointing. But... I'm impressed with how you're handling things. You could have passed the buck. Instead, you're here owning it. That says something.
KRISTA: I'll find a way to recoup the loss... on top of the other losses.
TESS: I'm sure you will.

Heath has come in during this, and Krista leaves. Once she's gone, Heath laughs and smiles.

HEATH: Looks like someone's plan paid off.
TESS: She's such an easy target.
HEATH: And there's absolutely no way she can find out that you tipped off the other hotel?
TESS: They won't say anything. Krista thinks it's her own fault.
HEATH: Well... I think someone deserves a reward.

Tess drags Heath in by his tie, and he starts kissing her...

Harold's Café
Quinn and Wendy continue their chat. Quinn asks why Cara is pushing Wendy to make a complaint.

WENDY: Oh, it's personal for her. Whereas Andrew, he's seeing it more logically - you know, he wants me to just ignore it, move on.
QUINN: Pretty easy to have strong perspectives when you haven't experienced racism before. We had a fill- in lecturer at my biology tute the other week, and she told me that my English was very good!
WENDY: (laughs)
QUINN: It's the only language I speak! My Mandarin sucks!
WENDY: Yeah. I get that at work sometimes, too.
QUINN: Like, I know it's not all intentional, but... it makes me feel 'less than', you know?
WENDY: Yeah, I do. And that is why I feel weird about this mentorship.
QUINN: Still gonna take it?
WENDY: Well, I don't like that my work's being questioned.
QUINN: Well, then, push it back.
WENDY: ... Oh, yeah, that... I mean, that would be the ultimate statement, wouldn't it? No, but why should I have to lose out, just to prove myself?
QUINN: Look, don't make any decisions yet. Focus on you. Focus on the effort that you put in. I mean, that in itself is something to be proud of.

Wendy agrees, seemingly feeling somewhat better for talking to Quinn.

Sonya's Wall
Toadie is staring up at the mural of Sonya, looking very anguished and emotional. Melanie appears, and asks if he's okay. Barely able to answer, he tells her he's fine.

MELANIE: I obviously touched a nerve before. I'm sorry if I implied anything about you and Terese...
TOADIE: My relationship with Terese is *completely* different to you and me!
MELANIE: I know. I honestly don't want to cause any trouble for you.
TOADIE (irate): You're not. You can't! No one can! Not you, not Sonya, not Dee! Nobody.

Toadie walks off, leaving Melanie worried.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Tess tells Krista it's impressive that she hasn't let her recent setbacks get her down
- Nicolette tells Aaron she's worried he's 'going backwards' after so many good days recently
- Krista tells Mackenzie she's 'really worried about Holly too'
- We see Holly climbing barefoot out of a taxi and running around the back of No 28 holding her shoes
- Mackenzie tells Krista it's settled; they have to say something
- More of Toadie looking anguished; he says he can't deny he's 'going through some stuff'