Ramsay Street
Harlow is almost out of Number 30's driveway when she realises she's still holding Mackenzie's birthday present. She puts the gift on the ground and leaves.

Number 30
Mackenzie is freaking out about Harlow seeing her with Hendrix and tells him the whole thing is "wrong". Hendrix tries to say that Harlow only left because she was shocked, but Mackenzie frets that Harlow's ex-boyfriend and best friend shouldn't be trying to start something. She rushes out to chase after Harlow leaving Hendrix unsettled.

Lassiters Car Park
Toadie gets Nell and Hugo out of the car so Melanie can look after them (Yashvi was booked in to babysit but she picked up an extra shift at work). Toadie's worried he's asking too much, but Melanie's delighted to look after the "chickadees". They're interrupted by Paul, who seems to think Melanie owes him money for the truckload of manure he was stuck with earlier.

PAUL: I expect compensation.
MELANIE: You were the one who wanted to paint the town brown.
PAUL: Yeah, and you're the one who started this ridiculous pranking war in the first place. It's left me severely out of pocket, not to mention traumatised by having excrement thrown at my face.
MELANIE: On the plus side, it has made you look a little bit younger. It must be the moisturising properties.
PAUL: You think this is funny do you?
TOADIE: No, she doesn't, and she's more than happy to cover any expenses.

Melanie tells Paul not to hold his breath: she works hard for the money she makes. Paul begs to differ - every time he's seen her lately she's been "hobnobbing with the boss" or goofing off with his kids. He reminds her she's only Toadie's PA. Smirking, Melanie asks Toadie if he'd like to set Paul straight or will she do the honours, but Toadie quickly changes the subject and asks Melanie to take the kids home. When they're gone, Paul squints at Toadie and wants to know what Melanie meant by setting him straight.

Number 32
Chloe's working at the counter when David and Nicolette emerge from the nursery after putting the cot together. David's freaking out about having one screw left over, but Nicolette believes everything will be fine. Harlow suddenly walks in and asks if they've finished setting up the nursery. When David says they were just about to pull the cot apart, Harlow takes the screw from David and says she'll do it as it'll be a great distraction. Chloe throws a confused look at Harlow's retreating figure.

Erinsborough High
Jane's surprised to see Hendrix back at school, but thinks it'd be the perfect time to go over his schedule for the next while. Hendrix is in a foul mood, though, and gets grumpy about his coursework and life in general. Jane reminds Hendrix that she's also a trained counsellor if he ever needed someone to talk to, but Hendrix rebuffs her and says he's just tired.

Rebecchi Law Office
Melanie bumped into Yashvi on her break so she's left the kids with her while she looks for her cardigan in the office. It appears that's only a pretence, though, so she can have a conversation with Toadie about why he didn't let Paul know they were dating earlier. She thinks Toadie's having second thoughts about their relationship, but Toadie insists that isn't the case and says he already told Paul the truth. Melanie wonders if Paul's head exploded when he heard, and wishes she could have seen the reaction in real time. Toadie then admits he changed the topic because he didn't want the kids to know they were dating just yet. He loves how well Melanie and the kiddos get along but it's still only early days and he wants to ease them into it. Melanie wonders if Toadie's talking in days, weeks or even months, but it's not something Toadie can put a timeframe on.

TOADIE: I thought you'd understand?
MELANIE: I do, but you're acting like this isn't even an issue.
TOADIE: Didn't know it was one until now.
MELANIE: I don't want to put any pressure on you but keeping our relationship from the kids longterm just isn't practical. Not for them, and not for us.

The Waterhole
Susan and Terese are having a laugh about the manure wars. Terese thinks it's great Paul copped a faceful - after all the dirt he's dished out over the years it's only fitting. Speaking of Mr Poop Emoji, Paul joins them and says he's nauseous because he just found out Toadie and Melanie are dating. Terese just heard the news from Susan herself and thinks they make a cute little couple. Susan adds that she's just pleased to see Toadie happy.

PAUL: Don't get used to it. Melanie is as nutty as a fruitcake and she's nearly twice his age.
TERESE: Not a fan of the age gap, huh? Well, in that case, maybe we should re-think our whole marriage.
PAUL: Don't be silly, we're fine.
SUSAN: Why, because you're a man? You sound just like Karl. Apparently a silver fox is more acceptable than a cougar.
TERESE: Really? I thought Karl would be more liberated than that.
SUSAN: Oh he's a backward old boomer. Mind you, he has come around to the idea of Melanie and Toadie, though. She's got this great energy.
PAUL: (scoffing) She's a dotty old spinster. And she is a serious threat to Jarrod's reputation. The whole relationship, ridiculous.

Susan and Terese share an 'is he kidding?' look with each other.

Erinsborough High
Jane is out in the hallway with Chloe after calling her in as a reinforcement to get to the bottom of Hendrix's troubles. Chloe says she has a fair idea of what's going on with him. Hendrix is surprised when Chloe appears in the classroom, but Chloe tries to act casual. "Can't I just drop in and say hi?" she asks. "While you're in the middle of class - and your teacher is staring at us from the corridor." Jane notices them looking at her and quickly scurries away. Chloe tells Hendrix she knows he's stressing about Mackenzie. Hendrix admits the two of them want to date, but Harlow caught them out earlier and now everything's gone to pot. Chloe realises that's why Harlow was acting so strangely at #32 before.

HENDRIX: Mackenzie's freaked; she thinks she's betrayed her best friend. She's going to end things with me before they've even kicked off.
CHLOE: You don't know that for sure.
HENDRIX: It's pretty obvious. I may as well make things easier by letting go first.

He gets a text from Mackenzie, wondering if he's seen Harlow, so Chloe encourages him to let Mac know that Harlow's at #32. Chloe then encourages Hendrix to sit tight and not do anything rash as things could still work out with Mackenzie.

The Waterhole
Melanie takes Nell and Hugo to the bar for some drinks while Toadie sits and chats with Susan. He thanks her for taking over babysitting duties so he and Melanie can have a big chat. Susan hopes everything is okay and Toadie says they're trying to figure out whether they should tell the kids about their relationship. Toadie knows it would make things easier, but the kids are also in a really good place right now and he doesn't want to jeopardise that. Toadie then says that Melanie is all for telling them, especially since they've been spending so much time together lately. "You have become quite the little family unit," Susan smiles.

SUSAN: If you're feeling confused I think you should ask yourself where your priorities lie.
TOADIE: Well, with the kids. This is going to be a big deal for them, I don't want to rush it.
SUSAN: Well then don't. Melanie will understand.

Toadie doesn't appear too convinced.

Number 32
Nicolette tells David that Harlow dismantled the cot in under ten minutes and she's already putting it back together. David hopes it will take her mind off things, and Nic adds that anything will be better than obsessing over Brent. They don't expect Harlow to walk into the kitchen and overhear them.

HARLOW: I'm not obsessing over Brent, okay, it's Mackenzie.
NICOLETTE: Finished already?
HARLOW: Yeah, two screws left.
DAVID: (anxiously taking the screws from Harlow) I might just go have a look.

When Mackenzie drops in for a visit, Nicolette makes herself scarce so the teens can talk. Mackenzie hesitantly says she saw Harlow's gift in the driveway. She hasn't opened it yet but she's sure it's perfect. Mackenzie then says how sorry she is that she covered up what was going on with Hendrix.

MACKENZIE: Dealing with us is the last thing you need right now.
HARLOW: No, the last thing I need right now is my best friend lying to me.
MACKENZIE: I didn't lie.
HARLOW: So you were hooking up with Hendrix and not telling me?
MACKENZIE: No, I didn't! What you saw was the furtherest we've ever gone. We've been holding off until things with Brent aren't so painful for you.
HARLOW: And in the meantime you've just been pushing me away with made-up stories so you guys can spend more time together?
MACKENZIE: (nodding sadly) You're right, the whole situation was a mistake, I should have realised.
HARLOW: Look Mackenzie, Hendrix and I are over. I honestly don't have a problem with it. But what I do have a problem with is you being dishonest with me.
MACKENZIE: Well, you lied to me about Brent, how is that any different?
HARLOW: I didn't want to involve you in a criminal situation!
MACKENZIE: No you didn't trust me.

Things are tense between them and Mackenzie wonders if they're still even friends, but Harlow just shrugs and says "you tell me". Upset, Mackenzie doesn't have an answer for her and walks out.

Lassiters Complex
Toadie tells Melanie that he's thought over what she said, but for now, he'd still like to keep their relationship a secret from Nell and Hugo. Melanie looks disappointed but she understands Toadie's gut is telling him to keep quiet and she can respect that. Toadie reassures her that it's not a reflection on them - he's still wild about her. Melanie smiles and tells Toadie he better prove it to her later on. Toadie heads back to work, but Melanie is held up by Paul who makes fun of the fact that Toadie didn't kiss her goodbye. Melanie says just because they're official doesn't mean they have to be all over each other.

PAUL: It's probably for the best. There's probably loads of cradle-snatching comments floating around about you isn't there. People, they can be so cruel.
MELANIE: Are you speaking from experience? Because you are practically old enough to be Terese's father.
PAUL: Oh, steady on.
MELANIE: You know, the great thing about having a young lover is that they have so much stamina. Even I have a hard time keeping up with my man, whereas poor Terese, she probably has a hard time keeping her man up.

Paul stares absolute evils at Melanie as she walks off with a smirk.

Harold's Café
Mackenzie vents at Hendrix about Harlow calling her a fake friend, but then Mac concedes that she has been dishonest. They both have been. Putting up emotional walls, Hendrix says maybe they should forget about dating since it's causing so much trouble between Mackenzie and Harlow. But he's relieved when Mackenzie says it's not so much boy troubles with Harlow, but trust issues. Hendrix is even more relieved when Mackenzie says she's tired of not exploring what they have and that she wants to start dating. They're interrupted by Hendrix's phone ringing. He gets a strange call from Chloe, telling him to bring Mackenzie to the pontoon by the lake ASAP.

The Waterhole
Jane is updating Susan on what went down with Hendrix and her 'inspired' idea to bring Chloe in to help. Susan hides a smile when Jane casually suggests she can tell the younger teachers (aka Curtis) about her success story. When Jane goes, Nell and Hugo enthusiastically wave goodbye and accidentally knock over a drink in the process, getting it all over Susan. Paul is sitting nearby and offers to keep an eye on the kids while Susan goes to clean herself up. When he's alone, though, he sends Nell to the bar for a cloth and quickly sits down with Hugo to have a chat about his dad's "new lady friend".

Lassiters Lake
Hendrix and Mackenzie are surprised to find Chloe and Nicolette offering them a basket of food from Harold's and a bottle of champers from the pub. The pontoon space is also set up as a picnic spot for them. Nicolette and Chloe leave them be, and while Hendrix and Mac are trying to work out what's going on, Harlow appears and says she planned the whole date for them. It's her way of apologising for biting Mackenzie's head off earlier. Mackenzie and Hendrix say how bad they feel keeping secrets from her, but Harlow says she overreacted because it was weird busting them together like that. Harlow then gives "team Macrix" her blessing, but she's also team Harlow/Mackenzie too because their friendship means the world to her.

HARLOW: From now on can we just not keep things from each other?
MACKENZIE: I promise I will tell you everything from now on.
HARLOW: Okay, so will I. That's enough of the D&M's, you guys are going on a date. (Looking at Hendrix) Don't mess this up, Mackenzie is next-level perfection.
HENDRIX: No pressure!

Mackenzie and Hendrix excitedly make their way to the picnic spot. Harlow watches them for a moment before leaving.

Number 30
Susan drops the kids home and is greeted by Melanie, who says Toadie will be back very soon. Nell politely asks for a glass of milk, to which Melanie says yes to. Melanie then asks Hugo if he wants one. "Yes please, granny!" Hugo replies, causing Melanie to gape at him. "Granny?!" she repeats, looking at Susan. "Where did he get that from?"

Number 22
Harlow asks Paul if he's still doing the 80s themed escape room with her. Paul says yes when he hears Terese has already got a cosy night of reading on the couch planned out. Paul admits he's glad Harlow still wanted to do something as he's been worried about her. But Harlow says there's no need, she's fine. And keeping busy today helped. When she goes to make a drink, though, she spies the Melbourne mug Brent gave her in the cupboard and looks sad.

Lassiters Lake
Mackenzie and Hendrix feel a tad awkward around each other now they're officially on a date, so they resolve to just relax and be themselves. They soon lean in for a kiss but Hendrix gets a text message. It's Susan asking if he's going to be home for dinner, so he writes back that he's on a date with Mackenzie. Smiling, Mackenzie says that the whole street will probably know about them by tomorrow now he's "outed" them. With nothing stopping them, they finally kiss.

Number 30
Melanie is having a rough time of it when Hugo and Nell keep chanting the word "granny" at her. She tries telling them that she's their dad's assistant, and also their babysitter. But eventually the chanting gets too much and she blurts out that she's not their granny, she's their dad's girlfriend - just as Toadie walks through the front door.