What happens when political enemies become the universe's last hope?
In the small, stubbornly opinionated world of Waters County, North Carolina, county commissioners Tricia Waters and Reginald Carter agree on exactly one thing: they cannot stand each other. Their meetings are legendary. Their arguments are public. Their mutual irritation is... intense.
Unfortunately for them, intensity is exactly what Father Time needs.
Bound by an ancient cosmic rule, Father Time must ensure a couple falls in love before midnight on New Year's Eve-or the new year won't begin. Time will stop. Eternity will stall. No pressure. For the first time in thousands of years, the couple he's chosen might actually hate each other.
Over the course of one chaotic year, Tricia and Reginald are forced into late nights, tied votes, public disasters, and increasingly personal disagreements that blur the line between professional rivalry and something far more dangerous. As the town watches, bets are placed, friendships interfere, and both commissioners insist-loudly-that nothing is happening.
They are wrong.