Cosmo clears his throat pointedly. “I’m going to ask Ryan to do the interview.”
I blink at him. “What?”
“It’s a good interview for the magazine, but Ryan will write it,” Cosmo emphasizes, clasping his hands together across his lap and leaning back in his chair. “It makes sense.”
I glance at Ryan, who, in his defense, looks like this has been sprung on him, too.
“Cosmo, this is my interview. I know the publicist, I made the contact,” I tell him as calmly as possible. “I’ve been pestering her to let me talk to Max Sjöberg for a long time.”
“I know,” Cosmo replies, shifting in his seat. “But I would like Ryan to take it from here.”
“But…why?” I ask, my voice going a little more high-pitched than I’d have liked, like a put-out child.
“Ryan is Swedish,” Cosmo says, as if it’s obvious. “Max Sjöberg is Swedish.”
I put my hands on my hips. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s likely they’ll have more of a connection,” Cosmo explains, getting irritated now. “Ryan will understand him better, his heritage and background.”
“Ryan ishalfSwedish,” I point out. “He grew up in England.”
“I did spend my holidays in Stockholm with my dad’s family,” Ryan comments, but quickly cowers under my glare.
“Cosmo,” I begin, attempting to keep my rage under control, “I don’t connect well with the people I interview because we’re the same nationality. That has nothing to do with getting actors to open up.”
“Ryan is our features editor, an excellent writer, a brilliant interviewer,andhe’s Swedish,” Cosmo lists, jutting his chin out. “If you had to pick one person in this office to interview Max Sjöberg, who would you pick?”
“I would pick me!” I argue.
Cosmo sighs. “I’ve made my decision, Harper. Ryan is doing the interview.”
I turn to Ryan to appeal to him. “You agree with this?”
“I… look,” he says, holding up his hands, “I think you should do the interview, you’re the one who set it up.”
“Thank you!”
“But I do think the Swedish angle might be helpful in putting him at ease during the interview and getting him to chat more openly. He’s been known to be prickly, and it’s always helpful to have something in common to break the ice.”
“Are youserious?” I cry, throwing my hands up. “I didn’t get Audrey Abbot to relax by starting the conversation about how we both grew up in London!Really, Ryan? You think Max Sjöberg will be more forthcoming if you open by asking him what his favorite… ABBA song is?”
Ryan offers me an amused smile, which I donotappreciate right now.
“Is ABBA the most Swedish thing you could think of?”
“That and schnapps,” I admit grumpily.
“Harper—” Cosmo begins, but Ryan interrupts him.
“I might have a solution,” he says optimistically. “We could both go.”
Cosmo looks as confused as I feel. “I’m sorry?”
“Why don’t Harper and I both go to Manchester tomorrow? We could interview him together.”
“What?” I shake my head. “That wouldn’t work.”
“Yes, it would. You’re the best interviewer on the team and, as Cosmo says, it would be helpful for me to be there, too, if he discusses growing up in Stockholm,” Ryan suggests, before giving me a look. “It’s not like it would be the first time we’ve worked on a feature together, Harper.”
