For a few days while the film was being shot the video store was technically closed to customers. Store employees were there to sneak a few videos out to customers between takes to ensure loyal clientele. We were also there to hang out and watch the shoot and chat with the crew and cast. At the time I had bleached my hair platinum blond - hairdressers complimented my work - and yes, I did get a lot of attention. Particularly from one natural blond. Christopher St. Charles. He was Jeff Daniels’ stand-in and was obviously enjoying his work as well as socializing with the store employees.

He later told me a fun story about an incident that happened at the video store while on a break from filming. He and Big Dave were hanging out behind the counter. Jeff Daniels was sitting in front of the counter by the video drop. As the three men were chatting a customer came cruising in the door, not noticing the equipment littering the front sidewalk as well as the store interior. The man was not noticing much. He started to drop of a couple of videos in the drop slot but Christopher intercepted him, offering to take the videos as if he were a store employee. Christopher looked at the videos being returned. Both were starring the man sitting at the customer’s elbow.
Christopher asked, “So, you a big Jeff Daniels fan?”
The customer replied, “Yeah, he’s a great actor.”
Then without a glimpse at that great actor the customer went on his merry way. Dave and Christopher were in hysterics. Jeff just shook his head, “I have that kind of face.”

It was evident from the first that this tall, handsome New Yorker had both a quick, sharp wit and a congenial, happy soul. I thought he might be interested in me when he showed to me the fortune he had pulled out of his fortune cookie from lunch that day: someone important will be entering your life. Still he did not ask me out although Jeff Daniels had urged him to do so. “You are just going out to dinner, not getting married.”

I wish I could say that I was spurred to make the next move but I just was not that much into dating at the time. I had been on three dates that year. None were second dates. None were nightmares, just dull. I was enjoying being fancy-free and certainly not mate shopping. Nonetheless, I was not completely averse to a night out.

A week after the shoot wrapped Christopher called me at the store to ask me to the wrap party. I had to smile because I knew it was a ploy to increase the odds of “yes”. Offer a lady a chance to socialize with such stars as Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, Giovanni Ribisi, etc. While that certainly appealed to me, little did Christopher know that I would have said “yes” to a solo dinner.

The wrap party never went off. Due to rescheduling the party was held at a time when most of the invitees were working on the set. Christopher called back and offered dinner instead.

Our second date never happened either. Christopher had a last minute conflict. I had no phone at the time so he dropped by my apartment. I was not in at the time so he left a note and a bouquet of flowers. He later told me that he had gotten so lost looking for my street that he had given up not only on finding me that day but on ever going out on a date with me! Fortunately on his way home he saw a sign for Orlando and gave it one last shot. That last shot led to our third attempt at a date. The third time was the charm.