He didn't know if she caused him to loosen his ties to the Pittmans, or if it was easier because she was there, or if it was completely a coincidence. He did know, however, that when Gabrielle Pittman came back into his life, he was far less vulnerable to her charms. She seemed so calculating and self-absorbed and kind of brittle. She wasn't affectionate. There was no softness about her. She was all sharp angles and high fashion and exotic perfume that seemed to linger for days after he saw her. He really preferred something lighter in the cologne department, now that he thought about it. He liked the faint perfume Dr. Dani wore, which was warm, but light. He couldn't really describe it. It smelled like flowers and spice and for some reason it reminded him of cookies (Was he losing his mind here?) Well, now it was going to bother him until he figured out that last element. If she stood just a little closer to him, he could probably figure out. He'd give it a shot.
(By the time he saw a bottle of it on the table by her front door, he'd already figured out the other note was vanilla. The perfume was Chanel, Allure Sensuelle. He was almost disappointed that he had the answer now, because he'd amused himself trying to figure out all of the elements. He did that when he found a wine he really liked, but it was the first time he'd applied those skills to perfume.)