Episode 7756

Extended Summary

Mackenzie comes into Salt and finds Felicity drinking and chatting with a pair of other women. She snaps that she doesn’t pay her to do that and Felicity points out she isn’t paying her at all: Her shift doesn’t start for another half an hour. She tries asking what’s wrong but, when Mackenzie tells her to mind her own business, goes back to her new friends. Mackenzie tells her not to give them mates’ rates. Meanwhile, Bella and Chloe run into Ryder by the beach. They explain they’ve been to TAFE; Chloe begged Bella’s tutor to let her into the class. Bella has an assignment on bodies in motion to do and tries to send Chloe off to the Diner but Chloe insists on going with her to help.

Dean leaves Rick an irate voicemail, telling him to stay away from Mack. Chloe and Bella arrive back, explaining they’re studying together. Bella sends Chloe to get her charger from her room and apologises to Dean if Chloe’s getting on his nerves. Dean says he’s fine with it and it’s something else that’s bugging him. Chloe returns and they jokingly agree she’s a loser for getting excited about a school project. Later, Dean listens in as Chloe bombards Bella with thoughts about using reflections and shutter speed. Bella suggests Chloe find something else to do but, when Chloe looks hurt and offers to leave, agrees to brainstorm ideas but warns Chloe not to be upset if she doesn’t use hers.

Irene greets Jasmine at the Diner and Jasmine realises Cash spoke to her. Irene insists Jasmine must be sad about her father dying but Jasmine says he hasn’t been a part of her life since kindergarten. She says she doesn’t fall apart when her patients die and she’s actually bonded with them. Irene thinks part of Jasmine must be a little girl who’s lost her father but Jasmine says he did the best thing for her. Irene gives her a coffee on the house. At Salt, Felicity tells Mackenzie that a booking’s cancelled. Mackenzie asks if she charged a cancellation fee, even though they’ve never done that before, and suggests Felicity go home since they’ve overstaffed. Felicity protests that she needs the money and suggests Ryder go home instead. Mackenzie says she likes Ryder more. Felicity leaves, calling Jasmine to say she’s suddenly free. Ryder wonders if Dean spoke to Mackenzie and slowly admits to letting him see the accounts. Mackenzie is annoyed, saying Dean knowing didn’t help.

Chloe is continuing to bombard Bella, suggesting just doing photos of people walking or blinking. Once she’s left the room, Dean goes over and wonders why Bella doesn’t just ask Chloe to go home. Bella says Chloe’s shut her family out because they remind her of Ari. When Chloe comes back, suggesting going to the Diner and taking photos of people eating, Dean says he’ll take Chloe for something to eat (Ziggy is doing an orientation with apprentices at TAFE) and then take her home, leaving Bella to get on with things. They arrive at Salt where Ryder puts his foot in it by jovially suggesting Bella kicked them out. Dean sends Chloe out onto the balcony and Ryder notes Mackenzie isn’t just mad but beaten. Mackenzie tells Dean she knows about him looking at her accounts but accepts he was just trying to help and wonders if she should take Rick’s offer, telling Dean she can’t even afford the staff’s wages for the week. Ryder apologises to Chloe before Dean joins her. Chloe begs him not to take her home, saying she can’t deal with Mia missing Ari.

Downstairs, Felicity is playing pool with Jasmine and ranting a bit about Mackenzie sending her home. She notes she thought Jasmine would be more philosophical about her father’s death and Cash said she was in denial. She recalls it felt like the end of the world when her father died, saying both their fathers left them by choice but at least she knew where her dad was. She notes she convinced herself her father was murdered whereas Jasmine’s could have been in the next suburb. At the beach house, Irene and Cash are just discussing Jasmine when she turns up and breaks down in tears in Cash’s arms, wondering why her father left her.

Chloe and Dean arrive back at the farm house. Bella is surprised that Chloe’s there. Chloe explains she had a freak-out and Dean let her stay another night. She goes to bed. Dean admits he felt sorry for her and offers Bella pizza. At the beach house, Jasmine and Cash have retired to the bedroom where Cash is comforting her. Jasmine pulls out a photo of herself with her father when she was a little girl, saying it’s the only one she’s got of him. She wonders what sort of life he had and if he ever thought of her. Cash suggests he didn’t get back in touch because he was ashamed. Jasmine wonders if he was afraid of the reaction he’d get and says she’d have forgiven him. She notes she didn’t realise how many questions she had.

Next morning, Bella gets up to find Chloe cooking breakfast. Chloe reveals she’s also written Bella’s artist’s statement. Bella points out it’s meant to be about the photograph, which she hasn’t taken yet. Chloe says it’s also about her and who better to write it than her best friend. Bella tells her she needs to give her space and go home. Chloe arrives back at the Parata house, looking stressed. She starts writing in her journal, saying she hates being back home and thought Bella understood.

Dean approaches Mackenzie on the balcony at Salt and gives her an envelope full of cash, calling it a gift like the one she gave him to start the surf school. Mackenzie is grateful but says it won’t even scratch the surface. Dean says it’ll let her pay her staff for a week and she should do whatever it takes to survive. Later, Felicity arrives and is bemused when Mackenzie greets her in a friendly manner. Mackenzie says they were already overstaffed when she took Felicity on and she wasn’t actually looking for someone then. Felicity points out Mackenzie was having a crisis and she stepped in. Mackenzie agrees she’s been a valued employee but says it’s last in first out and she has no choice but to let her go.