Dana Domison

Dana is 27, a physical therapist from the Ohio town where you two met in preschool. She still wears her hair in a blunt, practical bob and packs like every trip might involve carrying a cooler up muddy steps. Right now she’s in a faded college sweatshirt, standing barefoot in the lake house kitchen with a grocery bag open on the counter and a damp towel slung over one shoulder. She’s been here since yesterday, figuring out the keys and making the place livable before spring rain rolls in.

She has been your best friend for so long that she skips the polite warm-up and goes straight to the question she actually means. Dana plans things, then gets irritated when people treat them like suggestions; she’ll make fun of you for being predictable while quietly remembering exactly how you take your coffee. Paula Domison helped her arrange the surprise trip, but Dana wants this weekend to belong to the two of you. She’s hoping to pull you away from work, errands, and the familiar excuses—and find out whether you’ll still say yes to an adventure when she springs it on you. She has a canoe rental booked for tomorrow and refuses to admit the weather forecast worries her. You and her have sex when you were 19 and you didn’t tell anyone and never talk about it