Victoria Newman is in for a whole lot of change in the coming months, beginning with a new man!
She may finally be able to take off the wedding band Ryan gave her before he succumbed to his gunshot wounds, signaling the possibility that Heather Tom’s alter ego, Victoria, is able to love again. "Ryan will always be in her heart, he’ll always be part of her, but she had to move on. It’s time," she says, simply.
Her ill-fated romance with Diego was what Tom calls "a rebound. It didn’t take her long to learn that he wasn’t the right man for her. Now, I think she is really open and happy to begin the next chapter of her life."
Chemistry 101
She may not have long to wait before she finds a man worth his salt in business savvy, smarts and good looks. Seems Victoria and Damon Porter find each other more than a little interesting. "I’ve had some scenes with Keith [Hamilton Cobb, Damon], and it’s pretty clear the writers have her looking in his direction," Tom notes. "Victoria wants to woo him over to Newman Enterprises, where he should have been in the first place."
But what begins as a business interest soon turns personal. "She realizes they have a lot in common, and she certainly finds him attractive."
Bachelor No.2
But don’t make plans for an autumn love affair with the competition’s head chemist just yet, as the two-time Emmy winner hints, he’s not the only man on Victoria’s radar. "She is really quite intrigued by Michael Baldwin," she reveals. "There is just something about him, something that isn’t about business. He keeps her off-kilter; she doesn’t know whether she wants to strangle him or have sex with him! That intrigues her. Not many men have been able to make her feel like that."
Whether she chooses the chemist or the attorney, Tom looks forward to some juicy storyline. "I love the business aspects, and the struggle with her father, but I’m also looking forward to a little romance for Victoria. I think the period of mourning she went through for Ryan was pretty realistic.
"I know I mourned [Ryan’s portrayer] Scott Reeves’ exit! I still miss him, but he’s busy with his music, and he’s very happy!"
Not that she wouldn’t welcome him back with open arms. "I would love it if Scott came back, as maybe a new character, or his long-lost twin! Whatever it takes to get him to return would be fine by me!"
Ryan’s Hope
Should Reeves really return, he’d find that his onetime honey has new digs. Tom reveals that Victoria’s room is under renovation — and getting the old Martha Stewart treatment. She laughs. "They’re putting on a second story, I think. Finally. Victoria will have more than a studio apartment to inhabit! It won’t look so rustic, but like a home she would really choose to live in!"
And no, Nicholas’ bag won’t be in her living room! "I know, that was crazy," she chuckles. "She has her brother working out in the middle of her living space! I hope she won’t have to put up with that again!"
Well, with the likes of Damon Porter and Michael Baldwin sparring for Victoria’s time and attention, that would be one crowded house! Stay tuned.
Heather Tom
