New neighbors Andi and Hayden don't get off to the best start - and neither do their dogs. When the hostility between their pets, Bart and Rosie, leads to noisy barking, Andi and Hayden must solve their pet's tension or risk eviction from their apar...
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Clearing my throat, I step further into Gillman's office, releasing my hand from the door. "Were Rosie and Bart loud today?" I casually ask as if the yaps sifting through the walls aren't answer enough.
"I received thirteen complaints today, Hayden. Calls from all six floors. And that's on top of the two from yesterday, which I decided to give grace on." Gillman rubs his forehead, his pale wrinkly hand mixing with the short grey hairs on his beard. "But thirteen separate complaints today! That's a third of the damn building!"
Andi yanks her head back toward Gillman as her deadly stare switches to one of professionalism, matching the rest of her body. "Okay, so back to what I was saying, our pets aren't getting along very well." She clears her throat, wringing her thin hands against the armrests of her chair. "So we tried separating them from the connecting wall of our rooms. I just got home from work, so I haven't been up there yet, but we'll go quiet them down. And we're trying to fix it. It's possible they'll stop over time."
"There is no time. It's a disruption to the whole building." Gillman removes his hand from his beard, waving it outward. "You both signed leases, which both had pet expectations clearly outlined. Excessive barking and noise aren't tolerated."
The barking from upstairs halts again, a stretch of silence extending around us.
Well, at least the barking isn't constant.
I step behind Andi's chair. "Is it possible to move Andi to another apartment? One on a different floor?"
Andi's short black hair swishes as she lurches her head in my direction. "What! Me?" Her face contorts in anger, but after realizing she yelled, she swiftly gets ahold of herself with a sharp clearance of her throat. "Um, don't you think that's not entirely fair? Assuming I would be the one to move?" Her voice is laced with all the composure in the world, but her eyes are locked on mine in a death grip.
She's not even blinking.
I compose myself as well, crossing my arms, and my voice entirely casual as I say, "Well, I've lived in my apartment for months, and you've been here two days. Don't you think it's unfair to ask me to be the one to move?"
"Well, I did just do a ton of work on that one specific apartment. Don't you think that is unfair?"
"Nobody is moving." Gillman's grave voice cuts between us, snapping both of our heads in his direction. "The dogs within the same building are a hazard on their own, and there aren't any open apartments anyway. This is a highly desired location."
He's right about that. Within a reasonable price range, this is the best apartment building in town. Well-maintained, has great views of the water, amazing location relative to downtown and other hotspots, and although Gillman is currently not at the top of my favorite-person list, he's a reasonably good landlord and owner.
And the most important thing: this building accepts pets.
All those things combined in an apartment are the equivalent of a unicorn.
