Brian Quinn: A New Man

Chapter 3

The first day of filming, after the mid-sesson break, was a full one. They did two challenges at a grocery store which ended up being about four hours on camera, but longer with set up, intro, lighting for the monitor station, sound check, and lunch break. But it was a typical day for the cast and most of the crew. Brian arrived around 7am, after Murr, but before Sal and Joe. Call time was for 7:30 for the guys, early enough to not be seen by shoppers, and plenty of time to get stuck in rush hour traffic.

Brian took a bagel from craft services and smeared cream cheese on it. He found a coffee maker and brewed a pot. He liked this time of day, it was still a little quiet, mainly because Joe wasn't there yet, and the crew was busy finalizing camera placements. He got to sit in silence because Murr was busy on his laptop, typing away in what was probably his next novel.

The makeup artist and her new assistant were in another corner, laughing about something on their phones. He hadn't paid too much attention to the assistant makeup artist, since she was new. She was pretty, and one of the ones he figured might try to desperately get his attention. He took a few last sips of his coffee before popping a piece of gum in his mouth. That was when the blonde from his tinder account approached him.

"Hey, I'm Kelli. I'm supposed to get you over to sound for a mic and ear piece."

He followed the P.A. to the sound crew and laughed to himself. He hadn't added her on tinder, and he wondered if she even knew he was on there. He got mic'ed up and when the rest of the guys were, too, they went on a quick camera tour so they knew where all the cameras were on the floor.

The first couple of hours were dedicated to the first challenge where the guys clipped balloons on unsuspecting shoppers. It was a favorite of fans but also the Jokers.

They broke for lunch around 11am and Brian and the Jokers went down the street to a deli.

"So Q, you wanna have a card game this weekend?" Joe asked.

"Fine by me. Who's hosting?

"You are!" Joe laughed.

Brian chuckled and nodded. He knew it was a dumb question to even ask but since the other guys had wives and family living with them it was pretty clear who hosted most of their get-togethers. Brian saw the makeup artist and assistant makeup artist come in the deli and the guys motioned for them to join the table.

The guys introduced themselves the the assistant makeup artist whos name was Jacki.

"Where are you from?" Murr asked.

"Nashville," she answered.

"How long have you been in New York?"

"About a month. Just needed a change."

"Where are you living?" Sal asked.

"I'm renting a place a few minutes from the State Island Ferry."

"Oh, the Manhattan terminal or the Staten Island terminal?" The question came before Brian could catch himself. He loved talking about his beloved Staten Island.

"The Staten Island side. I'm renting from a retired couple."

The guys nodded and Brian noticed that she seemed slightly uncomfortable with the attention. She tugged at her long, beautiful, brown hair. Seeing her up close he saw a couple of fine lines on her forehead, and a couple around her eyes. So maybe she's older than I thought. He caught himself looking down to her neck and then her chest, which was only visible because of her low cut v-neck shirt.

When the food came the guys stopped asking Jacki questions and focused on eating. Brian did notice one particular thing which was how Jacki ate her food. It was kind of enchanting how she closed her eyes and enjoyed each bite. He wondered what made her enjoy the chicken wrap she ordered so much. It was actually distracting him from his own meal as she did slight dancing in her seat. He had never witnessed someone enjoying such a small thing so immensely.

After lunch they all headed back to the grocery store to film the next challenge. Brian walked at the back of the group, lost in his thoughts. He knew it might cause trouble to get involved with this girl, but he set the intention of at least getting to know her better.