No 32
Mackenzie, Sadie and Holly are on the patio when Haz emerges, looking for Trevor. Mackenzie remarks that Haz might want to iron his shirt before he goes on his date with Billie, but he says his body heat will smooth out the creases!

Once Haz has gone, Sadie asks why Mackenzie is helping him look nice for this 'random woman'. Mackenzie replies that she's just being a good housemate.

HOLLY: Can we please focus on something a bit more vital? Should I go blonder?

Byron emerges from the house, in a good mood. He explains he has a date with his mystery lady- friend tonight. Sadie suggests that they all go to the beach today, and the others seem keen.

HOLLY: Just give me a second to call in sick. I'm thinking, like, sore throat with a side of headache?
BYRON: Woah, woah. You are lucky to have a job. And you are on such thin ice.

He snatches her phone away, and only gives it back once she promises not to pull a sickie.

HOLLY: Good luck having fun without me.

Lassiter's Hotel
Paul has summoned Reece to his office to gloat about his discovery of her fling with Byron. He has printed out several photos of them pashing in the lift, and flings them across the desk at Reece, accusing her of staying in Melbourne because of Byron.

REECE: I'm an investor. There is no conflict of interest.
PAUL: Well, see, the HR implications are one thing -
REECE: There is no misuse of power, if that's what you're suggesting.
PAUL: How you get your kicks is entirely up to you. Although I'm not so sure that Daddy would approve of you paying for the privilege, hmm?
REECE: ...
PAUL: Or didn't you know about Byron's side hustle? And I do mean 'hustle'. Yeah, yeah - I believe his escort name is Harvey J... Oh, you didn't know? Looks like Byron's been playing you the same way he's been playing me. You know, don't be surprised if a bill comes your way as well. Although I have to say, his fee is generally a bit higher than a sweater from Mayberry Lane. Can I give you a lift to the airport at all?

Speechless, Reece walks out, looking devastated as she exits into the corridor.

No 28
Karl is still feeling guilty for not having identified the issue with Harold's blood pressure tablets himself, but Susan tells him to stop blaming himself; the main thing is that Harold is fine. They discuss the potential school closure, which Susan thinks is awful.

SUSAN: If it comes down to it, my loyalty will be with Jane.

Harold emerges from his room with the history book; he's updating it with a passage about his visit. After that, he's leaving to do not one, but three train journeys around Australia. Karl thinks it's marvellous.

The beach
Byron, Mackenzie and Sadie arrive for their day trip. The weather's pretty blustery, but they decide to make the most of it anyway. However, before long, Haz and Billie turn up at the same place, Byron having recommended it to them. Haz formally introduces Billie to his housemates and Sadie.

BILLIE: Why don't we hang together? It's so nice to properly meet you instead of just tiptoeing out of your house!

Mackenzie forces a laugh! Byron gets a text from his mystery woman, cancelling their date tonight without an explanation. He looks worried.

Lassiter's Hotel
Reece is in her room, crying as she flashes back to her various romantic encounters with Byron. He calls her phone, but she ignores it.

The beach
While Byron is trying to call Reece, Haz, Billie, Mackenzie and Sadie hang out on the sea front, eating chips. Mackenzie scowls as Haz wipes sauce off Billie's face. We learn that Billie is a firefighter, and is also a children's party entertainer in her spare time, with 'Let It Go' apparently the gem among her singing repertoire.

Byron is worried that he can't get onto Reece, and returns to tell the others that he's heading back to town. Haz and Billie head off for a walk.

MACKENZIE: So Billie is a superhero by day, and a princess by night.
SADIE: She's the total package. Sorry about how today went.
MACKENZIE: Why? Everything's fine.
SADIE: Sure (!)
MACKENZIE: But just to be clear, this is why I don't want Holly in the loop on anything Haz- related.
SADIE: I won't tell her anything. I promise I've learnt my lesson.
MACKENZIE: Good. Because it was mortifying enough Haz hearing it from you. If someone else mentions it, it'll make it...
SADIE: Real?
MACKENZIE: No. Because it isn't real. It'll make it a bigger thing than it already is - when in fact it's not a thing of any size. It's no thing - it's the opposite of a thing. It's... nothing.

But Sadie looks sceptical as Mack despondently eats chips.

Lassiter's Hotel
Byron turns up at the door of Reece's room, and asks why she cancelled dinner. She shoves an envelope full of money at him.

REECE: For services rendered.
BYRON: ... You know.
REECE: Discretion is a hallmark of your trade. Obviously it would be appreciated here.
BYRON: Reece, I...
REECE: Just go! It would be embarrassing for both of us if I had to call security.

Reece slams the door in his face. Byron looks heartbroken.

Shortly afterwards, Byron walks into reception and asks Holly if she told Reece about his escorting history. Holly is nonplussed, especially when Byron tells her Reece has just dumped him.

HOLLY: Wait - *she's* the woman you've been seeing? Oh my god!
BYRON: Somebody's told her.
HOLLY: Firstly, in what world would she and I settle in for a gossip session?
BYRON: Sorry. I'm just in shock.
HOLLY: And secondly, *oh my god*!
BYRON: I was going to tell her everything tonight. But maybe this is the reaction I would've got anyway.
HOLLY: Are you the reason that she's staying? Because Paul's convinced she's got another motive for being here.
BYRON: Yeah. That was the reason.
HOLLY: Oh my god!

But she notices Byron is quite upset, and adopts a more sympathetic tone.

HOLLY: You, like, really like her, huh?

He doesn't reply, but gives Holly the envelope full of cash that Reece gave him, and asks her to return it to her,

BYRON: Return all of it.
HOLLY: Of course I will. Where's the faith?

Byron walks off. Paul has been watching from outside, and looks angry.

The beach
Billie has gone to pick up a ball for the gang to throw around, giving Haz a chance to talk to Mackenzie. He says Holly has checked on Trevor during her break, and he's doing fine. Mackenzie assures him they're all in it for the long haul with the roster for looking after Trevor - he's family, after all.

HAZ: Thanks again for being so cool about the ruined cushions.
MACKENZIE: Well, to be completely honest, I never actually liked them.
HAZ: So.. why am I replacing them?
MACKENZIE: Because Sadie can never know. She was beside herself with excitement when she bought them for me.
HAZ: So, I'm dropping hundreds of dollars to replace cushions that you hate!
MACKENZIE: Good thing we like Trevor and Sadie!
HAZ: The things we do for our friends (...) What do you think of Billie?
MACKENZIE (muted): She seems lovely.

Billie is back with the ball, and Mack looks sad as Haz rushes over to join her.

No 22
Harold has called round to say goodbye to Toadie and Terese, with Karl in tow; and he's telling them about the plans for his grand train adventure.

TERESE: We're gonna miss you.
HAROLD: Oh, it's so lovely to see the two of you together. And so happy!
TOADIE: Yes - yes, we are.
HAROLD: You treasure every moment, alright?

Terese goes to fetch the kids to tell them Harold is going. Harold tells Karl and Toadie that he hopes all the acrimony over the school will die down.

TOADIE: You and Lou were forever falling out. You always managed to make up - what's your secret?
HAROLD: Oh, well, I suppose some friendships just work that way.

But the talk of Lou seems to have prompted an idea for Harold, as he declares he's thought of the 'perfect going- away present'.

Lassiter's Hotel
In her room, Reece is on the phone to Conrad.

REECE: It's getting too difficult to stay here... I know, Dad, but if I can't tell anyone why I'm here...

There's a knock at the door, and Reece wraps up the call to answer it. It's Holly, returning the envelope of cash from Byron. She can tell Reece is upset.

HOLLY: Are you okay?
REECE: ...
HOLLY: I know it's not my place -
REECE: No, it's not.
HOLLY: But in case there's any confusion, you should know that Byron doesn't escort anymore. That's all in his past.
REECE: That's not what I heard.
HOLLY: Well, you heard wrong. Can I come in?

No 24
Byron is hanging out with Sam when Jane comes in, having just said goodbye to Harold. Byron congratulates Jane on her engagement and she shows him her ring. Jane remarks that the engagement isn't news to Sam, of course.

SAM: I'm so happy.
JANE: Helped mastermind the whole thing!

Sam gets a call from Mike, and goes to take it in her room. Byron assures Jane that the community won't let Erinsborough High close; Terese might even back off. But Jane doesn't want to talk about her now, and asks Byron what 'hijinks' he's been up to while she was away.

JANE: You were very coy about your love life before I left.
BYRON: Was I, now? Doesn't sound like me.
JANE: And you're doing it again. Who is it you've been seeing, eh? Fill me in.
BYRON: Oh, there's no point, Mum. We were just having fun, and... she got wind of my old job.
JANE: (...) Well, you seem rather upset for something that was just a bit of fun.
BYRON: Well, I was starting to think it might be a bit more.
JANE: Well, don't throw in the towel. She'll get over her shock soon enough. I did.
BYRON: You had to. You're my mum.
JANE: Well, feelings aren't just automatically turned off. There's always hope. Look at Mike and I. His feelings never went away. Just took us a little while to get our act together.

Sam has come back in, and is amused at Jane's understatement.

SAM: A little while?
JANE: Yeah, maybe a little too long. But the point is, if you really like her, then don't give up. Not yet.

No 32
Mackenzie is giving Harold a goodbye hug, and says she wishes he was staying - then chastises herself for being selfish.

HAROLD: No, no, I think being missed is the finest compliment!
MACKENZIE: Knowing you're here, you've become something of a security blanket.
HAROLD: Ah, but you do not *need* a security blanket. I notice you've taken something off.
MACKENZIE: I have stopped wearing my wedding rings.
HAROLD: But Hendrix is still in your heart.
MACKENZIE: And in my handbag. I couldn't let go of him completely...

She reveals that she's still carrying the rings, just in her bag instead of around her neck.

HAROLD: Oh, lovely idea.

Haz and Sadie come in, and Haz greets 'OG Harold'. While Haz and Harold are saying goodbye, Sadie notices that Mackenzie still has the rings on her, and looks a little concerned. Meanwhile, Harold presents Haz with an envelope.

HAROLD: Before I go, I thought you might get a kick out of this.

It's a photo of Harold and Lou, with Harold making a sign behind Lou's head!

HAROLD: It's a gift. Much like the stewardship of Harold's, really. Now it's your turn to add the memories.
HAZ: Have you got a few more minutes?

Harold's Café
Haz and Harold are in the kitchen. Haz has framed the photo and affixed it to the wall above the serving hatch. Harold is most pleased.

HAROLD: Almost as if we haven't left.
HAZ: You're always welcome in our café.
HAROLD: Ah!

They both smile as they gaze at the photo.

No 32
On the patio, Mackenzie is gazing at Hendrix's ring. Sadie comes out to join her.

MACKENZIE: You don't have to worry about me. This hasn't set me back.
SADIE: When I encouraged you to take it off, I never meant to... you know. I just wanted you to move on and be happy.
MACKENZIE: I know. I never said it, but I always knew where you were coming from.

Mackenzie takes Sadie's hand.

MACKENZIE: I know you think about Hendrix too.
SADIE: Every day. You know, I, uh... I pinch myself that you and I became friends.
MACKENZIE: Yeah. Hendrix would've loved it, too.

Mackenzie kisses the ring, then puts it back in her handbag. She reiterates again to Sadie that she's okay, before heading indoors. But Sadie still looks concerned.

Lassiter's Complex
Paul runs into Toadie in the courtyard. Toadie acknowledges that he knows about Terese's 'secret mission' for Paul (probing Reece for information).

PAUL: Well, at least you didn't feel the need to get territorial about it.
TOADIE (laughs): Nah. I think we're way past all that.

But at that moment, Paul spots Byron having a drink with Holly outside the pub, and starts marching towards them. Byron realises who was responsible for dropping him in it with Reece.

PAUL: I suppose you think you're pretty slick, eh?
BYRON: Is there any point defending myself to you?
PAUL: Absolutely not. Acting as some kind of double agent, pretending to help me and then running straight back to her!
BYRON: Of course, you had to get your revenge.
PAUL: I merely told Reece what kind of person you really are.
BYRON: It wasn't like that.
PAUL: Well, whatever it was like, it's now over. I won. With your help, ironically. Anyway, I suppose you've still got the memories, haven't you? And presumably the tips?
BYRON: So, am I fired?
PAUL: You're gonna wish you were.

Paul stalks off, leaving Byron looking worried.

No 32
Mackenzie is enlisting Trevor's help to decide what film to watch, while Haz and Billie socialise noisily in his room.

MACKENZIE: Bark once for comedy, and twice for thriller. Whatever it is, it'll have to be really loud.

Haz comes in, and asks if he can use Mackenzie's wine, promising to replace it later. She says it's fine, and Haz disappears back to the bedroom with the bottle and two glasses. Mackenzie strokes Trevor.

MACKENZIE: It's back to just you and me.

But Trevor jumps off the sofa, and follows Haz into his room instead.

MACKENZIE: Traitor.

Mackenzie glumly settles down to watch TV alone.

No 26
Sadie is home alone when a decisive Mackenzie shows up at the door.

MACKENZIE: Time to get out there. No talk - we're doing it. Haz is not the only nice guy in the world.
SADIE: Okay, what's your plan of attack?
MACKENZIE: Well, Haz found Mary Poppins With Abs on a dating app, so that's clearly the place to be. I created a profile, but then things quickly started dinging, and I got a tiny bit overwhelmed.
SADIE: Dinging is good. Dinging means options.
MACKENZIE: Okay. Well, I need you to weed out any you've already dated and dropped.
SADIE: Okay. You know I live for this project, right?

They huddle together on the sofa and look at the app.

SADIE: Right, okay, first guy - hard no. He could not stop talking about how hot his sister was.
MACKENZIE: Eww, okay, next.

They begin scrolling through options on the app.

Lassiter's Complex
Byron has been drinking heavily and is very much worse for wear, forcing Holly to drag him up and homewards, despite his demand for one more drink.

HOLLY: You need water and bed, my friend.
BYRON: Why? Tomorrow morning, Paul will be done toying with me, and I'll be out of a job.
HOLLY: Okay, he can't sack an employee of the hotel for sleeping with an owner. Hello, lawsuit?
BYRON: Did you give the money back to Reece?
HOLLY: Yes (...) How are you still hung up on this banshee?
BYRON: Woah, woah. She is incredible (...) I still can't believe it's over.
HOLLY: Okay, well, it's possible that she might feel the same, just given how upset she seemed (...) She hid it a lot better than you, but I could tell that she'd been crying.

Byron sits down on the walkway over the pond and attempts to text/call Reece, but Holly snatches his phone away. However, he then spots Reece across the courtyard, emerging from the hotel, and shouts to her from the walkway.

BYRON (shouting): Reece! You're amazing. You know that, right?
REECE: Go home.
BYRON: It was never a game, or a job for me. It was real.

Reece rushes up to him, attempting to quieten him down. But Byron is determined to be heard - by Jane, Toadie, Terese and Paul, it seems, who are all passing by, as well as by Reece!

BYRON (loud): I just want to be with you, okay? And the money means nothing. It's all about you.
REECE: Byron, get down!
BYRON: You're all I want.
REECE: Please, stop it!
BYRON: Please - please Reece, don't give up on us. Please.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Wendy complains to Andrew about a look that Cara gave her
- Sadie asks Wendy, 'Why are you so fixated on this?' Wendy replies, 'Because I think she's shifty'
- Terese tells Jane that the school can't be saved
- Karl asks Terese if this is her way of neutralising opposition to the project
- Byron tells Reece he'd love a second chance
- Paul tells Reece he doesn't have to answer to her - and he never, ever will!