Episode 4749 (21 November 2013)

Lauren gets ready to go out. Max asks her if she’s going on a hot date but Lauren claims she’s just meeting a mate. Max watches from the window as she walks across the square. Lauren spots Sadie and Bella moving into their new house. Lauren’s waylaid by Roxy, who’s handing out invites to her hen party, before passing Joey, mentioning she’s on her way to a date. Lauren meets Jake. Jake reveals that he doesn’t think their relationship is a good idea and wants to stop seeing her. Lauren doesn’t understand what has changed; Jake becomes agitated and looks for cigarettes in the glove compartment, uncovering a whiskey miniature. When Lauren confronts him over it, he puts some on his finger and tastes it. As Lauren snatches the bottle from him, some of the alcohol spills onto his clothes. Lauren throws the bottle out the window. She’s struggling to understand what’s got into Jake and he starts the car, insisting he’ll show her. Jake drives Lauren to Turpin Road and points out Sadie at the salon - she’s his wife. He explains that Sadie’s giving him another chance and they’re moving to the Square. Jake tells Lauren to go home and forget about him. Devastated, Lauren walks away. Jake goes into the salon, but seeing him upset Sadie quickly becomes suspicious. When she smells whiskey on him she loses her temper, presuming he’s been drinking again. Jake claims a girl at his group went off the rails and when taking the bottle away from her, he had a sip but spat it out and walked away because he loves Sadie and Bella. Jake, Sadie and Bella return to their new house, Sadie sends Bella upstairs to sort out her bedroom then tells Jake he needs to leave tonight. Jake retaliates, accusing Sadie of putting too much pressure on him and forcing him to hide any moments of weakness. When he brings up her reluctance to take responsibility, they argue about a car accident that they were involved in after Jake took his eye of the road for a second. A child was killed and Jake insists they were both to blame. He thinks they need to help each other; she can’t keep shutting him out. Sadie hits back, pointing out that, through his drinking, he threw his career and their life away. Sadie insists she is trying to rebuild their life but can’t do it if she can’t trust Jake. Meanwhile, an upset Lauren bursts into No.5. Worried she might go over the edge, Max pours his wine away; Lauren storms off, upset that Max doesn’t understand her. Lauren visits Joey, and is stunned to see a half-dressed Janine there with him. Joey’s apologetic but closes the door and returns to Janine. Lauren looks over at the Vic then spots Jake looking out at her from an upstairs window of his new house. He turns away and Lauren’s left all alone in the Square.

Joey bumps into Janine in the Minute Mart, and playfully asks what plans she has for the evening, which she brushes off. Meanwhile Carl lets Max know that he and Kirsty slept together whilst Max was in prison. Max finds Kirsty cooking and confronts her about Carl’s comments. Eventually Kirsty confesses, admitting she only did it to get money for Max’s debts and to protect Lauren and Abi. Regardless Max decides it’s time the two of them called it a day. He thinks Kirsty’s trying to be like Tanya and it isn’t working - since he came out of prison he doesn’t have any feelings for her. When she defends Lauren and stops Max from chasing after her, Max tells Kirsty to pack her bags.