After the death of her wife, software engineer Kate Campbell relies on rules and routines to survive. But when a digital glitch makes her the responsible party for Erin Deere, a charming, disaster-prone amnesiac on the run, logic goes out the window.

Kate wants Erin out of the house by Christmas, but her best friend thinks a little chaos is a good thing. The town’s army of redneck romantics wants to solve the mystery, but nothing adds up. Why does Erin have thousands in cash, a teddy bear, and someone else’s phone? She cooks like a Parisian chef but she can’t drive, and what’s the language she murmurs in her sleep?

As Christmas arrives, the mystery unravels along with Kate’s defenses as she realizes that the very thing she never wanted is exactly what she needs. When Erin’s past finally catches up, Kate is faced with a decision no flowchart can handle—stick with safety or risk everything for a future she never imagined?

With humor, heart, and wry intelligence, Responsible Party is the story of grief, identity, the choices we make, the past we can’t escape, and the love we never saw coming.