I pulled out my phone just as a text came in.
Carpool Noah: Am I allowed to find you at lunch?
Jenny: I’m working through. Sorry.
I actually was sorry. I couldn’t think of a time when I craved a distraction more. And there was no one more distracting than Noah. Which was why I had to get him to stop texting me.
Carpool Noah: Anything I can do?
Jenny: Thanks, but no. I have to go. See you after work.
There was no response, and I was glad. I was sooo glad. I didn’t want Noah pestering me. At all. One hundred percent sure. Okay, I was more like eighty-percent sure, but that would have to be good enough. No distractions.
Taking a deep breath, I scrolled down to my landlord’s number. It rang and rang, and I was afraid I’d get the dreaded voicemail which he never checked, but he finally picked up and greeted me with his usual, “Yeah.”
“Hey, Frank. It’s Jenny in 21B.”
“Ah, Jenny. How’s it going? You got a toilet running or something?”
“No, I don’t need anything repaired. It’s just that I’m having trouble with my new roommate.”
“That was fast. So, is one of you moving out?”
“I’d like her to move out.”
“And let me guess, she wants you to move out.”
“Yeah.”
Frank groaned. “You know I like you, gal. But I don’t do roommate disputes. I can’t, really, not without a cause. Is she doing anything illegal?”
I wasn’t actually sure. So I laid it on him, and he listened for almost a minute before he cut me off. “Jenny, she sounds like a real peach, but if you’re not pressing charges with the police, and she’s not damaging anything, or cooking meth in the bathroom, or running a rat farm, something that gives me a reason to evict her, like a legal reason, you’re outta luck, kid.”
I rested my head against my desk. I didn’t want to press charges against her for hitting me. I’d watched enough cop shows to know it was all circumstantial anyway. I’d touched her first. And I didn’t want to wait to catch her doing something illegal. What the heck was a rat farm?
Frank sniffed. “It’s gonna be okay. Here’s what you do. Move out for a couple months. She’ll probably never get a roommate to replace you, cause ain’t nobody gonna wanna live with her. She won’t be able to afford the rent on her own, and the second she’s late on payment, I kick her out. Batta-boom, batta-bing. You have your apartment back.”
“I don’t think she’s hard up for money, Frank. Do you have any other vacancies by chance?”
“Not at this location.”
“You mean you have other apartment complexes?” I jumped up in my chair before sitting back down and trying not to get my hopes up too high.
“I have one. One other small apartment building. I’m not a titan or anything. Though that’s flattering you would think so.”
“Where?”
He rattled off the cross-streets and I pulled up a map to check it out. It was a few miles north of where I was now. Perfect. Back when Lauren had told me she was getting married, I had considered getting my own place closer to work, but everything was so expensive, and when I found something I could afford, it had already been snatched up by the time I called.
“I do charge more for this complex because it’s newer,” Frank said, confirming what I’d feared. “And all I have available at the moment is a one-bedroom. The current tenants will be moving out in four weeks.” He quoted me the price and the specs, which made me feel slightly queasy. I could afford it, but only with a roommate to split the cost with. At least I’d have time to think about it.
“I’ll roll your current lease fees over to this place if you take it. Do you want me to hold it for you?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“I can’t hold it for a maybe, kid. Come talk to me after you figure out what you’re doing. Like by tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll do that.” I thanked him and ended the call before he could hear me crying. Because I was totally crying. I had until tomorrow. How was I supposed to find someone by then who wanted to share a one bedroom apartment with me? And if I did, what were we supposed to do for a month until it was available?
