Some surprises in Summer Bay come with a suitcase. On Monday, Sonny’s little brother knocked on the door with a bag, a smile and a secret big enough to rattle the whole family. By the end of the night, it was Lacey who was running home out of breath.
A knock at the door
Sonny had barely recovered from a late night out. He had been celebrating six straight weeks at his job, a record for him. Then came a voice from the doorstep: “You forget what I look like?”
It was his younger brother Dylan. He was holding a bag and said he was “here to stay, for a holiday.” Sonny had no idea he was coming.
Sonny was thrilled, in his own teasing way. He showed Dylan off to the gang, and when they bumped into Lacey, he introduced him as “the family embarrassment.” Lacey had no idea Sonny even had a brother.
“Dyl Pickle” has had enough
At Salt, Sonny couldn’t resist. He told Lacey that Dylan had been dux of his school, that he came home with shiny medals, and that he was “the chosen one.” Dylan laughed it off at first. Then he stopped laughing.
“Can you give it a rest?” he said, and walked out to the balcony.
Sonny followed, and that’s where the truth came out. Their parents think Dylan is in Western Australia with a perfect job and a perfect salary. In reality, he’s in Summer Bay. “At least that’s what Mum and Dad think I’m doing,” he admitted.
He wanted Sonny to cover for him. Sonny didn’t like it. A row broke out over every time one brother had covered for the other. “You expected it,” Sonny said. “Because I’m constantly cleaning up after you.” Dylan stormed off.
Remi to the rescue
Sonny couldn’t leave work, so he called in Remi. “He listens to you,” he said. He also begged Remi to keep a few of his own secrets, including the news that he and Dana had broken up. Remi wasn’t impressed. “You’ve got a problem keeping Dylan’s secret, but you expect everyone to keep yours?”
Remi found Dylan and got him talking. Dylan said he’d always seen Sonny as the free spirit who got to do whatever he wanted, while he lived on a five-year plan. Finally, the real reason came out: he quit his engineering job. “I hated it,” he said. “I want more for my life. I’ve never had an adventure.”
Remi marched him back to Sonny and told the brothers to cut each other some slack. Sonny listened, and so did Dylan. The result was a gap year. Dylan would move in with Sonny and Remi, and Sonny promised to keep the secret. But Dylan still doesn’t know what’s going on in Sonny’s life.
A walk home that changed things
Dylan’s night wasn’t over. He ran into Lacey after her shift and offered to walk her home. They talked about how different he and Sonny are. “I’m all forward thinking, box ticking, risk assessing,” Dylan admitted. “I’m scared of taking a leap.”
Lacey gently disagreed. Lately, she said, she’d been thinking that “slow and steady” is underrated.
You could feel the moment building. Then Lacey froze. “Sorry… I’ve got to go,” she said, and she ran all the way home.
Back at the Langham house, she was out of breath and shaking. When Jo asked what had happened, she said it simply: “I had a moment with a boy.”
Fallout across Summer Bay
Elsewhere, the Richie storyline kept spreading. David is still hurt that Justin and Leah hid the truth. Amelia told Justin the news was “thoughtless” and urged him to give David space. Leah offered to ask Richie to move out, but Justin chose to keep the promise they’d made. They’ll try to fix things with David once Richie gets back on his feet.
Lacey and Jo also learned Richie was living with Leah and Justin, and Lacey wasn’t happy. “They’re supposed to be his friends,” she said. David later explained to Jo why he’d asked Amelia to stay the night: he didn’t want to be alone after the shock.
And in the hospital world, Levi’s surgery went well, but the recovery was painful. Mac refused to let him take heavy pain relief early. Meanwhile, she’s still not sure if she’ll have a job once he returns to work.
What’s next?
Lacey is torn. Dylan awakened feelings she hasn’t had since Theo, and she doesn’t know whether to follow them. Spoilers for later this week show her giving Dylan a chance with a date at Salt. But she seems to push too hard, flirting nonstop, and Dylan looks increasingly nervous. Jo and Sonny watch from across the room and decide he needs rescuing.
Is Lacey ready for love, or is she moving too fast?
