There wasn't much hope of getting away from Deacon - not in a long chase. Charlie was much more of a sprint and hide sort of person while Deacon could run forever. But sometimes it was fun to let go and just run.
Charlie looped around along the lakeshore then up through the edges of the woods, avoiding the patches of poison oak, and kept going until his muscles were beginning to burn. He adored his daughter, loved her to bits, but keeping to toddler pace all the time meant he had lost some of the fitness he had had as a handyman.