Trouble is brewing in Summer Bay, and next week’s Home and Away episodes promise major tension as Mali Hudson finds his beloved board shop teetering dangerously close to collapse.

After a string of unfortunate choices and mounting financial pressure, Mali returns home to discover his business is in far worse shape than he imagined — forcing him to make

a drastic decision that could cost someone their job. What begins as a simple attempt to help his family quickly spirals into a full-blown business crisis.

A Risky Decision Comes Back to Haunt Mali

The drama stems from Mali’s earlier decision to leave the board shop under the supervision of new assistant Lacey while he travelled to Mantaray Point to help his sister Lanna with childcare responsibilities. At the time, Mali believed the shop would run smoothly in his absence.

However, the plan had one critical flaw: Lacey was still new to the job — and, shockingly, she didn’t even know how to surf.

In a place like Summer Bay, where surf culture is practically a way of life, that revelation quickly became a serious problem.

Initially, Lacey tried to hide the issue by relying on her boyfriend Theo to handle the surfing lessons — a major source of income for the struggling business. When Mali eventually learned the truth, he reluctantly allowed the arrangement to continue, trusting that things would stay afloat until he returned.

But behind the scenes, the situation was deteriorating faster than anyone expected.

The Business Begins to Sink

During Mali’s absence, Lacey soon realized that the board shop was already operating at a loss. Concerned about the mounting financial pressure, Abigail stepped in to help manage things until Mali came back.

Both women hoped they could steady the ship.

However, as weeks passed, it became clear the problems were far deeper than they realized. The shop began falling behind on orders, dissatisfied customers started requesting refunds for surf lessons, and inventory issues made it nearly impossible to keep up with demand.

Despite their efforts, the financial strain kept growing.

Then another blow struck.

Theo — who had been temporarily helping run the surfing lessons — revealed that he had turned down an opportunity to return to his job at the garage because he had committed himself to helping the board shop.

Lacey knew Theo loved working on cars and didn’t want him sacrificing his own career. So, despite knowing how vital the lessons were to the shop’s survival, she encouraged him to follow his passion and leave.

It was a selfless gesture — but one that came with serious consequences.

Panic Sets In

Without Theo teaching surf lessons, the shop lost its primary source of income almost overnight. With customers demanding refunds and new bookings drying up, Abigail began to panic.

The numbers simply didn’t add up.

Mackenzie Booth urged Abigail to come clean with Mali about the reality of the situation. The longer the truth remained hidden, the worse the fallout would be.

But before Abigail could gather the courage to tell him, she received unexpected news — Mali was already on his way back to Summer Bay.

Suddenly, the clock was ticking.

Mali Returns to a Storm

When Mali arrives back at the farmhouse the following week, he’s in high spirits. After spending time with his family, he reconnects with friends Mackenzie, Levi, and Abigail, clearly relieved to be home again.

But while Mali is cheerful and optimistic, Abigail is hiding a heavy secret.

She knows the moment he learns what’s happened to the business, everything could change.

The following morning, Mali quickly senses something is wrong. Abigail’s nervous behavior makes it obvious she’s holding something back.

Finally, she admits that she made the difficult decision to let Theo leave the board shop — a move that drastically affected their income.

She insists that the two of them need to go through the business accounts immediately to assess the damage.

The Truth Comes Out

When they arrive at the shop, Abigail lays everything out in painful detail.

There are angry students demanding refunds. Surfboard orders are backlogged. Stock deliveries have been delayed. And the financial losses have been piling up since Mali left town.

What seemed like manageable issues have now snowballed into a crisis.

Yet despite the overwhelming problems, Mali refuses to give up hope.

Confident that he can fix the situation, he insists they’ll find a way through the chaos.

But Abigail isn’t convinced.

She points out the obvious logistical nightmare: Mali can’t possibly keep up with shaping dozens of custom surfboards while also running daily surf lessons and managing the shop.

Something — or someone — has to change.

Abigail’s Brutal Suggestion

According to Abigail, the solution is painfully simple.

Lacey needs to be fired.

The board shop requires someone who can not only manage daily operations but also teach surfing lessons — a core part of the business model. Without those skills, the shop simply cannot function.

From a practical standpoint, Abigail believes letting Lacey go is the only way to save the business.

But Mali struggles with the idea.

He knows Lacey did her best under difficult circumstances, and the thought of dismissing someone who trusted him with a job weighs heavily on his conscience.

A Difficult Choice

When Lacey arrives at the shop later that day, Mali warmly thanks her for stepping up while he was away.

However, Lacey is still feeling guilty about the chaos that unfolded. She brushes off the praise, insisting she doesn’t deserve any credit.

She simply hopes they can rely on each other moving forward.

But Mali can’t shake Abigail’s advice.

As tension fills the room, Lacey confides in Abigail about how much the job means to her — unaware that Abigail had just argued she should lose it.

The awkward moment only deepens Mali’s internal struggle.

He knows the business needs drastic action, but he also doesn’t want to abandon someone who clearly cares about the job.

Mali’s Bold Ultimatum

After wrestling with the decision, Mali finally comes up with an unexpected compromise.

Rather than firing Lacey outright, he gives her a challenge.

If she can learn to surf and become capable of running surf lessons herself, she can keep her job.

But if she can’t meet that expectation, the business may have no choice but to move on without her.

It’s a high-stakes ultimatum — one that could determine the future of the entire shop.

A Risky Gamble

The decision leaves everyone wondering whether Mali has just saved his employee… or risked pushing the business further toward bankruptcy.

Learning to surf well enough to teach others is no easy task, especially under pressure.

But for Lacey, the message is clear: her future in the board shop now depends on whether she can rise to the challenge.

As the drama unfolds in upcoming episodes, viewers will be left asking the same question that now hangs over Summer Bay:

Is Mali giving Lacey a second chance — or making the biggest business mistake of his life?