Delete gap in timeline not working

Deleting individual gaps in my premiere timeline isn't working. There is no audio in another layer that's preventing this.

I have 7 other mac studios for which this isn't an issue, but my newest mac studio - it is.

I can ripple delete the gap between clips, but that isn't what I want to do.

I can select a clip and delete it.

I can select a gap between clips, but can't delete it.

I've tried to assign a keyboard shortcut to close gaps. When I use it, all gaps are closed, not just the one, unless I select the two clips for which I want to remove the gap in the middle. This is an extra, unecessary step.

Can anyone help me?