Brainstorming a romance

Hot & Bothered, AKA TheRomPod encouraged people to try writing along with their weekly prompts on how to write a romance novel as a sacred practice. I hadn't particularly planned on doing so, nor do I necessarily see romance novels as sacred inherently, but I'm willing to try it at least tentatively.

I suppose I am extra primed to write a romance just at present as I am reading Jane Eyre.

I recall a post here on WDC that was aimed at notes one could take in October to be prepared for NaNoWriMo. I hope to rediscover that if I can.

Among the tropes noted on that podcast, and the one used for its first episode was Updated Fairy Tale. The author spoke of doing Beauty and the Beast in a way that I think I could work from. Much of it is going in the direction I want, not the direction he is going.

Our protagonists:

Belle (who needs a better name): She owns a bookshop in a college town. It was her family's, but one parent has passed on and the other I think is ailing and needs her care. She hopes to move away, but is tied down by bookshop and ailing parent. I'm leaning towards making this her mom. I think she'll come to love where she is in the end.

Professor Beast (also to be named later): Bearded of course. A terrible grouch, but I suppose he must somehow be loveable, right? I am inclined to make him a religion professor, but am open to other humanities. This sounds like I a anti-religion, which is far from the truth.

Should there be a Gaston? Is he in the original, by which I suppose I mean Grimm?
Should there be a time limit on him finding love? Perhaps he is aproaching his sabbatical year and will be gone, but she cannot come along because of Mom & store. Or he is offered a position elsewhere and thus leaving?
Freeing her up through death of mom seems pretty awful. Provides opportunity for him to do something well intentioned but poorly received. Trying to "fix" the problem for her, again well intentioned but poorly received, is another option (eg "yes, you can come with me to The Big City. I got your mom into the nursing home and found someone to buy the bookshop")

Am I falling into the same trap as the episode's guest, projecting the unlikeable parts of myself onto my character? I need to keep options open for him to have a redemption arc.

Also, they need a reason to be together a bunch for him to grow from her good influence, right? Or can he grow/be redeemed apart from her and then they reunite?