After the premier of Starstruck, Colin announced to the world through the media that he would be taking the next year off to travel, get more accustomed to his new superstar status and get acquainted with the house he had just purchased in Los Angeles. "A whole year off!" Victoria was astonished. "Wow, what I wouldn't give to take a whole year off." Colin stretched out across her beige leather couch, looking over at her as she folded a pile of laundry; some of his things mixed in with her own.
"You could," he said, smiling over at her. She was wearing blue jeans and one of his t-shirts untucked. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a beautiful California tan was all she had on her face. Barefooted, she sat cross-legged on the floor as she continued to fold towels and underwear.
"How's that?" she asked, peering up at him through her long lashes, a smile on her face. She had come to accept her life now with Colin as an everyday thing. He was no longer a big star in Hollywood to her, but a loving, helpful man who she couldn't get enough of. Everything she had ever wanted was coming together.
"All you have to do is become an actress, star in a few movies with me, and boom! Take a year off." Victoria laughed as she continued with her work. Seeing she was not taking him seriously, he sat forward, grabbing the towel from her hand. She looked up. "I'm serious! With me to help you and the connections I have, it wouldn't be long before you could be a star." Seeing her incredulous look, he added, "You're beautiful, Victoria. You could make it even without any help."
Again Victoria laughed, this time grabbing the towel back. "I'm no actress!" She set the towel to one side and stopped for a minute to look at him. "Do you know how long it's been since I've even thought about that?" When he just watched her, she got up and crossed over to where he sat. "I acted, if you can call it that, some in high school. You know, musicals and stuff. I was a singer, not a thespian." Recalling the past brought a smile to her lips. "True, I did a couple of plays in college but gave it up when I got married during my sophomore year."
"Well, there you go."
"What?" Victoria looked over at him as he took her in his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
"You gave it up for the wrong man."
"I didn't think he was the wrong man at the time," she teased. "Besides, I didn't want to live that life. Look at you . . ."
"What about me?"
"You never have a moment's rest. People are all over you when you're out in public and you struggle to maintain a private life. I don't want that."
"But you already have that with me." For some reason, Colin continued to push the issue. "It wouldn't be any different if you got into it yourself."
Victoria simply shook her head. "I told you once before, I'm not an actress. Besides, I'd rather sit back and watch you do all that. I'm perfectly happy being a silent supporter." To her relief, he gave it up for a while.
One of the first things he wanted to do during this year off was furnish the house he had just purchased. Victoria absolutely loved it! The first time she walked into it, it took her breath away. It was a two story stucco house with five bedrooms, four and a half baths, three living areas plus a huge bonus room that he was planning on converting into a screening room. It had a three car garage with a motor court and was approximately 5,524 square feet. The previous owner had spent a lot of time and money on the gardens and Colin loved them so he decided to leave well enough alone and hired a gardener for the upkeep. He wanted to hire a decorator for the interior and offered Victoria the chance to be involved with it. She quickly jumped at the chance and overtook the responsibility of turning the house into a home.
Victoria found a decorator by the name of Juan and fell in love with his taste for interior decorating; elegant, but comfortable. Colin had a taste for dark wood and metal, so some of that was incorporated into the scheme, but mostly in the study that was down the hall from his bedroom. The one thing she liked most about his study was the movie posters and memorabilia that decorated the walls. Every movie that he had been in, from his very first one to the two that continued to show at the theaters, were on the walls, and now Starstruck would grace the walls as well.
The house was spread out and in angular shapes. The front door was nestled under a two story covered entry with columns in the front. As you entered the house through the solid wood doors, you walked into the grand foyer that went all the way up. A balcony from the second story overlooked the foyer and a circular staircase was to the left. Behind that were Colin's rooms which included a small bath, his study, a hallway which acted as a gallery that lead into his bedroom and a huge private bath.
The bedroom had a door that walked out onto the newly built deck and swimming pool area. There was a small gas fireplace that opened in both Colin's bedroom and the connecting bath. The garden tub was on the other side of the fireplace. When Victoria saw it, her eyes lit up. It was one of the most romantic things about the whole house. There was a large shower built for two and double sinks, a separate area for the toilet and a huge walk-in closet with the center being shoe storage and built-in drawers.
You could go directly into the formal living room from the grand foyer or turn down another hallway/gallery to the right taking you into the rest of the house. There was a large formal dining room with bay windows and directly across from that was the kitchen. The kitchen was extra spacious with a floating island in the center and a bar that held the sink, dishwasher and cook top that looked over into the family room and breakfast nook without any visual obstructions. The built-in refrigerator and appliances had paneled fronts that matched the cabinets.
