Episode 7549

Extended Summary

Tane is dodging Mackenzie at the farm house, telling her to go to bed, alone. Mackenzie grumbles that he slept with Amber but not her. Tane says he wasn’t with Ziggy then. Mackenzie pours scorn on the idea of him being faithful, saying she saw a string of women come out of his room. Tane leaves, with Mackenzie calling after him. He heads home and finds a note from Ari saying they’ve gone out for dinner. He tries to call Ziggy but it goes unnoticed as she continues chatting with Dean. Ziggy advises Dean to talk to Amber but Dean says they don’t really do that. Amber arrives back with Jai in time to hear this. Ziggy leaves as Jai notices the framed picture. Amber bitterly comments that Dean looks happy in it. She asks him if he ate all the food with Ziggy and he insists he wouldn’t do that.

John is having dinner with Leah and Justin at the Diner. He thanks them for inviting him but feels a bit like a stray dog. They assure him he’s a friend and note they thought his mood would be improved by the successful surf carnival. John admits he’s still down after Gus’ comments. Leah brings up how her search for Susie is helping her and gets John intrigued. Up in the flat, Amber is reading in bed. Dean arrives from putting Jai down and notes Jai’s keen on Movie World, wondering if they can sneak him onto a rollercoaster despite him being too short. He asks for a reaction and Amber flatly tells him not to risk their son’s life. Dean wonders what’s wrong but Amber says she’s tired and turns away from him.

Ziggy returns home to a drunken Mackenzie, who admits she’s been drinking since lunchtime. Ziggy tries to get her to drink water, saying she’s a friend. Mackenzie notes Ziggy can’t have spoken to Tane yet but doesn’t elaborate, heading off to bed with her scotch in hand. Next morning, Ziggy runs into Tane on the beach. He tells her he has something to tell her that she’s not going to like. Ziggy returns home and hammers on Mackenzie’s bedroom door. A hungover Mackenzie emerges and eventually grasps what Ziggy is saying, telling her to say what she needs to so they can move on. Ziggy says Mackenzie can get out, then they can move on.

Amber emerges to find Dean and Jai bantering about having chips for breakfast. Dean volunteers to take Jai to school and takes him to his room to find his other shoe. Amber sees a message from Ziggy on Dean’s phone asking him to meet her. Meanwhile, Leah and John are looking on her laptop. Justin emerges from the bedroom and is surprised to see John there so early but Leah says she invited him. She shows John the stories about Susie she’s found, including a man whose car she stole and a woman who lost her business. John notes their club is getting bigger.

Dean and Ziggy meet up outside the surf club. She complains about how long he took to get there and Dean retorts that he had to take Jai to school. Ziggy tells him about Mackenzie trying it on with Tane and throwing her out, saying she’s tried to be a friend but has reached the end of the line. Amber watches them from a distance, including seeing Dean take Ziggy’s arm as she tries to walk away. Dean goes to the farm house, knocking on the door and calling out for Mackenzie. She is in fact inside, sitting on the floor with her suitcase, but hides from Dean. He leaves a message on her voicemail and then drives off, with Mackenzie returning to her former position.

Justin tries to interest Leah in breakfast but she is focused on her laptop work. She gets a message that Susie has been sighted up the coast and declares it a lead. Despite Justin trying to calm her, she is determined to get John and check it out. Meanwhile, Dean runs into John near the surf club while looking for Mackenzie, then tries to ask Ziggy and Tane about her, but a moment later Amber appears and accuses Ziggy and Dean of being interested in each other. Ziggy insists she has everything she needs with Tane. She and Amber almost come to blows before Dean manages to usher Amber away. Tane asks Ziggy if she meant what he said and cuts her rant short with a kiss, saying he loves her. Ziggy says she loves him too.

Dean and Amber walk along the beach, with him wondering what’s going on. Amber doesn’t want to say, since she knows how the conversation’s going to go. She agrees to talk and they head back to the flat. She thinks this isn’t what he wants. Dean insists it is but Amber says he wants the family, not her. She challenges him to look her in the eye and tell her he’s not still in love with Ziggy.

Leah is preparing to go and investigate the lead but Justin is concerned about her going off on the basis of something a stranger has said, recalling last time she did that she disappeared for weeks. He says the money isn’t worth this but Leah insists she wants justice and doesn’t need his permission. Meanwhile, Dean is refusing to answer Amber’s challenge. She asks him to think of one reason why he’s with her other than Jai. Dean flounders and Amber says it shouldn’t be that hard. She leaves him to think but says they both know the answer.