Trouble is brewing in Summer Bay, and this time it’s not just personal drama at stake — it’s someone’s livelihood. In upcoming episodes of Home and Away,

Mali Hudson faces the most daunting crossroads of his career as his beloved board shop teeters on the brink of collapse. When Mali returns from a trip to Manta Ray Point,

where he had been helping his sister Lana with childcare, he expects to slip back into the rhythm of coastal life. Instead, he walks straight into a storm.

The once-thriving board shop — a symbol of his independence and pride — is in chaos.

In what now seems like a dangerously optimistic decision, Mali had left the business in the hands of his relatively new assistant, Lacey. Though well-meaning, Lacey was inexperienced from the start. It was soon revealed she didn’t even know how to surf — a glaring issue in a shop whose primary income stream comes from surf lessons.

In the early days of Mali’s absence, Lacey attempted to cover the gap by asking her boyfriend Theo to step in and teach the students. When Mali eventually learned of the arrangement, he reluctantly agreed to let it continue. At the time, it seemed like a manageable workaround.

But cracks were already forming.

Within weeks, Lacey realized the shop had been running at a loss. Stock orders were piling up. Customers were requesting refunds. Bookings were mishandled. What began as a minor hiccup snowballed into a full-scale financial crisis.

Abigail stepped in to help steady the ship until Mali returned, hoping they could weather the turbulence together. But even with her support, the numbers told a grim story. The surf lessons — the business’s main source of income — were the only thing keeping it afloat.

Then came the next blow.

Theo, torn between loyalty to Lacey and his own ambitions, was offered his old job back at the garage. Despite knowing it was where his heart truly lay, he initially turned it down out of commitment to the board shop. Recognizing his sacrifice — and feeling guilty — Lacey made the painful call to encourage him to go.

With Theo gone, the shop’s primary income stream vanished overnight.

By the time Mali is on his way back to the Bay, Abigail is frantic. Mackenzie urges her to be honest with him, but before she can make that difficult phone call, she learns he’s already en route home.

When Mali arrives, he’s in good spirits. He reconnects with Mackenzie, Levi, and Abigail, blissfully unaware of the financial disaster awaiting him. But it doesn’t take long for him to sense something is off. Abigail’s tension is palpable.

The next morning, she finally confesses: she let Theo go. And worse, the shop’s books are in far worse shape than he could imagine.

As they head to the board shop together, Abigail lays it all out — unsatisfied students, a backlog of custom board orders, stock shortages, refund demands. Every issue traces back to the weeks Mali was away.

Yet Mali remains optimistic. Ever the problem-solver, he insists they can fix it. He’s weathered storms before.

But Abigail sees the brutal reality. How can he possibly shape boards to clear the backlog while also teaching surf lessons and managing the shop floor? The math doesn’t add up.

In her view, there’s only one solution: Lacey has to go.

The shop needs an employee who can both teach and manage. At present, Lacey can do neither effectively. It’s a harsh conclusion — but Abigail believes it’s the only way to save the business.

For Mali, the suggestion hits hard. He values loyalty. He knows Lacey tried her best. Firing her feels like betrayal.

When Lacey arrives at the shop, unaware of the conversation happening behind her back, she thanks Mali for trusting her. She insists she doesn’t deserve praise and expresses how much the job means to her. The irony is painful — especially for Abigail, who moments earlier was advocating for her dismissal.

Mali is caught in the middle: protect the business or protect the person who tried to hold it together.

In the end, he makes a bold and risky choice.

Rather than fire Lacey outright, he offers her a lifeline — and a challenge. If she’s willing to learn to surf and step up to teach lessons as well as manage day-to-day operations, her position can be saved.

It’s a high-stakes gamble.

If Lacey rises to the occasion, the shop could stabilize and even grow stronger. But if she falters, Mali’s hesitation to make a clean break could push the business beyond recovery.

The storyline strikes at the heart of Mali’s character. He is a man guided by loyalty and community — but business demands tough calls. In Summer Bay, where relationships often blur professional lines, those calls can be excruciating.

Will Lacey prove she has what it takes to evolve under pressure? Or has Mali allowed emotion to cloud his judgment at a time when cold, hard pragmatism is required?

As the board shop’s future hangs in the balance, one thing is clear: this is more than a financial crisis. It’s a test of leadership, trust, and resilience.

In true Home and Away fashion, the drama is as relentless as the tides — and whether Mali sinks or swims will depend on the toughest call of his life.