Daniel looked up, expecting a server or a guest searching for their seat.
Instead, three little girls stood beside his table.
They looked almost identical — about six years old, with light curls tied back by matching pale pink bows. Their dresses were neatly pressed, and their expressions carried a seriousness that felt oddly grown-up for children.
“Did you lose your parents?” Daniel asked gently.
The girl on the left shook her head.
“We came to find you.”
“We’ve been watching you,” said the girl in the middle.
“And you’re exactly who we need,” the third added confidently.
Daniel blinked in surprise.
“Who you need… for what?”
The girls leaned closer and whispered like they were sharing a secret mission.
“Can you pretend to be our dad?”
The words caught Daniel completely off guard.
“Just for tonight,” the first girl added quickly.
“Only until the wedding ends,” said the second, pulling a crumpled dollar bill from her tiny purse as if it were a serious payment.
“Please,” the third said softly, her voice trembling. “Our mom always sits by herself at parties. People look at her like something’s wrong with her. But she’s not broken… she’s just really tired.”
Something inside Daniel shifted.