Chapter 1

[Annie, sorry to bug you again! I bought a box of cherries. Can I leave it with you for a bit?]

[Annie, my mom sent some Milano cookies. They're super fragile. Can you set them aside for me? Thanks!]

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Every message in the pickup station group chat was asking me to hold somebody's package.

I logged the new deliveries while replying with quick "Got it" messages.

Then Mrs. Warner from Unit 401 sent a voice message, sounding genuinely grateful.

"We're seriously lucky Annie paid out of pocket to set up this pickup station. This old apartment complex doesn't even have proper package lockers. Deliveries used to get dumped in the hallway, and stuff went missing all the time. Everybody was stressed about it. Now with Annie's pickup station, getting packages is way easier."

Her message opened the floodgates. The group chat instantly exploded with agreement and thank-yous.

[Exactly! Mrs. Warner's right! My lipstick package disappeared before. I was so mad.]

[If Annie hadn't bought those shelves and spent all that time organizing everything, we wouldn't even have a place for our packages.]

[And she only charges one cent. She's basically doing this for free. That's seriously so nice of her!]

[Thank you, Annie! Thanks for everything you do!]

[+1. Annie's basically this building's lifesaver.]

I looked at the nonstop thank-you messages scrolling by. The exhaustion from working for hours eased up a little.

For the past six months, I'd checked in packages every day, sent pickup alerts, and stayed up late waiting for people to stop by. I held groceries for neighbors and even helped carry heavy boxes upstairs.

I only charged one cent per package. Just enough to keep records clean without making anyone feel like they owed me.

I kept all the one-cent payments in a little tin box. If somebody tossed in extra change or small bills, I used it to buy shared supplies for the pickup station.

Their trust and thanks were what kept me going.

I was about to reply when shouting exploded outside.

"Annie! Get out here and explain yourself!"

My heart jumped. I opened the door.

Mrs. Couser stood there with her hands on her hips, furious. Mrs. Tate stood beside her with her arms crossed, clearly enjoying the scene.

"Mrs. Couser, what happened?"

"You seriously have to ask?" Her voice turned sharp and shrill. "Where's my package? I ordered a gold necklace from some third-party seller in Hawthorne Bay. It cost three grand. Tracking says it was delivered. I searched your whole pickup station, and it's gone!"

I froze, then quickly flipped through my logbook.

"Everything delivered this afternoon is here. Are you sure you missed the pickup notice? I posted in the group chat and sent you a message."

"I searched everywhere. The only thing there was some ripped empty box under the shelf!"