Lou guesses Lucas has feelings for Vanessa and with her leaving for Japan the following day, advises he does something about it before she goes. Lucas arranges a farewell dinner at which he'll confess his feelings but his plans are thwarted when Vanessa invites Rhys to join them. Then Rhys is called to the hospital and Lucas decides to make his move, but he's stopped in his tracks when he discovers Rhys's ring and realises his rival is going to propose. Worried his chance of promotion has disappeared, Toadie apologises to Charlotte but she insists it's no longer possible to recommend him for the job. When Sonya hears the news she feels totally responsible and heads for the office, appealing to Charlotte herself and blaming everything on her hormones. She leaves without an answer but when Toadie returns from work she discovers her appeal worked - he's got Charlotte's recommendation. And Lou takes up painting to fill his spare time, roping Susan in to sit for him. The finished item is terrible but, not wanting to hurt Lou's feelings, Susan insists on taking it home. She reveals the situation to Karl who tells Lou he's buying it, though it'll never see the light of day...
