Sorry for the late reply.
Due to login issues MN suspended my account and removed the original post "Ladies, please advise a clueless dad". I contacted MN and explained the situation and they were kind enough to reinstate my login privileges, except they couldn't relist the original post 
. Oddly it still says my nickname 'NoBreak' is already in use. No biggie...Nobreak is Nobreak2 now.
Summing up, I asked the nice people on this forum to give me tips on how to approach somebody I liked. How to go beyond the "ogling each other phase" as somebody whimsically put it 
.
I'm back 'cause I feel I owe it to the helpful folks here. You deserve an update and I've got good news for you...
Last week I went to my DD's Xmas assembly (kill me!!). Believe it or not, she was there...last thing I expected. Holy crap!!!! F$$$ it, either now or never, I thought to myself. I sat down next to her and slowly engaged her in a conversation. Oh boy, was she nervous! I was too...very. Things eased off after a few jokes.
Thankfully I managed to get her number before her friend (the escort) insisted they went to a different room, WTF!!??!!
I texted her the next day and the following weekend we had a coffee together. We talked for hours. She admitted she wanted me to approach her. So, yeah, turns out I wasn't imagining...phew! We clicked fairly quickly. There's definitely a connection, strangely a strong one for a first date. We agreed to meet again in two weeks after my work trip. Can't wait.
Thanks a million for all the tips. Very grateful! 