Number 32
Paul pops over while Leo and David are having breakfast with Chloe and Nicolette. He gives a slight nod to Leo, signalling he should chat to Chloe alone. While they're in the kitchen together, Leo says it's nice to see Chloe looking happier than she was the other day. He then asks if she'd like to hang out with him for a few hours. Chloe says yes, intrigued when Leo says he's got something in mind for them, but won't elaborate. Nicolette plays it cool when she learns about their plans and says she'll hang out with David instead.

The Waterhole
Susan's pleased when Karl tells her he's been in touch with Clive about going back to work. Clive believes the dust has settled enough, which has taken a load off Karl's mind. Hendrix and Pierce return from their jog and Hendrix teases his dad for not keeping up. They chat with Karl and Susan about how well Hendrix's degustation menu went that he put together for Pierce. Susan then asks what Pierce is getting up to before he heads back to Sydney that afternoon. Hendrix informs her they're hoping to go for one last drive, so Susan lets them loan the car. While Pierce grabs coffees for them at the bar, Susan and Karl congratulate Hendrix for making amends with his dad. "Feels pretty nice too," Hendrix smiles.

Vineyard
Chloe's quite surprised Leo has taken her to the winery, but says it's still nice to be there. Leo says he hopes to spruce the place up and turn it into a better event space for weddings and other functions. Enthused, Chloe can't help rattle off a few ideas herself, which is exactly what Leo hoped would happen. He then says he'd love if Chloe would come work with him, leaving Chloe stunned.

The Kennedys' Car
Pierce says that when he left Erinsborough he still felt like Hendrix was a kid, but now he's turned into a capable young man. Hendrix admits it took a lot to get where he is now, and things got messy along the way. Pierce says he's proud, but Hendrix tells him he wouldn't have thought that a few months ago. "I wasn't a good person," Hendrix says solemnly, "I didn't like myself very much." Pierce knows Hendrix might be uncomfortable talking about it, but he'd like to hear more about what happened.

Vineyard
Leo tells Chloe he'd need her help with the revamp for a few months and to be in charge of the transition into a larger event space. Chloe knows she was born to do a job like this, and she already has a zillion ideas, but she's worried about leaving Terese in the lurch. Leo knows Paul's already on board with the idea, and he's sure Terese will be too. Chloe is also concerned about Nicolette being so close to her due date and the fact that the vineyard is a bit of a drive away. Leo says they can work out flexible hours, and while this appeases Chloe somewhat, she still can't help but feel guilty.

LEO: Chlo, I know Nicolette's a huge priority for you. But it's okay to do some things for yourself too. Don't say no right away. Just talk to her and have a think about it.
CHLOE: Trust me I won't be able to think about anything else.

Number 22
Harlow's preparing herself for a busy workday but Paul 'casually' mentions that he doesn't think she's rostered on today. Harlow soon discovers her shift has been changed out of nowhere to one with Jesse tomorrow, which she thinks is quite random since he's a Flamingo Bar employee. Sighing, Harlow says she was looking forward to working to take her mind off things. Paul offers to rearrange some meetings and spend the morning with her, but Harlow says she might see if Mackenzie or Yashvi are free instead.

The Kennedys' Car
Hendrix tells Pierce that everything slipped out of his control, and when he lost Harlow he felt like the biggest idiot. Pierce is troubled that he wasn't there for Hendrix and says he could have helped him, but Hendrix reminds him he didn't want anything to do with Pierce at the time.

PIERCE: I'm sorry.
HENDRIX: Nah, I'm not trying to put this on you. I'm just being honest. I thought you should know what I was going through.
PIERCE: Thanks for telling me.
HENDRIX: You said you missed me. The truth is I missed you too. Even when I wanted you to fall off the Harbour Bridge.
PIERCE: (chuckling) That's pretty specific.
HENDRIX: It's a long way down.

The mood turns sombre once more and Pierce apologises again for not being around, but he's proud of Hendrix for pulling himself out of it. Hendrix credits Year 13, cooking and being with Mackenzie as the things that made him feel like he wasn't drowning in quicksand anymore. Pierce thinks it's great he's found a calling in cooking, not everyone gets that in their life.

PIERCE: Can I be honest with you about something?
HENDRIX: Yeah of course, hit me, it's only fair.
PIERCE: It's the first time I'm not worried about leaving you on your own. I really feel like you've got this.

Hendrix seems quite touched by his dad's show of faith.

Number 32
Chloe finishes happily telling David and Nicolette about the opportunity Leo presented her with. And while David's thrilled for her, Nicolette is less than enthusiastic. "It's super unexpected," is all Nicolette manages to say when Chloe asks for her thoughts. Chloe then gets a text from Terese, so she heads out and says they'll keep chatting about this later. Once they're alone, Nicolette pinches the bridge of her nose with a big sigh.

DAVID: Care to share those spiralling thoughts?
NICOLETTE: Why does it have to be her wedding venue? I mean, I want us to be rid of Pierce Greyson, not have him hanging over our heads all the time.
DAVID: Pierce won't be involved. Also, she's going to turn the venue into something brand new.
NICOLETTE: I guess.
DAVID: You know this is the perfect job for her. And if you really are her biggest cheerleader you need to push aside your issues with Pierce and focus on what's best for her.

The Waterhole
Toadie oversees the signing of the paperwork between Leo and Pierce, and then congratulates Leo on becoming the new owner of the vineyard. Toadie can't stick around to celebrate, though, as he's got staff issues at the nursery that need sorting out. Paul saunters over when Toadie leaves to ask Leo how he went offering Chloe the job. Leo says Chloe was worried about Nicolette, but he thinks she'll say yes once they've had the chance to discuss it.

PAUL: I doubt it. I've got a horrible feeling your little plan might be dead in the water.
PIERCE: I hate to say it actually, Paul's probably right. Nicolette's pretty possessive.
LEO: Chloe's a grown woman. And I know how to sell, and I sold it to her. Look, she'll take the job, I'll be able to keep an eye on Nicolette and then we'll be able to take care of Chloe, Aaron and David.

Pierce hopes Leo's right as he won't be around if things go sideways; he's heading back home soon. Paul's like, 'oh what a shame, see ya, bye', then tells Leo he hopes the plan works. Pierce then asks Leo if he can talk to him about a different matter.

Lassiters Complex
Chloe finds Nicolette working out the back of Harold's. Nicolette knows she wasn't exactly the most supportive partner earlier, so she wants to turn back the clock and act excited for Chloe like she should have been from the get go. Nic tells her she's perfect for the job and she'll turn the vineyard into something special. Chloe admits that Terese did just give her blessing to take the job, and double checks that Nicolette's truly on board, but Nicolette tells her to go for it.

Harold's Café
Hendrix finds Harlow studying and happily tells her that he and Pierce are in a great space with each other. He can't wait to tell Mackenzie since she was the one who encouraged him to build bridges with his dad. "She gets it because of her dad, y'know?" Hendrix adds, not realising his words are crushing Harlow. Pierce and Leo walk in and are happy to bump into Hendrix because Leo would like to offer him a job at the vineyard.

LEO: We're doing a big revamp and I'd love you to be part of the kitchen team. Your dad let me try some leftovers from the degustation and I was blown away. You've got some serious talent, Hendrix, I think you'd be a great fit for us.
HENDRIX: Seriously, that's awesome!

Leo heads out to get the paperwork started, and Hendrix excitedly says now he's got some more good news to tell Mackenzie. In her feelings, Harlow murmurs a quick congrats to Hendrix before practically bolting out the door. Hendrix can't help asking if Pierce told Leo to give him the job, but Pierce says Leo was genuinely impressed with his food. Hendrix is thrilled.

The Waterhole
Leo tells Paul that the vineyard needs a big clean up before anything else can happen, but Paul has faith that Leo will turn it into something fantastic that "Greyson could never achieve". They look up when Chloe swings by.

CHLOE: Just the man I wanted to see! Not you, Paul.
LEO: You're in a good mood.
CHLOE: I've decided to accept your offer.

Paul offers his congratulations and goes to the bar for drinks. Leo supposes this means Nicolette's all for the idea too, but Chloe says it's a little more complicated than that.

CHLOE: She cannot stand Pierce or anything to do with him, but she came around in the end. She does always want what's best for me, she just gets a little bit fiery sometimes. Redheads!
LEO: Yeah, well, as long as she's come around.

Lassiters Complex
Nicolette, Chloe, Leo and David are having coffee and cake out the back of Harold's to celebrate Chloe's new job. Nicolette then thanks Leo for offering Chloe the role. She knows Chloe's had a rough week thanks to her but Leo's really cheered her up. They get stuck into the cake and say they should try and save Aaron a piece for when he's finished work.

Number 22
Paul can see Harlow's in a bad mood and Harlow confesses that it's due to Hendrix. It's nothing against him, it's just that his life is practically perfect right now and it's all come down to Mackenzie.

PAUL: Not like you to be jealous.
HARLOW: No, it's not like that. I'm really glad he's doing well it's just I feel like I spent our whole relationship trying to pull him into a better place. And now Mackenzie's getting the benefit of it. It's like I've been erased from the narrative. I genuinely feel like his starter girlfriend.
PAUL: His what?
HARLOW: Starter girlfriend. You know when you use training wheels to get better at something, then you get better at it and you don't need the training wheels anymore.
PAUL: I don't think Hendrix will ever think of you that way.

Harlow thanks him, but she can't help feeling like she might be Brent's starter girlfriend too. Paul is intrigued Harlow's thinking this way, but doesn't want to do the 'I told you so' dance just yet.

HARLOW: Am I going to keep rehabbing guys till they're in a better place then they just forget about me?
PAUL: I think the simple answer to that is just don't be with somebody that you have to fix, or teach.

Paul leaves Harlow to contemplate that.

Harold's Café
Chloe seems happy to run into "tall, dark and Greyson" while he's grabbing a coffee. Pierce is thankful to see her before he leaves. He wants to apologise for any awkwardness he created between Chloe and Nicolette. Chloe accepts his apology, "we've just made it back to friendly, I don't want to hold a grudge." Pierce knows he doesn't deserve Chloe's forgiveness but he's really grateful for it.

PIERCE: And I wanted to thank you for being so kind to me and Hendrix.
CHLOE: I'm always happy to have that kid in my life.
PIERCE: Well that's good to hear because you guys are going to be co-workers. Leo's offered him a job in the kitchen at the vineyard.
CHLOE: That's great! How did you know I'm working there?
PIERCE: Leo mentioned it. I think it will be good for you.
CHLOE: It's only for a few months.
PIERCE: You never know. Take care, Chloe.
CHLOE: What, no final warnings about Nicolette?
PIERCE: Not this time.

They smile at one another and share a farewell hug.

Number 28/Lassiters Complex
Pierce tells Karl and Susan he's had a chat with Hendrix and he'll keep taking care of the board until Hendrix gets his first paycheque. Hendrix comes in from the backyard and hands Pierce a burger he made on the BBQ. Karl and Susan head out the front to give the two of them some privacy. Pierce has a gift for his son - two flight vouchers for return trips to Sydney.

PIERCE: You and Mackenzie come visit whenever you want. When you're there maybe you can come cook for your mum and I. She'd love that.
HENDRIX: Yeah, absolutely. I can do another degustation for you guys. I'll make sure that it's Alana-friendly.
PIERCE/HENDRIX: No olives.

Hendrix then asks how Pierce's goodbye with Chloe went.

Chloe is still sitting out the back of Harold's with Nicolette and David, but is starting to look a little uneasy because Nicolette's in an overly happy mood. Nicolette smirks and says now Chloe mentions it, the sun's brighter and the air is fresher for some reason.

CHLOE: (grimacing) I get it; ding-dong the witch is dead.
NICOLETTE: It's not just that I don't have to see Pierce anymore. I can stop acting like a total psycho and you and I can get back on track, happy with no distractions.

Back at #28, Pierce says to Hendrix that it was good to see Chloe one more time and wish each other well. Pierce adds that Hendrix will also be happy to know that he didn't mention Nicolette either. Hendrix is pleased to hear it as he just wants Chloe to be happy. "Yeah me too," Pierce says. "I'll never be a Nicolette fan, but if she keeps Chloe happy then so be it." Hendrix asks if his dad's still worried at all, but Pierce says things are under control.

Nicolette and David are too busy joking about the last piece of cake to notice how quiet Chloe is. Leo returns to the table and picks up on her mood, though, asking if Chloe's okay. But Chloe insists that she's just tired and everything is peachy. Leo takes her word for it, but Chloe lets the smile slip from her face again when no one's looking.