Realization

Dave attempted to avoid Laura. He kept his dog inside at the time she normally walked. He had started saving a newspaper for her mother, so he texted her a note that his newspaper was in his mailbox, and then left. She picked it up while he was out and texted thanks to him. Mission accomplished. But then later that day she called and said she was walking by and Buster was barking, so of course he had to walk with her! They did not discuss relationships.... they had a nice chat, avoiding awkward subjects.

The next day, he was walking alone, thinking about the time she had spent at the hospital when her boyfriend was ill. His nicer side spoke up. She must really care for him. Clearly Dave was being self-centered. Maybe Laura, who had been separated from her husband for 16 years and clearly had been on an emotional rollercoaster, had found true love, or even something close. So why was Dave being so selfish? He had been separated for about half a year. Was not even divorced yet. If Laura was his friend - and she was - then Dave should be supportive of her. Glad that she was finally happy.

Of course, his counterpart, evil Dave, still hoped for an end to Laura's relationship. So that he could jump in as the white knight and commiserate with her. Take her in his arms and comfort her as she cried....