Brad gets a job offer. Tam gets drunk with Aden. Ric concedes that he’s attracted to both the women in his life. Dom lets Belle and Drew know that he has unfinished business with them.
Extended Summary
When the naked Viv joins him in the shower, Ric is forced to confront conflicting emotions – his loyalty to Matilda and his growing attraction to Viv. Loyalty wins out, but Ric is shaken by the encounter. He then turns up at the Surf Club and finds Noel at the bar chatting up a far-from-impressed, Matilda. Ric had forgotten all about Noel’s invitation for him and Mattie to join Noel and Viv for dinner. It’s shaping up to be a disastrous night, but Viv doesn’t show up and Noel becomes distracted by another attractive woman that he’s clearly met before.
Ric’s relieved when Noel calls the dinner off, but he still has plenty of explaining to do to Matilda who remains very suspicious of Viv. Next day Ric is smoothing things over with Matilda when he sees Drew with Viv’s car and he hates himself when he feels a pang of jealousy. Despite having promised Mattie that he’d have nothing further to do with Viv, Ric responds to an SMS from her and meets her. An honest discussion ensues wherein Viv reveals that she’s concerned that Noel is having an affair with the woman Ric saw him with at the Club. While they confide in each other both Viv and Ric admit their mutual attraction. And while they agree not to act on it now – it’s clear that it’s not going to go away.
Belle finds it difficult to prepare for her first day at work on the local newspaper as she’s still worried that Drew and her may have injured or killed Dom. Somehow Belle manages to get her head together and get to work, but when she comes home for a special lunch that Drew has prepared, she finds that the ring Dom gave her when he kidnapped her – which she had previously thrown into her bin – has turned up on her window sill. Belle freaks out when she ascertains that it could only have been Dom who put it there. While there’s some slight relief in knowing that Dom is alive, and probably not seriously injured, Belle is scared as to what his motives now are, especially as he’s been in her bedroom.
Brad and Heather have both been applying for jobs and Heather is over-the- moon when she gets one at the hospital. Brad is awaiting the outcome of a couple of his applications. Meanwhile, Tam is flattered when Aden asks her to the school formal with him. She has gradually warmed to the guy as she’s slowly got to know him better, and really wants to go, but Brad says no. Tam looks to Rachel for support and hopes she’ll have a word to Brad on Tam’s behalf and try and change his mind about the formal, but Rachel isn’t keen to do that and lets slip that Brad has been offered a job in Tasmania that he’s decided to accept. Tam’s devastated, especially as she seems to be the last person to find out about the job offer. She storms off and into the arms of Aden who is going off to an alcohol fuelled party down the beach. After a few drinks Aden makes a move on a tipsy Tam, who is rapidly losing the ability to say no to him. Worse, some of Aden’s mates start to take photos on their phones of Tam and Aden making out.